You can see that I've developed more of the shadows and highlights in both the cat and the grass and clover leaves. There was a lot of kneaded eraser work here - especially in better defining the shape of the grass leaves. I love working with the kneaded eraser, it works wonderfully with charcoal and conte. You can shape it to remove dust from any size crevice. In this case I used a flat but wide section to "sweep" the eraser along the page and create blades of grass. I also spent a lot of time with the white conte to define the fur, the edges of the grass blades, and the clover leaves. I may have gone a bit overboard on the clover leaves because they are starting to look washed out. Fortunately, I have a kneaded eraser to lift some of that next time!
The tricky part about this method is keeping in mind that my paper is green. This means that if I don't want the kitty to look green (except the eyes), I have to add a LOT of conte. So far it seems to be working, but there are a few spots in the tummy area that have a bit of a greenish cast to them. I also have to work on kitty's left arm. The highlight there is a bit stark, as well as the paw. There's too much of a line when it should gradate more.
It's also fun to notice all the different textures I am trying to convey - soft fur, long thin simple grass, and rounded complex clover (okay I have to admit that I'm pretty sure these aren't clover leaves but I'm not sure what they are so I'll keep calling them clover in the meantime). These textures all require a different stroke of the line. The fur gets short thin and thick strokes with moderate gradation of tone to create a "soft" look. The grass will need long thin even strokes to maintain the look of sharpness. The rounded clover leaves need a "smooth" look so not a lot of strokes, so much as sharp gradation of tone.
There's more work to be done, but I think this is coming along nicely so far. If anyone knows what the leaves are I'd love to be able to call them by their proper name!
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