I’ve loosely sketched the traveler onto the panel to see how he looks in a very rough form at the actual size. It was enjoyable drawing at this scale, although I had to alter several things to become satisfied with the composition. I’m not entirely convinced that this is the way the piece will end up, but it’s a good start. I’m going to need a model as soon as possible for the figure, but I think I can do the landscape based on photos I shot on Orkney, the archipelago North of Scotland and on the Ridgeway in Wiltshire, because both locations share the same wild austerity as Dartmoor. I love these empty windswept landscapes. The figure reminds me of Paul’s sculpture of Richard Pederson!
The skulls are coming along nicely too – there are two and two halves more to do as I write this, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I get another done one this evening, perhaps even finishing by tomorrow lunchtime if I work hard in the morning. If I do I’ll crack open a well deserved bottle of Champagne to celebrate! It is Thanksgiving here after all, so why not be thankful for completing this stage of the project!
(Actually there are a couple of the skulls that are pretty badly done, so I will have to rework them before I really move ahead. Regardless of the two duffers, I’ll get into the sky and landscape next, then worry about flowers in the foreground.)
