WIP: Dawn: African Lions. Scratchboard (engraving on Claybord Black), 12 x 9 in, 2007.
Here we are at stage three: the “cooling off period”. When I get a piece to this point I like to set it aside for a few days and then come back to it with fresh eyes. I tend to find that if I rush a board I find mistakes later – usually in value, areas of highlight and shadow - and so I wait. I still have to add more of the female’s neck and shoulder, as well as details like eyelashes and whiskers.
I like how this looks in black and white – surprise, surprise – as I tend to prefer the overall “atmosphere” of works in black and white: the starkness, the graphic qualities, the classic feel and the attention to the subject. I did, however, originally intend to colour this work with acrylic inks, and at this point that’s still the plan.
