Side by Side of Finished Piece and Inspiration Photo

'Expression Of Cabernet' ..

Is my newest piece created using the Blind Contour Method (Drawing a subject with one continuous line while never looking at the drawing, until it's finished). I named this piece 'Expression of Cabernet', even though the wine I used, as my inspiration, is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese blend. 'Expression of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese Blend' just didn't sound right.. hehe.. way too long. I really, really enjoy making these types of drawings and I really enjoy a good wine. In my mind this is always a good combination. I am always pleasantly surprised how neat bottles turn out using blind contour drawing. Throughout this post you will notice that I used Black and White photography. I chose this for a reason. I believe it delivers a more curious, mysterious feel to the process and allows your eye to focus more attention on the tones of the art rather than the competing color. The finished drawing is Blank and White anyhow. Okay.. Now that that is out of the way, I am ready to get to the meat of this post!

This is my source photo. See the link below for more information

Source

Camartina
This opulent, silky smooth expression of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese embodies Querciabella’s gift for depth, finesse, and richness.

GRAPE VARIETIES
Cabernet Sauvignon (70%)
​Sangiovese (30%)

This wine, from Camartina winery, is definitly worth a try. "Silky Smooth", as they state, is spot on. Being a big Cabernet Sauvignon lover, if I can find this one, I grab it! I recommend giving it a try if you come across it.

After I located Some Inspiration ..

And the creativity was beginning to flow, I gathered the items needed to get started on the piece. I had all of these items close by, since I've been using them often within the last few days. Items included paper, pen, eraser, charcoal, and a tissue for wiping the fingers.

The Infamous Items...

I Am Ready To Begin..

For the next eight minutes or so, I was concentrating on the Blind Contour Drawing. I started it off at the far left, bottom of the frame, near the wine glass. After my hand and eye traced the major features of this wine themed, still life, I ended up somewhere midway from the top, at the interior of the last bottle. I wasn't even sure, at this point, if I had captured everything. Did I get all of the major detail in there? I could't remember how many bottles I drew; I was too focused on the picture that I forgot about keeping track of my drawing. This is another unique trait of creating these types of drawings. It's also part of the fun in it!

Here is the finished Drawing and my view of the inspiration photo ...

The Finished Drawing ..

Now That The Drawing Is Finished ..

I am ready to add a bit of tonal values to it in order to bring some life into the otherwise bland drawing. Occasionally I leave the drawing alone. Sometimes the drawing is enough by itself and tells the story quite fine on its own. Other times, like today, I feel like the charcoal shading is needed to define and soften some of the hard lines. I saw it come to life as I added in the smudges of charcoal. I knew right away that I made a good decision.

I begin adding very small amounts of charcoal to the drawing...

The Charcoal...

I Blend and Soften ..

The charcoal lines with the tip of my finger, being careful not to apply too much. I don't want to take away from the blind lines of the original drawing. It would be a tragedy to lose the grotesque personality that came through when my hand was unsupervised for those eight minutes, I spoke of earlier. I spent about another 10 minutes on this part of the process. I keep it simple and stop when I feel like adding just a little bit more. No More!

Shading done, and I am ready to utilize the eraser...

I Use The Eraser ..

At this point. My fat fingers smudged the charcoal out of the lines, and was pushed into areas that I didn't intend for it to be. As long as I don't push too hard with the charcoal stick, then the eraser works well at removing any unwanted material. One has to be careful not to just brush away the eraser dust, because you may smear more of the shading and create additional work. I speak from experience..haha. I just lightly tap the paper while it is upright, or blow lightly over it.

It's Now Finished :-) ..

I think I am finished with this piece and am feeling very good about it. All I need to do now is wait for the weather to warm up a tad, and on a day with little wind, I will go ahead and seal it with a protective coat of finisher called fixative. This way, the finished drawing will remain as intended. If I don't seal the drawing and lock the charcoal shading into place, it will eventually come off of the paper. I want to keep it looking good for a while at least.

All Done and I am HAPPY with the Results! ...

The finished drawing next to the finished shaded drawing ...

Was I successful at bringing a little life into it? I think so :-)

I'm Not Sure ..

What I'll be creating next, but I'm looking forward to it! For now, I'll leave you with a few combination photos that sum up the process nicely. I am getting hungry and am ready for breakfast, so I am ready to wrap this post up and get to it. Thank you for reading and following along with another Blind Contour project. I am appreciative of your support and open mind!

Complete from Inspiration to 'Expression Of Cabernet'

A few shots of the charcoal.. just because :-)

'Expression Of Cabernet' ~ By B D Miller

Forgot to mention.. I ended up too close to the top of the paper. You can see the perferated edge of the paper. Part of the awareness factor, that I was a little off on today. It's okay though, for one nothing is perfect. Second, I can crop it when it is framed and it will look just fine.. no one will know any better, except YOU! ;-}

If You Liked This One ..

Maybe you would be interested in checking out my other blind contour drawings, I have blogged about in the past. Here are my previous blind contour installments ..
Nadi
Blind Folded Rolls
Chuck
Six Bottles Of Beer
Pepperdoodle
Smoking Lady
The Man In The Shadows
Dobby The House Elf
My Blue Guitar
Blind Wine

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If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:

They can be found for sale in

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OR

My Etsy Store

If you don't see the piece in either shop, It may still be drying. Let me know and I can upload it as soon as possible to be available. Or you can always make me an offer (in SBD or STEEM) in the comments section of this post. If we agree on a price, I will then ship the painting to you. (shipping costs will be determined by your location).

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

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About Me ~ The Artist

My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.

Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.

For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit.

~ B D Miller

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