Unfortunately, my piece is taking a little longer than anticipated, and due to the semester starting soon, I find myself having to put the pen and ink on hold until I find the time to wrap things up for good. The work’s size is a little too overwhelming and I found myself being overly ambitious with such small time constraints.
With that being said, the work itself is slowly but surely nearing to an end, as a lot of elements have been addressed, and the form is starting to become more discernible. The only thing that is hindering me from completing it sooner is the amount of fine detail that goes into the body itself, and how each scale-like part of the octopus’s skin requires quite a bit of concentration and individual attention.
Older Version 
Newest Version
Fun technical fact with pen: If you work fast enough, the ink can be blended with your finger to get a really nice gradient/solid fill of a section (unfortunately I found this out a bit later on so this technique isn’t seen throughout the work entirely).
While working on the piece though, the adjustments I made were found in the lower tentacle, a bit in the background and the left section of the octopus where enhancements in value are prominent, development of form, and some implementation of intense highlights (a special thanks to white POSCA paint markers and Gelly Roll pens for that, they really are a life saver) can be seen. The detail work with such an inconsistent medium makes it difficult to make any strong advancements in a short period of time, and my hopes are to finish the work by late next week if I can find the time.
Nonetheless, on a more positive note, I really am liking how the work is coming along. Despite it being a serious challenge, I feel as if it is teaching me a ton in learning how to manipulate a drawing tool to get a variety of values, as well as look at a piece from a more in-depth scope. There’s still much more room for improvement, and even though I don’t see myself using pen again for a long time, I can apply these techniques to my works with colored pencil and charcoal.
