I took the reference photograph for this artwork in The Sacred Monkey Sanctuary (Monkey Forest) in Ubud, Bali. The type of monkeys that live in the area are known as the Balinese long-tailed monkey, in scientific terms Macaca fascicularis, in English called Macaque.
It is an amazing place with the monkeys roaming free and very often being very cheeky.
The Photograph
Sometimes you just get lucky when you are photographing animals and this was one of those times, they sorted out the composition for me!
Stage 1
In this drawing I am combining pencil with tinted graphite pencils to give a subtle touch of colour.
Have to say this drawing was so time consuming, also working out whose limb belonged to who. Love the way "the children" are interacting with each other.
Stage 2
Finally on to monkey number 4. I don't actually know what she is eating but I will use a coloured pencil to give it a rich yellow colour because a banana makes sense in my mind - but I think it could be a piece of bread...
Stage 3
Final checks, almost there. I didn't count how any hours this drawing took, suffice to say it was a lot!
Scanned Image
The final scanned image. I have called it family time as I would like to think they are a little family, though could be completely wrong and they just happened to sit together on a wall!
If you would like to find out more about the Monkey Forest, please follow this link: Monkey Forest Ubud Official Website – Monkey Forest Ubud
Wow! This must have taken ages to create such an intricate drawing. Lovely results though!
ReplyDeleteFine line work and shading! I can tell you took your time with it, and the details are exquisite.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the process various artists follow. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteStunning drawings and how lovely to be able to see the monkeys in real life. they are adorable.
ReplyDeleteAmazing art and was very interesting seeing the creative flow!
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