Maybe losing my Wacom might have been a good thing (for the short term). I sat down yesterday and looked over some old drawings of cat eyes which were basic and ok but somehow not quite “there” as far as realism. I pulled up all sorts closeup photos cat’s eyes and realised how detailed and complex they really are. Veins and shades of colour, splashes of light reflecting – far more than I’d realised. So I sat and started drawing them… just eyes, nothing else. I’m actually a bit staggered at the sheer complexity of the eye. Guess it’s a case of seeing something but not really paying attention.

Here’s the one that I really like:

The fur around the eye came out better than I’d hoped.  I can see where I should have used a bit more shading around the rim of the iris though, it’s a bit too sharp. But overall, I’m happy with it.

I took a stab at a human eye, but I got a bit too heavy handed:

I need to sit and rethink my approach to the eye and how to get the shading right. It’s too uniform and dark. I’ll sit and mull over different photos and try again tonight.

Hope you enjoy the sketches. It’s been a long time since I picked up pencils. Discovered something else I’d lost during the move – my beloved pencil sharpeners. Yes, I have a passion for my little metal sharpeners and can’t find any of them. Can’t find my Winston inks either.  Bugger damn. Then again, it looks like I have an excuse to make a trip to the art store!