Learning curve

Three siblings on the beach

I finished my first panoramic-style pencil drawing today. (Normally I only do portrait close-ups in pencil, which was why this was different.) This was a learning experience, but as I look back over the project, I should have seen some things coming.

I wasn't expecting it to take me that long. If you look at the image, it seems fairly simple at first glance. It's just three children standing on the beach. No big deal, right?

Wrong.

Just as in the picture I did of my nephew who was getting his first serious hair cut, I underestimated the portions of the picture which were loaded with details and texture. His face went quickly. Everything else took lots of time.

It turned out the same in this image. The three figures were fairly easy and went quickly. Even the water wasn't too bad. It was the sand that was trouble. At one point, my mom asked me if I was drawing the grains one at a time. Upon reflection, I decided that, although it was bad, it wasn't quite that bad.

I'm happy now that it's done. It's always a relief once it's finished and safe in its protective sleeve, probably because drawing a picture is like labor. Tons of work, not always fun, but always worth the end result. I hope my client thinks so, too!