At the 11th hour, I decided to add a second arm to the captured toad. I felt the composition was lacking. Thankfully, I have several reference photos and found a suitable toad hand. I roughly photoshopped it on to my reference and then lightly sketched the new hand on to the drawing, looking at my computer screen. (Some day I will know toad anatomy enough to be able to draw a toad hand from memory!)

 

It was terrifying to go to my mostly completed drawing with an eraser and a razor blade and pull away an arm-shaped patch of pencil. The layers were very thick and the paper was rough and abused underneath them all. Thankfully Prismacolor’s Peach pencil really helped blend any parts of the hand back in once I had destroyed them. I think it ultimately worked out. Here is the .gif of the piece from start to finish.

That thumb was too much “blank” space for me. It’s my thumb, and it just isn’t that massive in real life. I am happy with the decision. It shows that a drawing just isn’t finished until it’s finished!

Now the toad looks even more resigned to the sexual harassment he is being subjected to; as if even he has accepted the cliche and it is a given that he will be snatched up and test-smooched from time to time.  Never mind that the fairy tale does not advise the kissing of random amphibians.

This drawing is 100% Prismacolor Colored Pencils – on Stonehenge paper, of course. The finished presentation will be a more vertical crop. Behold:

I am going to enter it into the Prismacolor contest right now.  Looking for a toad arm last night, I think I found my next drawing, too; another view of this guy struggling to get free. I could use the practice drawing hands of all species.