Inktober, Day 2: Divided

The prompt was "Divided."  I initially thought of a living tree with a lightning-split trunk, but again I wanted something quick, and I still didn't want 'cartoonish.'  Some puttering around the internet showed me a reflected cat lying down, but I wanted one reaching around a mirror playfully, and wanted to use my black cat, Pest.

 

Materials

• Pigma Graphic 2 pen
• Pigma Micron 005 pen
• H hardness drawing pencil
• White erasers of various shapes and sizes
• Cold-pressed watercolor paper cut to 3.5x5" 

 

 

Step 1:  Sketch with a pencil

Sketch the whole idea for this first.  I had a vertical line for the mirror and knew I'd need some floor, but didn't choose the mirror angle or draw in the floor until last, and did it in pen without sketching in pencil first!  If I'd done pencil, I'd have done a little more perspective on the flooring.  I admit I guessed at the angle of the mirror's bottom edge after I drew the reflection, and then I had to search some images to get the reflected floor angle hopefully correct -- I'm dyslexic in more than and directions!

 

Step 2:  Draw with a pen

I don't like the 2 for this -- I'd thought it was a softer tip or a finer tip with a broader base.  It has a chisel tip more like a calligraphy pen.  My cat was fairly sleep so I don't mind the lack of hairy details on the fur, and I left some fine white space between the strokes for texture.  At this point I'm looking for quick projects to keep me motivated. I now have an extra piece of paper on which to test a few strokes, as I found one with a blemish.

 

Step 3:  Carefully erase the pencil marks

 

Results

I would repeat this.  I'd do a better sketch and maybe some more background, plus figure out how to add more detail because no cat is quite solidly black and smooth.  I might do a tuxedo cat and give it to a friend who owns one.  I do like it well enough to give as a gift, and I'm glad to keep a digital copy!