A charcoal reveal

It's finally finished.

My first drawing of 2011 is complete!

charcoal on paper . 18 x 24 . 2011

Let's take a look Behind the Easel.

I used a couple of my bird trinkets as a reference...

...and began to sketch in the basic bird shapes with Willow Charcoal.

 
Next, I started to shade in the background by using the side of the Willow Charcoal stick and then blending.

Then I started adding to the darker areas with Compressed Charcoal...

...and then Black Conte.

With this drawing, I wanted to try something a little different by incorporating some pattern.

I cut a template out of card stock.

And drew around it using a retractable eraser stick.

The pattern was inspired by the design on the ottoman in my son Oliver's nursery.

Time to remove the painters tape...

...revealing a nice white border for easier handling and framing.

Here's another look at the final piece...

Well, what do you think?

Let me know below.

The working title for the drawing was "Feathered Trio".
I'm not sure if I want to keep that title or change it.

Have any suggestions?  What do you think I should call this drawing?

All comments and criticisms are welcome!

Thanks for stopping in.

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