Red Boat

[Chris Saper]

Valerie,

First, welcome to the Forum, and thanks for posting your drawing. In addition to Enzie's thoughtful observations, here are some of mine:

Anytime you introduce a saturated note of color into a desaturated context, you create an eye-grabber that becomes your center of interest, whether you want it to or not. There is no stronger example than what you have here in place: a red (so very strong) against grays. Notwithstanding the red, any color note you introduce, even a subtle one, will stand out.

You have in place a lot of excellent directional cues (the glance, the sail, the fingers, boat and returning arm, in a counterclockwise fashion), but they are not enough to stand up to the red.

Given the tone of your paper, you have a wonderful opportunity to wrest control by using highlights in a judicious manner. For your interest, try placing this drawing in a grayscale (Photoshop or other), getting rid of the red, and see what happens when you introduce some lights into the skin tones (not the sail).

Best wishes,