I’ve been getting back into graphite drawing after years of not drawing much at all and I’d like to share a couple that I’ve completed recently, both were made from reference photos.
![](https://darrylspratt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/darryl-spratt-beach-drawing-2021-1024x821.jpg)
This beach one is actually the first graphite drawing I’ve made in over a decade, so I was a bit concerned going into it that I would have lost the skill and initially chose it just as an exercise to see where I was at. Thankfully, just after a couple hours, it felt like I was picking up right where I left off and I decided to make it into a fully shaded drawing. That’s what I found to be so interesting about art: the skills gained from the practice is something that doesn’t leave you, unlike other skills that have to be continuously maintained.
I unfortunately don’t know the original photographer of the reference image as it’s an older image that I came across online and is floating around on multiple websites. The beach is located in Colombia though, I’d love to see it for myself.
![](https://darrylspratt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/darryl-spratt-farm-drawing-2023-1024x751.jpg)
This next one is of my grandfather in his youth on the family farm. We were going through old photographs of him for his celebration of life and I knew I had to draw this one as I saw it. It’s a fairly simple looking photo, but there are many different elements going on that excited me: the perspective of the shed, the old Ford, the foliage, and of course him in a challenging pose. I also enjoyed making this drawing as a way of honoring and remembering him, I bet he would’ve got a kick out of it!
![](https://darrylspratt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/farm-drawing-process-darryl-spratt.gif)
That’s all I have to show for now, but I hope to keep making more fine art like this in the future. There’s just something about the feel of pencil on paper that drawing with the computer can’t compare to. I never knew how much I missed it until I started to draw again!