Kodiak skull

Kodiak skull drawn in pencil during my "Drawing Skulls" class

For five weeks I was privileged to be one of four students allowed into the Zoology Collection Department of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for a class on drawing skulls.  We each chose a skull to be our project.  The choices were:  seal, lion, giraffe, babirusa and Kodiak bear.  I chose the bear.  An artist who has worked at the museum for 12 years guided us through some of the techniques of rendering once we had gotten the figure on paper in proper proportions. 

It had been a number of years since I had worked in gray scale and I had never worked in such fine detail.  It took the entire 10 hours of class time to produce the skull above.  Personally it is more detailed and time-consuming than I like to be.  Usually my art is more process-oriented than product producing.  It is--like journaling for me--a time-out, a release of external pressures of world tensions to become absorbed in something interior for a while. That said, I am really proud of my skull and am not sorry I took the class.  One true thing about art is that before one can  capture something tangible on paper, one must truely "see" it, study it and know it.  I feel I now "know" this skull.

Comments

[Lori]

It's uplifting to lose one's self in the rendering of an object, to place it forever in the two dimensional sphere of paper and graphite. To re present objects, in order to understand them more fully, to comprehend the subtle shifts and changes of line and value, thus creating the illusion of form. To really see an object, to know and not name. You nailed it! Just stopped in, your blog is visually stimulating. I hope you don't mind that I crashed. It's as near to bliss as it gets.

[corrina]

You are a fabulous artist! I hope you frame this one.

[Paula]

I've been privileged to witness the improvement of your drawing and painting skills for about 4 years now, and there's no doubt in my mind that this is by far the best thing you've ever created. I'm still partial to the "wild wolf" painting, but this drawing is exquisite!

[endment]

Wonderful opportunity! -- you have really turned out an impressive drawing!

[Fran aka Redondowriter]

What incredible work, Debby. I think, if you are inclined to draw or paint, it is an altered way of seeing. Photography is that way, too, don't you think?

[Carolyn]

Debby, your skull drawing amazes me, an extrordinary work of art.

[Loretta]

Debby, that is really an extraordinary piece of work. What a fabulous class to hacve taken.

[Roz Cawley]

You have every right to be proud of that drawing, Deb - and I could not agree with you more...drawing an item makes one "see" it in greater depth, and at greater intensity than any other way of looking. John Ruskin knew this - so we are in good company! Thank you for sharing that image with us.