Lackawanna Wannabe

Some time ago, Andrew of Worksongs (isn't that just the greatest name?) very kindly gave me permission to draw from one of his photos - Lackawanna's Tomb. So, here it is, a preliminary, if somewhat belated, sketch.

When I first saw the photo, I could see it at least 36x24 in charcoal, if not larger. That was in my head. Reality is another story, and a number of issues came up. This one is sketchbook sized, so it doesn't have the scope I thought the drawn image needed. But the first charcoal sketch was just dull. Which brought the next question - what was it about the photo that I was trying to capture? Simply copying it is not only boring but redundant. Has the same aesthetic value as the little plastic Davids in Florence.

Out comes the new gouache. Oops! I wasn't there, so what colour? Oh well, let's just add litho pencil, some shoe polish, more charcoal, and let's just see what happens. The reason it's called a "preliminary" is because it tells you what NOT to do the next time.

Meanwhile, thank you, Andrew, for letting me give this a try. I think I'll have to try again.