Bella the Bloodhound

This is the latest drawing: pencil on Bristol Boad, around A4 in size.

I’ve been experimenting with different papers recently. This and the previous drawing ( a very cute Miniature Schnauzer ) were created on Bristol Board – a very hardy, white paper that despite its smooth, hot pressed surface, accepts pencil very well (if a little challenging creating rich, even-toned blacks).

For Bella the Bloodhound (based on an original photo by Superfantastic [flickr] ) I used Canson 110lb Bristol Board and found the surface far more predictable and durable than the 115lb Winsor and Newton Bristol Board I used previously. I’m sticking with Canson from now on, it’s a terrific drawing stock.

Using Bristol Board solved one of my key frustrations with a great many pencil drawings (mine included, sometimes): lack of contrast. Not only are the whites very white, but the blacks can be very deep withought risking gouging or tearing the paper surface. Proper erasing technique tends not to damage the surface allowing the erased part to be re-drawn without any noticable difference in texture – something one can rarely achieve on standard cartridge paper when drawing in this detailed style. For example, the background in the above drawing was much more extensive and darker, then erased back near to what you see now, with some additional tonal adjustments added after erasing.

Next up: a hedgehog!

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