A cloudy day
 

When I saw this boy right away I knew I must draw him. Charcoal on Fabriano, Umbria 46cm x 64

I very much like your range of greys, Mischa, and how you control their subtle relationships to one another. I like the balance of the figure and his reflection, and the way you handled the reflection in a clear, but also semi-abstract way. The water is very effective as water too. It's a very well-balanced and strong drawing. Thanks for showing us.

Thank you Thomasin. I love the challenge when attempting to find the balance of values, at times color and within a given setting. I have come to realize that there is so much that I still must learn and this understanding gives me grate satisfaction.

Some years ago, I thought it grate just to be able to copy something and accurately. Today its a balance of visual information, the gut feeling, creativity and basic understanding of the craft. I am glad that you like it and can appreciate what it takes.

Mischa,

What a dynamic yet simple composition! It's just a strong diagonal with a figure in the middle of it. But the diagonal does not go exactly to the corners and the figure is not exactly centered--this is fortunate because it prevents the composition from being static.

I especially love the way you have differentiated the textures (water, hair, rain jacket, paving) without varying the values too much. In fact, in your control of the values, you have perfectly captured the feeling of an overcast day. I also admire the tension between the boy and his reflection, with the barrier of the water in between. When you view the drawng sideways, this tension becomes abstract.

Mischa,

Your mastery of charcoal puts me in awe. A lovely work!

You have a very good command of your medium, Mischa. Very convincing rendering of all the surfaces and the desing of the work is very attractive. Congratulations.

"A breeze stirs the water, the ripples (a homonym for 'writings') come out naturally."
(Feng xin shui shang, zi ran cheng wen)

Misha, I love the way you captured the ripples in the water. Very nice!

I like the fact that you saw the potential for a lovely work of art in this pose and setting. Very nice!

Very nice use of charcoal.
The composition is dramatic, I really like the reflections