Aloe

Reaching; graphite on paper; 8.5" x 5.5"



I love how the leaves of this aloe seem to be searching and reaching.  It took on the feel of a sea creature the more I studied it and tried to capture it on the paper.  And I just barely got it completely on the page - it so wanted to escape.

Knowing how much to add of the dark background came to me little by little.  I'm very happy with the final result but I wasn't sure at the time if it should rise up more and embrace the newer leaves.  As it is, the dramatic tallest leaf really benefits from standing alone against a white backdrop.  I could even add the little spikes along its edge without feeling fussy about it and like I needed to add them to all of the leaves.  The spikes couldn't have happened without all of that wonderful white space.

And the shadows - my favorite part.  They're like a tripod base, or roots that have outgrown the pot, or some other fantastic shape that takes on Rorschach possibilities.