Change Over
I used to be good in sketching and I like to think I still am but then I stopped sketching last year and this sketch was the last I did. Reason I stopped was because I ventured into digital art and since joining behance, I started to see some of the sketches showcased and that brought about some nostalgia in me and I felt I had to put this up in my project list.
The sketch took about 50-100 hrs or so, it was over a span of 2-3 weeks. I usually take breaks when I sketch, long breaks-weeks. The coins that you see in the sketch are from various countries and continents. There's australian, canadian, US, etc. Each coin has a different feel and texture to it which made it interesting for the whole composition of this sketch. As for the dollar note, it's pretty obvious. As for the marlboro pack, it had a rustic feel to it that couldn't have been ignored and was added towards the last stages of the sketch. The wood grains were done at the very last and I wanted to rush in to finish it so the realism on the wood grains isn't as perfect and mature as I wanted it to be. I'd have had to spend another 50 hrs or so if I wanted the wood grains perfected.
There's several tools being used to create this sketch. It's all in the photographs but I'll explain what some of them are:
1. Blending Stumps
2. Blending Tortillon( though they look the same as a stump there's a huge difference when you use it for blending),
3. Graphite pencils of various thickness: 2h, 2f, 3b, 4b, 6b, 8b, etc
4. Felt Pad
5. Chamois
6. Fixative
7. Kneaded Eraser
8. Sketchbook ( Strathmore Premium Recycled "14x17")
Note: If I had to redo this sketch I'd use a mechanical pencil and save myself a lot of trouble dealing with a wooden graphite pencil and possibly even get more realism out of it. But it's a little too late for that. Though Graphite wooden pencils have their advantages, for utmost realism or photorealism a mechanical pencil will surely give you a lot more than what a wooden pencil will. The price you pay for that realism is time and a ton of patience if you use a mechanical pencil. 0.5mm 4b and you're good to go.
Happy Viewing!
