I pulled all the stops for this drawing. After using graphite and charcoal for months, I returned to my old love : Ink. I went though 50 thumbnail sketches. I made studies of eel anatomy, fish, boats, ocean waves, etc. I spent about 5 hours on the research side (thumbnails and studies) and about 10 hours rendering this with Micron Pens, Sharpies, and Copic markers. I avoided realism and aimed to make a narrative illustration you would see in a children’s book. It’s surprisingly difficult to render waves with ink. I used many visual tricks to force your eye to stare at the envelope (focal) in the middle. I feel my drawing and comp classes are starting to pay off.
Let me know what you think. I would to hear what you think is the narrative for this drawing.
Ink and marker on Bristol Board. 24×16. Time Spent :4-5 hours on research/studies, 8-10 hours on rendering the drawing.