Fossil Gar and Knightia Sp.

"So, Jester doesn't just bolt and strap junk together? He may actually be able to draw?" you puzzle incredulously over the digital crayola scrawlings you see here before you. "Meh." Says me.

Most of the few things I've posted thus far have been of the "biomechanical assemblage" type (junk bolted together ). so I felt a slight change of pace would be nice. The story on this is that it is the drawing with the longest running amount of time on it I've ever done to date. Really not so much because I slaved over it, although that does hold true, but because I started this piece shortly after I got out of the army in 2002 and didn't finish it until 2007. (what a lazy sob I am.) initially I started this with about 15 hours worth of work invested into the gar (the main BIG fish.) I got tired, put it away & forgot about it. To be sure, I tripped over it in my portfolio on more than one occassion and said, "gee, won't it be swell when I finish this?" but, alas, promptly put it back after mulling over how much work it would take to finish it.

Why did it take so long? Aside from the fact that fish have lots of bones. NO, I mean a hell of alot of bones, and even more scales; I, in my infinite wisdom decided "hey, I could get some really great black linework if I use this ballpoint pen." I Know, I know; what the hell was I thinking. I love the look. The coloration is (chuckle) actually crayola, colored pencil though. I love those. I know prisma color and various others make softer leaded pencils and have a greater color range, but for the price crayola asks and the fact that I go over drawings like this as if it were a painting, ie, layering, etc., I like using them. Besides, how could you not want carpal tunnel at 30 by using those hard friggin' leads.

At any rate, I did do some quick touch up in photoshop, (darkening, removing the camera's photo display time) but other than that it was a total of 30 or so hours, by hand.

as far as copying this if you like it, etc, well, be kind. don't claim it as your own. Credit where it is due.

As per S.O.P. - comments, critticisms and chuckling and pointing is welcome. Thanx for reading this rambling preamble.

And yes, still life did seem best to place this in. It's an image of life. (just very still, lol)