Skulls

I don't know when I became obsessed with skulls, but I am. I love to paint, draw, sketch, etc. images of skulls. This is not limited to animal skulls, although they are my favorite, but human skulls as well. My favorite however are bovine skulls, with the horns attached. The shape of the head combined with the horns, and the many holes and openings in the bone, the highs and lows, lights and darks, found on the surface and under it. The reflective quality of a shiny tooth can create interesting colors and patterns. I stare at them for hours when I am drawing them, charcoal is my favorite medium for skulls. The planes and angles are the first thing to capture, each with its darks and lights. Then the refining begins, adding and taking away until it is just right, seeing more work to be done after walking away for a few hours or days. That subtle change in the value, or turn of the nostril, that requires a bit more refinement. I think it is time to draw another one now.