Deer's Skull with Feathers: Still Life Drawing
Title:Deer's Skull with Feathers
Medium:Pencil on Paper Size:27.94cm x 35.56cm Completion:November Intentions:Inspired by the artist Georgia O'Keeffe and my own hunting traditions I drew a still life. My family has passed down hunting techniques and practices for generations. Similar to O'Keeffe I drew a skull, paired with a feather. Drawing on a larger piece of paper I was able to create a large, detailed illustration that allows the audience to appreciate these subjects. Made or Found:Made |
Artist & Culture
Horizontal Horse's or Mule's Skull with Feather
by Georgia O'Keeffe Photographed by, Valerie Mecha |
Georgia O'Keeffe was inspired by the vibrancy of the modern art movement. She began to experiment with perspective, painting larger-scale close-ups of flowers, the first of which was Petunia No. 2.
"If I could paint the flower exactly as I see it no one would see what I see because I would paint it small like the flower is small," O'Keeffe explained. "So I said to myself - I'll paint what I see - what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it - I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers." In the summer of 1929 O'Keeffe was inspired by her visit to northern New Mexico. During this time period she produced the works, Cow's Skull: Red, White and Blue (1931), Ram’s Head, White Hollycock, Hills (1935), and much more. Similar to O'Keeffe I am inspired by my experiences and I drew the illustration larger so one can see all the details that are in a skull and that are in feathers. We differ in medium. While I chose to use pencil she chose to use paint. "Georgia O'Keeffe." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 26 Aug. 2016. Web. 14 Nov. 2016. |
"Until about 12,000 to 11,000 years ago, when agriculture and animal domestication emerged in southwest Asia and in Mesoamerica, all peoples were hunters and gatherers. Their strategies have been very diverse, depending greatly upon the local environment; foraging strategies have included hunting or trapping big game, hunting or trapping smaller animals, fishing, gathering shellfish or insects, and gathering wild plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts."
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Hunting and Gathering Culture." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 04 Aug. 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Hunting and Gathering Culture." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 04 Aug. 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
Hunting always has and always will be a big part of my life. The month of November is an important time for hunters. It includes bow hunting and gun hunting for deer. I couldn't get the itch to draw a deer skull out of my head. Hunting is a part of all cultures, including my own. It's a tradition. In my case, you bundle up and head out and wait for hours for a deer to come within sight. Sometimes this never happens. Regardless hunting is an act of appreciating nature, being grateful for what it provides for us to live, and it is about controlling the animal population. Hunting also is a form of passing down information. You notice sounds, you learn walking patterns, and scent practices all to help you become a better hunter. These strategies have been passed down from generation to generation from a time when hunting was a means of survival. In America hunting is more so for sport rather than for survival, because we are more economically developed and have access to a great amount of food with minimal effort. |
Planning & Process
|
I began with creating planning sketches. Originally I wanted my still life to look similar to Georgia O'Keeffe's Cow's Skull with Calico Roses, but then when I visited the Milwaukee Art Museum I saw her Horizontal Horse's or Mule's Skull with Feather. Seeing this in person I decided I'd rather have feathers paired with my deer skull than roses, because I've already incorporated roses and flowers in a number of my pieces. All I had left was to decide which placement of the feather or feathers was the best.
|
Tools
-lead pencil
-eraser
-deer skull
-feathers
-drawing paper
-blending stick
-lead pencil
-eraser
-deer skull
-feathers
-drawing paper
-blending stick
After creating the planning sketches and gathering the materials, I propped up the skull so it was level with my eyesight and so it was easier for me to see & sketch from. Occasionally I used a blending stick to make a smooth gray scale, but I mostly just used my fingers if I wanted to blend something. Then it merely was a three hour process of looking up at my reference and down at my paper and drawing what I saw onto the paper. I took the same steps when drawing the feather.
Reflection
The most challenging part of this drawing was trying to work with the sun's transition through out the day. I worked on this for three hours, and over that time the sun had moved, creating different highlights and shadows. A way I could have better worked with this would have been to take a picture of the skull during the time of day where I felt the sun shown best on the skull, then I could continue to draw using that photo for reference. The only other critique I have is I wish the antlers were a bit larger, this would make my sketch look more like the photo. However, if you look at just the final product alone one would assume that that was how the antlers looked. Overall I am highly satisfied with my work. It felt good to take a step beck from more complex pieces and just pick up a pencil again!
Response to ACT Questions
1. My inspiration effected the what was paired with my skull. I had yet to decide what object I wanted to draw to take fill up some of the negative space on my paper. However, once I saw O'Keeffe's Horizontal Horse's or Mule's Skull with Feather, I decided to pair my skull with a feather.
2. O'Keeffe was also inspired by her surrounding and experiences. I think she would be fascinated to hear what I know about hunting and my hunting stories, just as I would be interested to hear about her visit to Mexico.
3. I have generalized that other culture's/peoples experience hunting the same way I do. Hunting may not be about passing down information, appreciating nature, or controlling the population. In some cultures hunting is purely about survival.
4. My central idea/theme around my inspirational research was hunting and making and recording observations. I too wanted to explore and recreate the detail of things that aren't usually examined closely.
5. I inferred that hunting practices have and probably always will be around. Though now it is decreasing in popularity because of modern day harvesting methods (ex. farming cattle) at one point these skills may be as necessary for survival as they once were. In less economically developed countries hunting as a method for survival is still frequently used.
2. O'Keeffe was also inspired by her surrounding and experiences. I think she would be fascinated to hear what I know about hunting and my hunting stories, just as I would be interested to hear about her visit to Mexico.
3. I have generalized that other culture's/peoples experience hunting the same way I do. Hunting may not be about passing down information, appreciating nature, or controlling the population. In some cultures hunting is purely about survival.
4. My central idea/theme around my inspirational research was hunting and making and recording observations. I too wanted to explore and recreate the detail of things that aren't usually examined closely.
5. I inferred that hunting practices have and probably always will be around. Though now it is decreasing in popularity because of modern day harvesting methods (ex. farming cattle) at one point these skills may be as necessary for survival as they once were. In less economically developed countries hunting as a method for survival is still frequently used.