Cycle - Humpback Whale
Seeing a humpback whale swim passed our boat was a humbling experience. Such a massive beast carefully passing beneath us ensuring that we are not troubled by his presence. When I discovered that there are albino humpback whales, I wanted to make this the subject of the next piece in the Cycle series. For this drawing, I started with some research photos found on the internet. I chose to draw a few practice studies to help me understand the structure of the subject and how to create some of the more difficult textures in this piece. Once I felt comfortable with the subject, I drew the rough to visualize the layout of the drawing. At the bottom, the cycle begins with a dead whale trapped by a fisherman's net caught on his tail. I really wanted to show the dark depths of the ocean with blues and browns. Afterwards, I used an eraser to create some highlights. I wanted the ocean flora and fauna to give birth to the new whales this time. I...