Shoe Polish Practice

I once had a great teacher who told me that some of the best pieces of art are created from everyday objects that are around you. Being a starving artist is hard enough to choose between a canvas or a cold sandwich, that is, unless you take this into consideration.

I decided that I would use shoe polish for my medium, and illustration board for the surface. I was debating whether I should use more of a textured, tooth surface, or a smooth one. Eh, this worked out ok

Shoe polish is actually not that bad as a medium. It smells funky when you use it, but give it 24 hours, and it won't even an odor. It's VERY hard to work with when it comes to outlining, and takes skill and patience to do so. However, shading is a blast

My inspiration was from my own imagination (I've been drawing him for years), the Dark Crystal, and various misc. sources. I was trying to make it look like a withered, poor hermit.

I might work on a few more like this, just so I can get even more pro