For some time, I have wanted to draw the human skull as I have seen so many drawn in many different styles. I like to think that my particular style is black and grey realism, and whilst I’m still at the early stages of my drawing career, I like to think that in the ten weeks that I have been drawing, my technique has really improved compared to what I was drawing in the beginning. For each sketch that I complete, I always scrutinise carefully looking at the composition, shading and line work that I have drawn to see what I could improve on next time. Some of my earlier sketches that I have completed have always needed a lot of improvement, so eventually, I will have another attempt at those sketches to see how far I have progressed.
When I found the skull I was looking for, I also decided that I wanted to add a rose to it as I wanted to add extra composition to the picture. For reference, I used the original picture for the darker tone, and then edited it to make the picture lighter. I used a combination of both skull pictures as a reference to shade the skull. I didn’t want the skull to be too dark as I wanted it to have depth. With the rose being added to the picture, there had to be contrast between the two images. Here is the finished sketch:
I’m really pleased with how the sketch looks, and I particularly like the soft tones at the top of the skull. The rose has been completed in dark shades due to the deep colour of the red of the original rose picture. What I also like about this finished sketch is that it can also be used as a tattoo design. Whilst the drawing is not perfect, it’s one of my favourite drawings that I have completed so far, although I am wondering whether I will ever get to the stage where I am 100% happy with a drawing. Maybe this is something that all artists experience whether they are amateur like myself, or professional. I love drawing it’s great for escapism and makes me feel relaxed at the end of a long day.
Genie Art 