By Eric Fortune

Let me start by saying if you haven’t already read Greg’s post below I highly recommend it.  But I’m assuming you already have.  I’m a huge fan of science in general, but the field of neuroscience and epigentics are presenting us with amazing insights into brain functionality and human behavior as well as debunking many long held myths and opinions that really aren’t supported by the mounting evidence.  This type of knowledge isn’t only great for us to understand and to improve ourselves but to provide the optimal nurturing and learning environment for the generations that come after us.  Thank you Greg!

That being said, here’s a new piece I’m working on.

It’s still in it’s infancy. I have my photo reference set up and just finished transferring the sketch onto paper.  Transferring can be a horribly tedious and boring phase.  One way I deal with this soul sucking process is by transferring my sketch in a rather loose manner (takes just a few minutes) as opposed to doing a very detailed final drawing then transferring all those details and then following that up by going back over my transferred drawing yet again because it looks stiff and unrefined.  It’s just not a nice thing to do.  After transferring my sketch loosely I go in with my photo reference and create my final drawing right on the watercolor paper.  Saves a lot of time and soul.  If all the proportions are right and the composition doesn’t have any glaring flaws it’s hard to make a huge mistake.  Consider using a 2b or softer pencil and a kneaded eraser so that the surface of the paper/board isn’t disrupted too much.

For the next day or so I’ll be working on the final drawing and then slapping some paint (gently applying thin washes of watered down acrylics) onto the paper. Will post some more progress shots soon.