The Devil is in the Details

"Ready and Waiting"

22 3/4" x 17 1/2"

Charcoal/graphite

After long hours of pushing the pencil yesterday, here is the finished result of my latest drawing.  I was so grateful to my horse model that she didn't eat too much hay or do much shifting around.  Day after day of being tethered to the same spot can be a bit much, even for a well-trained horse.  If she wants to step out of the photo I used for reference, she is free to do so and head for pasture!  

Drawing with pencil for me is all about the details.  That is where the magic occurs. Creating this genre of art is so different from when I'm painting in a looser style.  Pencil art eliminates the color from the equation, so it's all about values....what is dark and what is light.  And then how to depict all that comes in between...the subtle variances of shading.

They say the devil is in the details, but so is God.  I love the verse in Psalm 37:23 where David wrote that God delights in the details of our lives.  That is encouraging!  Just like a pencil drawing, we all have areas in our lives that are darker and some parts that are full of lighter material.  All the details in God's hands are given redeeming value and ultimately worked together for our good.  So when the final picture of our lives is on display, we will be able to see how all the parts and pieces completed the whole compostion.

By the way, does anybody want to muck out my studio?  My horse Roany has been in here for 10 days!