Gulf Fritillary

Before I get into the nitty gritty depths of a critique, I have to say that this is a favourite from your gallery because of the composition and clever use of colour, which I will go into more detail about below.

I have awarded you 4.5 for vision, as I can tell by looking at ~duggiehoo's fantastic photograph that you chose to draw this certain image because of the rich, splendid colours found on the butterflies wings. Also, you made this work your own by first rotating the original reference so that the butterfly was upright, which makes this drawing almost more accessible than the photo because the eye can associate with the subject. Therefore, I had to award you highly for vision.

Again with originality, I love your twist from the reference by having it portrait rather than landscape, which is more effective in drawing in the audiences eye. Even though this was based on a photograph, I have awarded you 4 stars because I love the choice of a simple background that is rendered from a murky white to a bold blue, which has made the butterfly truly become the main focus of this piece - its simple ideas such as those that can really make a drawing, evidenced so well here.

The first thing that amazes me with this piece is the amount of attention to detail you have captured on the butterfly. The rich oranges have been subtly blended to yellow tones, broken carefully by the bold, black patterns and spots which really moves the eye across the surface. This sharp use of colour contrasts with the delicacy of the flower, which has again been rendered beautifully with a variety of summery tones. Combined with the composition (which, as I said at the beginning) the colouring makes the butterfly the focal point of this piece. Again, having a light background which darkens dramatically at the top of the paper where the butterfly begins, makes the insect really 'pop' from the page, becoming almost three dimensional and very realistic.

On a more technical level, the proportions are pretty much exact to the reference photograph, making it almost identical. I can see the amount of care and careful drawing during the process of completion, which is a real justice to the original. Therefore, I couldn't have given you anything but 5 stars for technique.

Overall, especially when looking at the thumbnail, the composition and use of colour has made this splendid drawing very dramatic and realistic. I remember the first time I saw this in my messages, and I immediately thought that it was a photograph. To have that sort of impact - especially on a watcher that believes they know your work and style very well - deserves a rating of 5 stars for impact.

So where could you improve on the slightly lower marks? Well, they are down to personal preference more than your own technique. To have a full 5 stars on both Vision and Originality, I would love to have seen just a few more small changes to set the piece from the original photograph, or to incorporate another reference, to make it that little bit more eye catching.

However, as you well know by now, I am a massive fan and admirer of your work, and my own failure with the application of coloured pencil makes me look at all of your pieces in complete and utter awe. Keep up the brilliant work Kevin - and I hope that you get well soon too! <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b…" width="15" height="15" alt="" title=" (Big Grin)"/>