Friday, July 30, 2010


While waiting at the carwash today, I did a quick sketch of my big black patent leather handbag. It occurred to me I had no idea how to capture the shine in a pen and ink sketch.

11 comments:

bettyfromtexas said...

It's an adorable bag . . . and a wonderful sketch!! YAY!!

Christie said...

Good sketch, and I love the idea of using otherwise wasted time to get challenges done!

As for "shine," I can't think of a way to show shine without showing shadow - that is - doing a complete rendering of the values present. This contour sketch, on the other hand, really implies shine already because the "alligatored" texture automatically makes one think of polished, shiny leather. I think it's a total success just as it is!

Alex said...

That's really a nice sketch, and I could definitely tell that it's leather too ^^

David R. Vallejo said...

Excellent drawing. I also like your good use of time to create something nice. I usually look back after the fact and realize that I could have used my time better. For shine, it can be done with contour line if you try to use less weight on your pen lines. Or you could try shading within the lines too. There are usually many ways to represent a subject.

Cathy Holtom said...

A good sketch, as for drawing the shine with a pen you would have to shade in the darker areas with hatching and leave white where the light hit the shiny bit of the bag.

rrARTz said...

nice sketch. i can totally see what a cute bag it is. sketching at the car wash is a great idea. use those little moments! i'm in southern california too!

Unknown said...

This is a great sketch! As for showing the shine on a line sketch, I think if you have places where you don't describe the texture, but you do it everywhere else, it will perhaps looks shiny. This would be a really good experiment, to try different ways.

Angie Willis said...

Isn't it a great feeling when you get something down on paper after thinking about it for ages and not quite getting round to doing it? I love your sketch and was really interested in the replies about how to show shine. Being an absolute beginner myself it's always good to have practical advice on how to depict things.

Cindi said...

I am so glad you found the courage to post your art....you are very good and we need to see more!!

Please continue to share

nanke's stuff said...

I'm with Cindi - I'm very glad you've started drawing and sharing it with us. I'd love to see more. This is a wonderful little drawing - well done! nancy

Lynn said...

Great sketch! You really captured the texture of the bag. Glade you're sharing with the EDM group. Welcome!