Today is the unveil of the final for Thursday’s drawing, a project that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working on for the past seven weeks bringing back many memories of my childhood and just for the love of wide-open water and lighthouses . . . no walking on the pier when it’s a windy day!
Sodus Point Lighthouse (Sodus, NY), a graphite drawing (12×9) was drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper. Pencils used today were 4H, 2H, HB, B, 4B, a tortilium and a kneaded eraser for blending. Drawing involved cleaning up the horizon line, working in the lighthouse, and revamping the sky – an area that has bugged me since the beginning. I think the sky suits the scene much better, doesn’t steal the show but adds a bit of natural drama.
Thanks for checking in on the progress and following along – have a fantastic weekend.
Sodus Point Lighthouse, final
The reference for this drawing were my own and Bob Koppel of pmp.
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Oil Pastels by Mary 
Great drawing Mary! I love the energy in the waves.
Thanks Tim – really appreciate it!
Stunning work, Mary!
Thank you so much Alok for your lovely comment – much appreciated and nice to meet you! Wanted to let you know that your comment went into spam.
Hmm, let me see why it went to spam.
Mary, this painting turned out wonderful! I love lighthouses and your painting really captured the feeling of the spray of the ocean and the movement of the water.
Thank you Janell for your generous feedback – it was a great scene to workout in graphite.
Congratulations, Mary! How exciting! I feel as though I’ve enjoyed your company through pregnancy and birth ❤ Thank you for including me 😀 This drawing is spectacular!
Ha, so funny! Thanks Angie for your nice and generous comment – glad you enjoyed the process, it was a great scene to develop for a Thursdays Drawing project.
You’re welcome, Mary! I’m just very glad to get to know you and your work ❤
Same here and to you Angie!
Wonderful final!
Thanks Brenda!!
Wow Mary, this really came out great. Your water in this is really alive. Congrats on such a beautiful piece! ~Rita
Thanks Rita – graphite is a great medium for developing water. Thank you for your encouraging comments!
Wonderful! I can almost feel the wind – and the salty spray on my face. Beautiful!
Thanks so much – glad you enjoyed the stormy atmosphere!
Wow, Mary. Such talent.
Hi Cynthia, thanks very much!!
I can feel the cold water drops brought by the wind on my face !
it’s beautiful, better than many B&W photography I have seen! Graphite can be an interesting medium.
robert
pS: in your hands any medium become interesting 🙂
Great reaction Robert, thanks very much – really enjoyed your description of the scene. Thank you for your compliment, I love using graphite for water scenes – great reflective characteristics and allows for deep tones. Thanks again my friend.
I like this — almost want to see how it’d look in colour! It seems a little like a tease, what with it being black ‘n white (charcoal).
Ha Pauline, I caught your tease! Thanks very much it was a great scene to develop.
Fantastic end result, Mary! That water is alive 🙂
Thanks Jo, glad you enjoyed a bit of water turbulence!!
It is amazing! Mary. Just amazing!! Loved it… 🙂
Thank you Maniparna for your encouraging feedback!!
It is very very interesting to see how you manage from number1 to the final. I went to see again the drawings,it is marvelous what you can create!
So interesting and thank you Dsaquarelles for taking the time to see the progress of this scene – it was a great piece to work on. I found that each step of the way, the water and clouds keeping right on talking – finally gave in to the clouds and change their whole structure. Thanks again for your lovely compliment and feedback!
The drawing looks great!
Thanks Fiona!
Mary you have a very nice touch in your drawings. I do enjoy seeing your work and reading your posts. Thank you for stopping by my blog so often it is very much appreciated. 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend.
Thank you Heather for your nice comment and visit, it is really appreciated. Have a wonderful weekend too!
🙂 yes for sure it is always nice to visit…and returning the favor.<3
I love lighthouses and try to visit them when I travel. Your work has caught the spirit and energy of this one! I am impressed as always and can see this one framed! Thanks for the recent visit to my blog. Have a good weekend!
Loved your comment Coastal – thank you so much, as I enjoyed your description of the scene. Have a wonderful weekend!!
how realistic picture
Thank you Luke!!
🙂
Wonderful drawing, Mary! I love lighthouses. I hope you have a fantastic weekend too. 🙂
Hi Jackie, thanks very much – there is something very special about lighthouses. Have a wonderful weekend ~
So beautiful! I love the majestic presence and the details.
Hi Mamie, great to see you. Thanks so much – glad you enjoyed the scene!
Beautiful Mary! The water splashing of the pier is spectacular, great movement! 🙂
Thank you Sibella for your thoughts on this piece – it was a great scene to capture in graphite.
Congratulations on a very impressive rendition! Your talent never ceases to amaze me. 🙂
Thank you Dorann – you are so gracious. You’ve made my day with your comments. Have a wonderful weekend.
Oh, Mary, this is wonderful. I live within walking distance of a lighthouse and see its beacon nightly.
Thank you so much Prospero – how awesome that you get to experience the magic of a lighthouse. These wonderful structures give us so much to fantasize about as the horns blaring and light beaming across the waterway – strength, impressive, massive, drama, and romance. I remember in Maine (fog was a constant on the coast) so we’d hear the lighthouse fog horn during the night, not that far from where we lived. Glad you enjoyed the scene Prospero – please say hello to my furry friend, Princess Ariel.
A very beautiful drawing….filled with atmosphere and energy. Thank you so much for sharing the process of this image – I have thoroughly enjoyed.
Graphite is not a medium I use much at all these days, but you have inspired me to pick up pencils again.
Hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend. Janet:)
Thanks so much Janet for your thoughts and comments on the drawing. I love testing the range of graphite, always discovering what effects can be produced with the lead – you’ll love it. I find graphite (tight work) very satisfying for reasons different than working with charcoal (loose) – both I love. Thanks again ~ have a great weekend.
Well worth all the effort.
Thanks Derrick!!
Yes, the sky seems just right for this scene. Isn’t it interesting how we are so attracted to lighthouses? We still flock to see them, even if they are no longer operational.
Thank you so much Gallivanta, especially for mentioning the sky – it was a big change at the last minute. Maybe we are attracted to lighthouses because they stand the test of time – no matter what is thrown their way, each with a multitude of stories and circumstances. Some on the US East Coast still operate, but get this – a couple of years ago the US Gov’t was holding an auction of non-operational lighthouses. Can you imagine buying one to live in? The stories one could tell – at least you would know that the winds wouldn’t be able to take it down!
It’s beautiful, Mary. The sky, the waves, the gutsy feel of the painting is awesome!
Thank you Geralyn!! It was a great scene to develop ~ have a great weekend.
Thanks, you too, Mary.
Wow. This is amazing work!!
Thanks so much for your enthusiastic support of this piece – much appreciated!!
You’re quite welcome!!
Incredible, I don’t know what else to say, except wow.
Thank you so much Leanne – really appreciate it!
The drawing is magnificent, Mary! The beautiful sky doesn’t steal the show at all. I especially like the water crushing against the rocks, I can feel the motions. I agree with one of your blog friend, this is an award winner!
Thank you Amy, so glad you enjoyed this scene. You’ve made my day by mentioning the sky, it was a big change at the final minutes and once you start well you got to just go with the flow. The turbulent water was awesome to develop – a little over time and it all came together. Thanks again – hope you are surviving all our rain these days!
The sky and turbulent water, the lighthouse, and rocks, made such a beautiful painting. This one will stay with me…
We are getting the rain we need here, no drought this year. But people in Houston and some areas in Dallas are suffering… Thank you so much for asking, Mary. 🙂
Thanks for your beautiful thoughts. So many roads are now flooded after last nights rain. Really quite a mess, hopefully the next 6 or 7 days we’ll see less rain and some drying out – bad storms called for this evening and then none for a while.
So beautiful, congratulations!
Thank you Holly!
I can see why there’s no walking on the pier on windy days…you’ve really captured the force of that surf! The treatment of a wide scale of values in this picture is very satisfying.
Thanks so much Cynthia – who knew that graphite could be a medium that plays out in such a rich fashion for water scenes. I’m so glad that you mentioned the values, it was an area that I was really working hard to stay conscious of while drawing the scene – there is more substance w/the lighthouse, but unfortunately the weather outside was influencing how much light I was getting inside for photographing. Oh yeah the lighthouse is further out the pier than what one might think, so when rough weather hits it becomes one dangerous area to walk. In the winter, especially this last with the large amounts of icing that occurred on the lake, huge blocks of ice were piling up and surrounding the lighthouse – pretty spectacular to see. Thanks again Cynthia – have a wonderful weekend.
This one is an award winner for sure! It is just spectacular Mary! The way you handled the ocean and the foreground waves, not to mention the stunning splashes is remarkable. Every last detail us there. Just love the light house. Bravo!!!
Thank you my friend, great to see you – appreciate your feedback on this drawing. I found that drawing water is just as rewarding as painting it – with each piece I’m learning how to approach the splash. Much more learning to go, but each piece will take me there. Thanks so much – have a great weekend.
Excellent! Just beautiful.
Thank you very much Nicodemas!
It looks spectacular, Mary! I love it!
Thanks so much Jill for being so generous!
Oh my goodness! Your drawings are so delicate yet strong! It’s my luck that I am in town, just finished the Timeout post, and am about to go home.. But I got to admire this, which loaded in about a second, as did the comment box!
Yippee!
I hope that you’ve been spared from that horrid weather.
Z
Hey Z! Thanks very much – I do like your description “so delicate yet strong” because it’s how I see the lighthouse structures. Raining cats and dogs around here, flooding alarms going off on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times – we are lucky for no damage, even though there are numerous road closures. After this week I think North Texas drought has been totally dissipated – just think last year at this time many of our lakes were at the dangerously low point. Been raining since March, nearly every day – starting Sunday we should finally experience a week that’s going to let the area dry out. Hope you are well, think about you all the time – good wishes are being sent your way my friend.
I had a busy week and only checked the whole week today. But I’m glad since it allowed me to appreciate the different steps on the same day. What a grand finale, Mary! I admire the way you drew the water crushing against the rocks. I like lighthouses very much and although I don’t know the one you chose, it’s a beautiful piece of art.
So great to see you Evelyne, thank you so much for your feedback and comments about the lighthouse drawing – it was a wonderful subject to draw for the Thursdays project. A special place, strong in her presence. Thanks again ~ have a great weekend.