Wildlife Art – Realistic Graphite Pencil Drawing – Mallard hen
Often the most humble of subjects can be the most appealing. I’m fortunate to see mallards often where I live and I’ve learned to appreciate their surprising beauty. Easy to overlook, they are actually very appealing birds and I’ve spent a lot of time observing them up close. Whether they are caring for their young or keeping watch while other members of the flock feed, they exhibit complex social behaviour.
I’ve drawn the male with his distinctive markings before. Here I’ve depicted him on rippling water in bright, low sunlight.
This time I wanted to show the female in low light on calm water. The idea was to provide a dark background to show off her lighter plumage which is just as lovely as the male’s, but offers softer contrast and is more monochromatic.
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