Admin I recently dusted off my pencils for a new project—a man-at-arms pencil study. It’s been a while since I’ve delved into pencil drawing, with my last serious sketch dating back to March 2023, when I tackled a wolf study. This time, I drew inspiration from a photo I snapped at the Twekesbury Medieval Festival back in August 2023. (I did a previous study of a Medieval man at arms a few years back, which you can read about here.)
This study wasn’t grand—it measured just 12.5×15.5cm (5×6 inches). But armed with my trusty Staedtler Mars Technico lead holders. Plus the very useful TomBow erasers, I was ready to dive in and capture the essence of the medieval era.
I decided on a side-profile view of the man-at-arms to keep things manageable, focusing on nailing the details of one eye. Surprisingly, despite my break from drawing, things went pretty well.
One of the highlights was playing around with textures. I enjoyed bringing to life the hard metals of the armor, the softness of wool and cotton, and the nuances of skin tones. Each stroke of the pencil felt like a mini victory.
Of course, there were challenges too. The nose, in particular, gave me a run for my money, as you can probably tell from the work-in-progress images. But hey, that’s all part of the fun, right?
Looking back, this study was a reminder of why I love pencil drawing. It’s a craft that never fails to bring me joy, no matter how much time has passed. It’s about exploring, experimenting, and appreciating the world around us in a whole new way.
So yeah, I’m pretty chuffed with how this man-at-arms study turned out, especially after my drawing hiatus. It’s got me itching to pick up my pencils more often and see where else they’ll take me.
Man at arms pencil study images
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