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Kane’s Trilobite Drawings


Kane

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Thanks! You'd be surprised how far one can go if one puts in the time, even over a few years. Time, patience, and a good eye, and I think just about anyone can draw. :) 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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I really do enjoy your photo-realistic style, Kane.  Amazing.

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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I’ve been looking forward to seeing more of your drawings, looks great

“If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit)

"No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard)

"With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane)

"We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues)

"I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus)

“The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger)

"it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19)

"Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad)

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Thanks, gents. :) I'm hopeful to squeeze out one more before the grains in the 2020 hourglass run out. 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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Very nice as usual Kane! I too enjoy your style of drawing. Glad to see you back at it.
 

You say that anyone can draw, but you haven’t seen my meager attempt at stick figures. Ha! 

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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On 2020-12-17 at 11:27 PM, Kane said:

It's been way too long since I pushed a few pencils around. This year being out in the field did me many favours for finding fossils, but it meant neglecting sustained desk work.

 

Now that winter is here, time to shake the dust off and get back to it. 

 

An Odontocephalus aegeria. Many of the specimens I've seen have this kind of lateral distortion.

The usual materials: standard printer paper, pencils (HB, 3H, 3B), blending stump, tortillon.

Hopefully a few more drawings this winter!

IMG_8807.jpg

I haven’t been on the forum that often the past couple months, but I come on and see this!  This is just amazing!  Great drawings keep up the work!

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This took a few days, and may be my last illustration for 2020.

 

The photo does it little justice as the finest details of graphite tend to wash out under the camera, particularly if using harder pencils (3H+, which means lighter tone). 

 

Although simple in appearance, more wide open spaces means a lot more of the layer/blend cycle; in some spots up to about 12 times to get the right tone and ensure some of the crisper details remain without blending them off, but also without making the lines more stark than reality. It is the cycling that takes an eternity. 

 

Materials: Printer paper, pencils (HB, 3H, 7H), blending stumps, tortillon. 

Size: Takes up most of a standard 8'x11" page. 

 

Pliomera fischeri, enrolled. 

 

 

IMG_8846.jpg

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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The realism remains as stunning as imaginable! Knowing how much depth a photo can take out of a drawing I can't imagine how impressive these must look in hand!

 

Out of curiosity, how long do you usually spend on the initial outlining/planning before you begin the tedious layering?

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7 minutes ago, Huntonia said:

The realism remains as stunning as imaginable! Knowing how much depth a photo can take out of a drawing I can't imagine how impressive these must look in hand!

 

Out of curiosity, how long do you usually spend on the initial outlining/planning before you begin the tedious layering?

Thanks! And they do look a lot better and realistic to the naked eye. Photographing graphite is a real challenge given that any light will tend to reflect off of the page, which then the camera interprets as light. :( Trying to edit reality back in with software doesn't quite work because it will treat the blank parts of the page in the same way.

 

In terms of sketching and outlining, I suppose it depends on the size and complexity, but on average about an hour before I get down to committing harder lines and detailing. That's just for the loose outline in very faint pencil to plot dimensions and indicate areas of contrast (whether more abrupt or gradual). 

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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Nice to see you got it done. I've just got myself a good set of pencils and a couple of methods for beginners and have started practicing shading, hatching, etc. Wish me luck :santasmile:

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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2 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

Nice to see you got it done. I've just got myself a good set of pencils and a couple of methods for beginners and have started practicing shading, hatching, etc. Wish me luck :santasmile:

Good luck!

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I can't remember if I have complimented your artistic presentations  before or whether I have just enjoyed your work in silence. There is something special about this drawing that warrants  exposing my personal admiration for your art. Your talent is amazing!!! 

 

Mike

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The quality of these artworks is absolutely amazing! :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:

 

If photography is challenging, I wonder if using a scanner would produce more accurate results, assuming the drawings don't get smudged on the glass.

 

Don

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Thanks, all! :) 

@Ludwigia -- That is great news! I'm sure you'll nail down the basics in no time. After that, it's just patience. :ammo3:

@FossilDAWG -- The scanner sounds like a good idea to try. If I'm very careful, it shouldn't smudge. If a success, I could print and bind them all into a little book, which would be kind of neat.

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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Another amazing trilobite well done Kane, what is your softest and hardest pencil? A 7H sounds like it would barely do anything. All I have is your regular HB a 2B and a 4B but I want to get more soon.

“If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit)

"No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard)

"With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane)

"We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues)

"I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus)

“The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger)

"it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19)

"Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad)

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Just now, Top Trilo said:

Another amazing trilobite well done Kane, what is your softest and hardest pencil? A 7H sounds like it would barely do anything. All I have is your regular HB a 2B and a 4B but I want to get more soon.

Thanks! 

I have the full range from 9B to 9H. I use Derwent with the exception of HB where I use Staedtler (including the very best sharpener I've ever used). 

A 7H barely registers on the paper, but it really is for the most faint features where a blank space would make the drawing incomplete. You *can* "fake" the lighter tones by adjusting stroke pressure on a softer lead, or by careful blending using stumps/tortillons, but then you would have to go back with the eraser and "dab" the area to lighten it, or you may find blending smears a feature you want to keep crisp. And the more you erase, the less "tooth" in the paper to catch the graphite (you have to picture the paper at the microscopic scale filled with peaks and valleys, and what we're doing is filling in the tiny ravines). 

 

A trip to your local arts/crafts store may be in your future! They are relatively inexpensive, and you can buy them as sets or sometimes individually. I would go with a name brand for quality as some of the off-brands may not have the good enough consistency in the graphite, or the leads tend to fall out when sharpening due to an improper bond between that and the wood. Of course, there are also woodless pencils, too, that are effectively just tubes of graphite with a plastic wrap you peel off as needed, but I never got to using them much.

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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5 minutes ago, Kane said:

Thanks! 

I have the full range from 9B to 9H. I use Derwent with the exception of HB where I use Staedtler (including the very best sharpener I've ever used). 

A 7H barely registers on the paper, but it really is for the most faint features where a blank space would make the drawing incomplete. You *can* "fake" the lighter tones by adjusting stroke pressure on a softer lead, or by careful blending using stumps/tortillons, but then you would have to go back with the eraser and "dab" the area to lighten it, or you may find blending smears a feature you want to keep crisp. And the more you erase, the less "tooth" in the paper to catch the graphite (you have to picture the paper at the microscopic scale filled with peaks and valleys, and what we're doing is filling in the tiny ravines). 

 

A trip to your local arts/crafts store may be in your future! They are relatively inexpensive, and you can buy them as sets or sometimes individually. I would go with a name brand for quality as some of the off-brands may not have the good enough consistency in the graphite, or the leads tend to fall out when sharpening due to an improper bond between that and the wood. Of course, there are also woodless pencils, too, that are effectively just tubes of graphite with a plastic wrap you peel off as needed, but I never got to using them much.

do you use a sharpener on all your pencils? I heard it can quickly eat up the softer ones.

“If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit)

"No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard)

"With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane)

"We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues)

"I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus)

“The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger)

"it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19)

"Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad)

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24 minutes ago, Top Trilo said:

do you use a sharpener on all your pencils? I heard it can quickly eat up the softer ones.

Somewhat sparingly for the softer ones, but those are more used for laying out areas for dark shadow. At times, a small nook needs the darker, softer pencil, and so sharpening is a necessity.

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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23 hours ago, Kane said:

If I'm very careful, it shouldn't smudge. If a success, I could print and bind them all into a little book, which would be kind of neat.

Are you using a fixative on your finished work? They are wonderfully wrought.

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Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See

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Just now, snolly50 said:

Are you using a fixative on your finished work? They are wonderfully wrought.

Thank you! No, I haven't applied fixative yet, but I do transport them to a plastic sleeve after they are rendered. A fixative is a next step necessity to avoid any mishaps or the settling of graphite over time. A perfect reminder for me to acquire some on my next supply run!

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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54 minutes ago, Kane said:

A fixative is a next step

Excellent, they are certainly well worth steps to protect them. While I'm being nosy, have you considered offering a set of prints to Forum members? I am certain, folks might enjoy having such work hanging in their fossil display space.

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Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See

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2 minutes ago, snolly50 said:

Excellent, they are certainly well worth steps to protect them. While I'm being nosy, have you considered offering a set of prints to Forum members? I am certain, folks might enjoy having such work hanging in their fossil display space.

My plan was to eventually do very high resolution scans to include in a kind of coffee table book, but that could also include larger, hangable prints, too. I've actually seen some very nice prints done on canvas (I proudly hang a few here -- one from a fantastic sculpture artist, and another being a two panel Menger Sponge). Once the scan is made, it becomes a simple matter of tailoring to size. TL;DR -- a fantastic idea, and one I do hope to pursue in the coming year!

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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I use Derwent pencils and pastels and water color pencils. You may like a draftsman's pencil sharpener. Goes around on a fixed base. For a scanner the paper should have top be indirect contact with the glass. You may be able to support it on thin wood strips or in a shallow frame as long as it is flat. If using lighting, we use cheese cloth from a fabric store as a diffuser for portraits. Their is a couple of other items you hang or clamp in front lamp or flash with small clamps. That may help.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

Getting a start on 2021. 

This one took a lot longer than I anticipated, if only because of flagging motivation. 

Materials: paper (standard 8.5"x11" printer paper), pencils (HB, 2H, 3H)

 

These lichids from Jorf come out looking "plasticized" due to partial metamorphosis of the source rock.  

I've already got the next lichid plotted out. 

IMG_8874.jpg

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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When I saw there was an orange New box next to paleo recreation and saw "My Trilobite Drawings" with the most recent reply from Kane, I was so happy there was another one of these trilos. Love this one Kane, the different angle and the attention to the smallest details are amazing.

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“If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit)

"No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard)

"With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane)

"We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues)

"I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus)

“The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger)

"it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19)

"Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad)

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