Feather

Part 2 of Lesson 1 was to begin test driving the use of a single colored pencil (Prismacolor Premier artist grade - dark umber, to be precise) to create marks producing texture.  The Dark-Umber pencil will be used to create the 'under drawings' for most of the work in this class.  A sort of under the other colors, value sketch, if you will.  Colored pencils are waxed based, and as such, they don't really 'erase'... so you'd better be sure of your placement before you start slapping on lines.  ;) 

Provided with a sharp photograph of a single feather, we were to draw it with the dark umber pencil.  Here's my result, along with the reference photo...

This was a nice quiet exercise I enjoyed very much.  It helps that I love feathers.  I collect them from nature, which is apparently illegal in the USA... I'm not catching birds and assaulting them, for goodness sake.  If God drops a feather treasure in my path, I consider it a gift.  ;)  Apparently the state believes I should let it blow into the gutter and become a soiled bit of gunk.  So, there you have it, I am a confessed criminal.  I have a beautifully shaped jar of small feathers, in various patterns, to which I've tied a rustic tag with Proverbs 15:1 written out...

A soft answer turns away wrath.

The hope is to remind myself to speak words that are light, soft and gentle.  Something I often need reminding of.