The Devil Hole

STEP ONE

Before I draw I like to meet the animal, to see it move, see it interact with others, listen to it, even smell it! When you sketch from life it helps you to work out the anatomy and form of the creature. Often you will note something in the field that may not be obvious on a photograph. I use life sketches as a form of visual note taking that I can refer to back in the studio. As well as sketching from life, I will take many digital photos of the animal from as many angles as possible. You can never have too much photographic reference! And with digital photography you can take hundreds of shots without costing a fortune. These sketches of young Devils were done at the Halls Gap Zoo, Victoria 2012 One of my sketches and four series of shots in particular enticed me and that is the image I will work up into a finished drawing.

STEP TWO

 Having decided on my main reference images, I begin to work up a freehand sketch from my photographic references and initial life sketches. I tend to work my compositions in ‘thirds’. This composition will have the head of the animal centrally placed within a square format, with the eyes roughly two thirds up the drawing area. The animal will be in sharp focus, fading into the darker background of the cave, with less detailed drawing of rocks and bedding framing the head.

If time allows I prefer to work freehand, but I