First Sergeant 

 
Above  (composite image showing a detailed view of the soldier's face.) 

  Below, this enlargement gives a better view of the texture, which I like most about this drawing. I still have some adjustments and refinements to apply but I don't want to over work it either. A drawing should look like a drawing; flaws and all. Charcoal can be a difficult medium.  I believe in drawing with more strokes to achieve tonality and gradiation opposed to a lot of smudging.  I'll keep the smudging on this piece to a minimum.

 

Charcoal Drawing
approx. 18" x 24" 

I was inspired to do this piece after reflecting on the story of the courageous men of the 154th Massachusetts. God truly makes soldiers. The contributions of African Americans towards the freedom we enjoy in this nation has been, and is still greatly unappreciated. Students of history have discovered that many historical facts have been altered and intentionally supressed by the American educational system and media.
However, now that we have elected an African American president; I feel it offers a gleemer of hope that the people of America are slowly moving nationally towards becoming a more mature and intelligent society.

 

This piece was originally entitled "A Civil War Soldier", but after completing it, I liked calling him "First Sergeant". Probably because it seemed to speak more about his personality, rank, and possibly because those stripes were hard to render proportionately. :) I had to do a little research to get the mechanisms of the rifle to look authentic. His left arm had to be lowered as well. I also decided to fill in the background at the upper portion of the drawing because I would have lost his bayonet.


It was one of the first pieces to sell in the show.

( SOLD )