I was outdoors sketching the crow today (unseasonably warm weather, only slightly damp) and watching him grab various items from my pencil box to mangle. The kneadable rubber erasers were a big hit, as was a ziploc bag for a woodless graphite ‘art pencil’. We played tug of war with that for a few minutes (he was insanely happy doing this) until he decided to let me draw him for awhile. I got the impression he understood some of the sketches had something to do with him, even if he wasn’t aware he was the subject.
After sitting comparatively still for a few minutes, making sociable noises and closing his nictitating membranes, he decided he was going to borrow that PENCIL, and I must give it to him.
I’ve learned that I can’t rely on photographs to get many of
the features which distinguish him, but I also can’t just draw him outright. The plan now is to fill a notebook with some general drawings of him from photos, to be completed while he shreds my art supplies.
The above watercolor, colored pencil, and ink drawing is partly an effort to mimic 19th century representational modes, partly a failure to get it right, and partly an experiment with some unfamiliar media.
While playing with some frisket techniques, I learned you can use a slightly modified veterinary syringe as a technical pen. I wish I’d known that a few years ago, when I was spending too much money on Rapidograph sets. They’re also self-cleaning. If anyone is interested in a brief tutorial on how to make them I’ll put one together.
rurritable 
6 comments
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March 8, 2012 at 8:51 pm
Nance
That’s quite nice, C. Are you entirely self-taught?
March 9, 2012 at 2:26 am
coozledad
My art education was ass-backwards. I was in Chapel Hill doing some (bad) illustration work for the NC Nature Conservancy and enrolled in the art school at UNC to try and get into an etching class. It was full, and the only print class available was screenprinting. I hated it. It’s a turpentine soaked, hamfisted medium.
A friend from UNCG walked me through the etching process in about three hours some years later.
I took a life drawing class through the Durham Arts Council a few years back to belatedly try and get some of the basics. It reinforced the idea that drawing is always going to be a hard slog for me.
It’s what I like doing, though. I’ve gotten better at it, gradually.
March 10, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Minnie
This is damn good. Surely would like to see your work first hand.
March 10, 2012 at 4:51 pm
coozledad
Thanks, Minnie. I’m trying to spend more time drawing these days. I’ve got some I might be add to a couple of posts.
March 28, 2012 at 4:12 pm
BigHank53
At some point when you’re bored please write up the technical pen trick. I love the things but I find I spend more time cleaning them than using them…
March 28, 2012 at 4:29 pm
coozledad
Will do, Hank. I’ll have to make sure I tell you the correct gauge needle (it’s the small one we typically use to administer a tetanus vaccine-too small for particulates like penicillin) but it’s basically taking the bevel off the end with either an Arkansas stone or some automotive sandpaper until the end is flat, then deburring it. I draw about 1/2 ml of ink into the syringe and blot it a little with a paper towel until I’m sure I’ve got the correct flow. If it clogs up during drawing, I very gently depress the plunger- once again with the paper towel. Here’s where the deburring helps- when the ink is under pressure it will follow the burr and go all over the damn place.
If the ink isn’t flowing through the needle, drawing a little more aggressively with it will usually cause the needle to flex and get it moving again.