Sleeping Rescue - 2025 08 26

 

Sleeping Rescue - pencil, pen and ink, 8 1/2 x 11 on paper

Eddy was asleep on the bed. Gripped by a moment of optimism and energy, I made a combined pencil drawing of blind contour and observed contour lines. My perception of proportion is almost dyslexic, so I need to work back and forth across the subject to pull in and out of the shapes to get something approximate of my observed subject.

The pencil drawing sat for a few days while I waited to figure out what to do next.

Yesterday I decided to try something with ink.

I mixed in equal measure, black and raw umber ink. In five shot glasses I spooned one tablespoon of water for each. The first shot glass received one drop each of black and raw umber. The second shot glass received two drops, the third, three drops, to the fifth shot glass, which received five drops each of black and raw umber ink.

To look at the row of shot glasses, I could not see the difference in the intensity of the colour in each glass. They all looked the same. On paper, though, I was able to see the difference in tone. 

Starting with a glass pen, I re-traced my lines and drew from memory for details. I layered on lines of ink with the glass pen, tracing and re-tracing, adding dimension or intensity with the different mixes of inks.

Next I used my most detailed brush to add a slightly thicker layer of line overlaying the pencil and lines from the glass pen.

At this point I decided to work into the background with a wide brush and the middle tone of ink. Using the same brush, I applied the lightest tone of ink to the foreground. Each time I blotted the wet ink with an absorbent wad of soft paper to pick up excess ink and water.

Picking up a narrower brush, I used the darkest tone to add shadow and weight. 

By now I had been picking up and setting down the different shot glasses and I realized I had no idea which was the lightest or darkest tone. They were all mixed up. I laughed and set everything down.

My odd little drawing was done for now. My rescue dog was sleeping contently in safety and comfort, secure in knowing that she belonged in our home and in our little family.

I had done a drawing exercise that is deeply uncomfortable for me because the outcome is profoundly uncertain. Well, I like it.

Is it a perfect rendering of a sleeping dog? Not at all. Is it a perfect rendering of a moment in time with my dog? Well, yes it is. 

Was it worth doing? I look at the drawing handing on the display board and I take pleasure and comfort in its presence. So, yes, it was worth doing.

I have decided to combine all five shot glasses into one jar. I dare not waste the ink! I will remix a series from the jar using blue and red drops to create a transition from warm to cool grey. I'm curious to see how that turns out.