Kate Jenvey

Victoria, Australia, Eye to Eye, dry media, 22 x 30" (56 x 76 cm)

My Inspiration

Being out in the wild is always inspirational and to be this close to an elephant is both breathtaking and humbling. Since my childhood, most of which was spent in East Africa, I have been inspired by nature and have always enjoyed being in the wilderness, soaking up the sights and sounds that ignite my senses. I find the diversity of birds and animals fascinating and enjoy watching and studying all forms of wildlife and have great joy in translating my experiences into my artwork. Whenever possible, I travel back to Africa to replenish my soul and to continue collecting reference photos, sketching and expanding my knowledge of that continent’s unique wildlife.

My Design Strategy

In response to this magical moment of being eye to eye with this amazing animal my desire with this drawing is for the viewer to also feel the grandeur of its presence. Therefore, careful cropping allowed me to focus attention on the eyes and the trunk, a unique and iconic trait of the elephant and to have these features placed in a pleasing position. With the ears outstretched to frame her face, they also capture the momentary movement of their flapping as she goes about her daily browsing. The dark shadows were essential to include to enhance the interesting outline of her tattered ear and to accentuate the strong African sunlight that results in such wonderful contrasts.

My Working Process

This drawing was created in a large format using a full sheet of smooth watercolour paper at the heavy weight of 300gsm, allowing me to build up many layers of pencil to achieve the desired depth. Using my reference photos and thumbnail sketches of my final composition, I lightly sketched in the outline. From here I block in the first layer lightly using a 2B pencil, which allows any changes to be made. Once I am satisfied with the correct anatomy, the darkest value is put in place and I then continue to build up layers alternating between a 2B and 3B pencil. I love using pencil as it slows the creative process down and allows me to relish every little detail of nature’s gorgeous creatures.

Contact Details

» Email: kate@katejenvey.com » Website: www.katejenvey.com