December Sketchbook: Bob Cratchit's House


Happy Holidays, my friends! This entry in the December sketchbook is another piece of our Christmas village - my own rendition of Bob Cratchit's house from A Christmas Carol.

I've been choosing these complex buildings and complicated textures because I'm trying to get in some practice with pen and ink techniques. Here I've selectively used hatching to accentuate some of the features of the house, like the partially exposed brick, rickety roof shingles, unfinished add-on, and "bullseye" glass window panes. After all, Bob Cratchit was a poor man who could only barely afford to keep his family of 8, so it would stand to reason that his house might look a bit run down, but he does the best he can on his 15 bob a week.

I had originally thought to do this one in color, but after it was finished, I liked the way it looked in black and white better. I was worried that colored pencils would hide the delicate details and watercolor would smear the ink, and this method of hatching is difficult and time consuming. I didn't want to ruin what had taken me days to accomplish.

#CHRISTMASdrawing #CHRISTMASart #CHRISTMASsketching #penandink #drawing #sketching #conceptart

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