Vanitas drawing day 7

I have been working on this drawing for a week now. Today is day 7. The figure part is pretty much done except for the hair. The paper I am using is heavy-weight Strathmore Mixed Media. It has a subtle surface texture and allows me to make this paper mimic the texture of the human skin which is very nice. But the trade-off is that this texture also magnifies any slight manufacturing imperfections. In order to eliminate any surface blemishes, you have to work with the grain of the paper so that you can blend them seamlessly into the surface, which requires an extra care.

While I was working on this piece today, I started wondering why I love drawing so much. I am attracted to the fact that the act of working a drawing medium itself is so simple (the movement of the arm, hand and fingers, with controlled pressure to the drawing tool), and yet it allows so much freedom and flexibility that help you achieve your own unique style of expressions. The physical aspect of the process gives you a strong sense of direct connection between what you see, what you use and what you get as a result. The major part of this craft is still deeply rooted in the good-old tradition of discipline which often times gives you a great sense of achievement and satisfaction. But above all, what really fascinates me is that drawing to me is so much about clarity of vision, mental processing and execution. It demonstrates eloquently how you see the world, how you understand it, and how you interpret it. It doesn't matter how realistic or how loose your drawing is, every single line or mark you make counts in the course of communicating your ideas and affects the outcome. This precision is somewhat akin to that of photography although the way in which precision manifests itself is very different between the two. Maybe that's why I am drawn to these 2 expressions.