Looking back though my posts here I have realised that this is the first graphite pencil drawing that I have completed in many months. Coloured pencil and then pastels have dominated my creativity for some time, and after all of the glorious hues I found myself craving the relative simplicity of monochrome.
Working on this drawing I found it took a little while to get back onto the swing of drawing with graphite. The muscle memory is all there but like any skill it can need a bit of waking up when you first return to it. I have named this portrait Shadow. I do not know what name the horse goes by, but it seemed a fitting title as I was chasing the shadows over this page for a long time. After thinking I had completed it last night I realised that there was still more depth required in the shading when I looked again with fresh eyes this morning.
Art is so often elusive like that; you think you are done then you look again and realise not. You know something is not quite right but try as you might you can’t see what needs adjusting for the longest time. You are sure that your likeness is accurate than suddenly an error makes itself glaringly obvious. This is why when I first finish a portrait I always have in the back of my mind the knowledge that I may realise it still needs something else. I will come back to it a couple more times after time away doing other things before I can confidently say that it is the best that I can do right now.
