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Kane’s Trilobite Drawings


Kane

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I thought I'd show the steps in how I go about drawing trilobites. I usually begin by sketching one of my bugs from different angles, and experimenting with lighting. Once I hit upon the angle and lighting I like, I get to it.

 

Here is the simple setup at the dining room table: adjustable neck lamp, the subject, magnifier, an array of pencils, tunes, and water.

 

At this stage, I've already gone about four hours.

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I spend a ratio of 4::1 in terms of putting my eyes on the subject and putting the pencil on the paper. Each area and segment must be treated as unique to ensure some relative degree of realism; to draw what one thinks is there is liable to produce a result that looks... not so real. At the same time, it is important to stop often to check against the entire drawing lest the myopic focus of a slight deviation result in some wide variance later. Using the magnifier, I can check in on the finest details of each crack and bit of microsculpture.

 

I lay down very faint guidelines once I have the proper scale down. In this instance, the trilobite is not very big, but I want it to fill the page. The pencils are all sharpened at different lengths, which only vary so minutely (and why I use so many at a time). I lay down the more detailed work as I go, working top to bottom so my hand doesn't smudge it. 

 

I use erasers very sparingly, so I need to get it right the first time. No matter how careful I am to remove eraser rubbings, it can make fainter penciling too dark if the pencil tip is going over microscopic grit.

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Once the rougher detailing is done, I spend an hour fine tuning and checking against the subject. Another hour or so is spent blending. I don't like the smudging technique to burnish as it is much harder to control, and the result looks a bit, well, smudged. :P Instead, I use a harder graphite (H to 7H) to try my best to remove or mask more obvious pencil strokes, while also working in the fainter areas and incident lighting. I then use a softer graphite (3B-5B) to darken the shadows a bit, and blend it in with a basic HB. 

 

In this drawing, I've put in all the cracks, mottled areas, and imperfections. This one was in the process of a moult, and so you can make out the little gap from the cranidium and the cheeks, as well as the slight separation between the two last pleurae on the bottom right. 

 

After carefully removing any remaining guide lines with an eraser tip, at 8.5 hours it is complete. 

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It's great seeing the artwork come to life in stages! We need trilo-moooore!:trilo:

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Completion time: 8 hours

Materials: Pencils (HB, H, 7H, 3B), standard white bond paper (8.5" x 11")

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@Kane they would look great publish in book . The book would also make a great gift to a friend maybe who is in the uk.   :D

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Incredible! Well done, K-man.  :wub: 

 

Too bad you have so little talent.  :rolleyes:  :P

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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Thanks, guys. :) 

I have a list of ambitious goals while I work to improve technique:

 

1. Draw one of those Dicranurus or Comura with all the crazy spines

2. Draw a sequence of enrolment/un-enrolment (something along the lines of Escher's "Curl-Up")

3. Work with white pencil on black paper to draw light rather than shadow (something I used to do a lot long ago)

4. Create a page of trilo-tiles

5. Draw trilobites composed of different material (wood, metal, water). 

 

@Bobby Rico - You know, that's not a bad idea! I just need to get access to a good scanner rather than take photos, and amass at least another 15 drawings as I know a place that will print picture books for a fair price (but minimum of 30 pages). I'm hoping by year's end to have about 50-100. Heck, even a TFF art book featuring our artists here is another idea. :zzzzscratchchin:

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19 minutes ago, Kane said:

Thanks, guys. :) 

I have a list of ambitious goals while I work to improve technique:

 

1. Draw one of those Dicranurus or Comura with all the crazy spines

2. Draw a sequence of enrolment/un-enrolment (something along the lines of Escher's "Curl-Up")

3. Work with white pencil on black paper to draw light rather than shadow (something I used to do a lot long ago)

4. Create a page of trilo-tiles

5. Draw trilobites composed of different material (wood, metal, water). 

 

@Bobby Rico - You know, that's not a bad idea! I just need to get access to a good scanner rather than take photos, and amass at least another 15 drawings as I know a place that will print picture books for a fair price (but minimum of 30 pages). I'm hoping by year's end to have about 50-100. Heck, even a TFF art book featuring our artists here is another idea. :zzzzscratchchin:

Yes definitely you do have a winner their.  I will look forward to my signed copy then. :D

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Well, I decided to root through storage and found a big box of about 1,200 of my drawings from the 1990s -- mostly elaborate cyborgs, demons, nudes, chapbook design,experimental medium stuff, (I found one unfinished image of a character where I used real mica sheets for his pants :blink:). 

 

This was my very first trilobite drawing. Inaccurate on so many levels, but I was 13 or 14, lol. :D 

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My recent attempt is to bring some colour to my trilobites (a la Paul Simon, "kodachro-o-ome!" :P ). The challenge is that I haven't done any colour work in more than two decades. I know my colour theory, but practice is a whole other thing...

 

Once I've done my colour matching, I've settled on this palette. Yes, yes, I hear the voice of one of my old art teachers from high school saying, "a true artist only needs the three primary colours and can mix from there." 

 

First step is to very precisely sketch out the trilobite using a faint 7H pencil. I have to be able to remove those and colour right to the edge without showing an edge (again, art teacher voice: "a good illustration has no sharp edge!"). 

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The main issues I had is that colouring pencils are waxy and soft, so detail and control is not good. Also blending into a solid block of colour is another challenge that requires patient layering rather than pressing down hard; otherwise, the colour will not change no matter how much you scribble over it, or you have to go the grainy look -- not the appearance I want. 

 

Here is one of those process GIFs for those who like to see how the sausage is made: 

Webp.net-gifmaker (6).gif

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Ok, so not bad, but a shade or two away from the realism I wanted. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue working in this medium unless I can acquire some better colouring pencils that I can actually sharpen to a nice point, and that are less waxy. 

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:tiphat:

 

Good show, old chap! 

Awesome work, K. 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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

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

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On 4/16/2019 at 9:39 AM, Kane said:

Ok, so not bad, but a shade or two away from the realism I wanted. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue working in this medium unless I can acquire some better colouring pencils that I can actually sharpen to a nice point, and that are less waxy. 

 

Have you worked with the chalk style pastel pencils before? I used to use them quite a bit, here is on from 10 years or so ago.

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Very nice!

 

No, I don't think I've worked with chalk-style pastel pencils before. If I did, it may have been in high school. It sounds like a trip to the art supply store is on my list to check that out. If they are easier to blend and have the ability for more precision than the conventional colouring pencil, I'm sold! 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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2 hours ago, Kane said:

Very nice!

 

No, I don't think I've worked with chalk-style pastel pencils before. If I did, it may have been in high school. It sounds like a trip to the art supply store is on my list to check that out. If they are easier to blend and have the ability for more precision than the conventional colouring pencil, I'm sold! 

 

I would say that it meets that criteria, only downside is that it does generate some dust.

 

They also add a certain degree of layering ability which could come in handy

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This one was a bit tricky because of the long spines, and ensuring they curve just right. If you zoom in, you can make out some of the pustular surface (I sometimes draw with a magnifier to inscribe very small details). This one is a collector's favourite (and happens to be part of the TFF logo!). 

 

Done using pencils (HB, H, 3B, 6B) on standard white bond paper.

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Dude, ... that looks like a black and white photo!  :blink:  :wub: 

Amazing!!!!

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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

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

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Thanks, Tim! I feel like I'm getting the hang of this a bit more with each one I do. :trilosurprise:

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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If you posted this on April 1st I would have assumed you were pulling our collective legs with this photograph. Drawing? I think not! 

I am astounded.

Start the day with a smile and get it over with.

 

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