My sketch of St. John of the Cross

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Disclaimer: I am not an artist.

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I like it. There is a strong spiritual connection conveyed by the elements. The crucifix, the dove, the pen, the book, the attentiveness of the saint. It has exceptional artistic merit in the execution as well. Thank you for sharing it.
 
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I am not an artist either and I could not draw half that well.
Very nice.
 
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I am an artist and I will say this is very nice for someone who claims to not be an artist. This looks like to have been done in some type of graphite (maybe a softer end?) My favorite bits are the hand holding the quill, the quill itself and that little detail of the shadow. The proportions are pretty darn good too (which I struggle with when I draw/paint people).

I do encourage exploring this more if you enjoy to draw. Art is a wonderful outlet in expressing faith and the wonders of God’s work.
 
I like it. It makes me think of Carmel and the Dark Night of the Soul.

Ascent to Carmel

In a dark night
With longings kindled in love
oh blessed chance
I went forth without being observed
My house already being at rest

Through darkness and secure
By the secret ladder disguised
oh blessed chance
Through darkness and in concealment
My house already being at rest

In the blessed night
In secret that none saw me
Nor I beheld aught
Without any other light or guide
Save that which was burning in the heart

That which guided me
More sure than the light of noonday
Where he was awaiting me
Him whom I knew well
In a place where no one appeared

Oh thou night that guided
Oh lovely night moreso than the dawn
Oh thou night that joined
Lover with beloved
Beloved in the lover transformed

Upon my flowery breast
Which I kept whole for himself alone
There he stayed sleeping
and I was caressing him,
And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze
The breeze from the turret
While I was parting his locks
With his gentle hand
He was wounding my neck
And causing all my senses to be suspended

I remained myself and forgot myself
My face reclined on the lover
All ceased and I abandoned myself
Leaving my concern
forgotten among the lilies.

Here’s a few lyrics from a song that I thought of when I saw your art.

Cold War Kids
First

There comes a time, in a short life
Turn it around, get a re-write
Call it a dark night of the soul
Ticking of clocks, gravity’s pull
First you get close, then you get worried

Flying like a cannonball, falling to the earth
Heavy as a feather when you hit the dirt
How am I the lucky one?
I do not deserve to wait around forever when you were there first
First you get hurt, then you feel sorry

You’re going silent, the silent treatment
It’s not inviting now
Don’t deny what you meant
You get excited, you get excited
You got a feeling, or at least you can pretend
You wanna light it, you wanna light it
You wanna light it now, the candle from both ends 🕯️
 
Thank you. It was done with a softer end. Is graphite different than lead? It was an art pencil I borrowed from a family member.

I always struggle with proportions so I’m glad it came out well.

I prayed to a saint, Catherine of (?) who is the patron saint of artists, before I drew it. Who knows, it could be why the face turned out ok. 😀.
 
Indeed, St. Catherine of Bologna is always a go to for me too. ❤️ I really want to see her artworks in Italy.

Graphite is slightly different than lead, and you have a hardness scale ranging from very rough for possibly fine details to very soft that can come in handy for shading. It is different from your standard no. 2 pencil, defiantly more preferred for sketches. 😆 You’ll have to play around with some to see what else you can do.
 
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