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Who Knew Metal Textures. . . could be so much fun to draw!The majority of my drawings present a unique artistic challenge. Metal textures was the challenge in this case. How was I going to capture the metallic texture of an old weathered barrel?
This is a drawing of a man plucking a "washtub" bass. A washtub bass was an early precursor to the stand-up bass. It consisted of a pole, a rope, and a barrel. The barrel acted as an amplifier. When the rope was plucked, its vibrations resonated in the barrel.
Texture of the Barrel Note how real this rusty old barrel looks. I've approached the surface of the paper in a variety of ways in order to achieve this appearance. On the side of the barrel, you see everything from tar residue to dents in the metal. When natural light falls across old dented material like this, you get a variety of highlights. I've created those highlights with a kneaded eraser.
The top of the barrel is not as rough as the sides. I have softened it with brushes. Notice the variety of lights and darks across the whole top surface. Many of the dented areas have been created by actually tapping blending stumps on the paper. (I've mentioned in my texture introduction that you should try to think "tactile"...how much more tactile can you get than actually tapping the paper?) Arrow #3: Note the detail where the rope is fastened to the center of the barrel. You can see where the tension of the rope has pulled up pieces of metal. And finally, in this same area, note the shadow cast by the rope. This adds depth, interest and realism to the metal textures.
Return from Metal Textures to Drawing Realistic Textures
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Arrow #1: The tar residue on the barrel is implied by the darker areas, which I drew with an HB charcoal pencil. I always use a hard lead for clearly defined areas.
