Watts Atelier_Still Life With Chicken Timers and Looking Glass

OMG, I am having SO much fun!
I never thought I would enjoy a still life assignment as much as I am enjoying this one.

Last night, I spent the entire evening gathering up the obects. First I had to find them. I bought the chicken timers a couple years ago, because I thought they were funny. I had an idea that some day, they would be handy for a still life setup (if I ever got the urge.) I had also stumbled across this interesting magnifying glass-thing years ago, and I thought it was just one of those things that was too interesting NOT to acquire. And last night, I knew it would be perfect.
I had the idea to turn the reference holder on its side, and it makes a perfect still life stand, just clip it to the drawing table, it's at the perfect angle and I'm off and running!

The reference holder works great
as a still life stand!

 I grabbed the objects, and a cloth, and started setting them up. And I had an idea what I was gonna do.

The initial setup.

The revised setup.

 Originally, I used the books Living the Artists Life, and Mozart's Brain/Fighter Pilot. But then I changed my mind. Chickens just aren't into Mozart.
They prefer Bach.

*ahem*

The first stages of building from
simple forms, and 'drawing through'
the form.

 I set the browser to YouTube, and selected some music good for long stretches of drawing, and just let it run, all the way through Emerson, Lake, & Palmer's Trilogy, Tarkus, and Brain Salad Surgery, Fragile by Yes and then about halfway through  Yes' rendition of America by Simon & Garfunkel. (We'll see if I finish this post by the time that is done!) That kind of music just puts my mind in an abstract mode.

I am really enjoying myself.

Fleshing it out a bit.

More progress...

 And I found myself REALLY enjoying drawing the still life objects. It was not a chore, but a joy to construct and build the objects freehand, drawing through the form and building them from basic shapes into more and more complex forms.

As I went, I remembered Scott Robertson's video on line drawing, and used that information to help the drawing make sense at this stage. It helps to make the overlapping objects move forward and back in relation to each other. Most of it will get covered up with tone, but for now, it reads correctly.

...and more progress...

 And so, here it is, all drawn in, with quite a few of the shadows mapped as well.

The drawing so far...

Detail of the drawing so far.

And what's more - I spent the evening thoroughly immersed in an assignment and enjoying making art, I got to a stopping spot, I feel like I've accomplished a lot, and when all it was all said and done, I have time to spare.
:)
Gonna eat a lil' bite, and enjoy some well-earned relaxin'!

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings for this drawing!

WOlff's Carbon pencil 2B on newsprint, 18x24"