The Neelkantha – Shiva: A Sketch

/ May 10, 2018

G’morning Readers and fellow bloggers,

The paint is still drying on this one but I couldn’t wait to share it with you. I don’t remember the last time I had shared pictures of a sketch with you. Last night, after daughter dearest had dozed off to sleep (thankfully), I took out my sketchbook intending only to while away time. But this sketch came out –

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As you can see it was a very crude sketch but I liked it and I thought that I should work on it some more. So I used a Sakura Pigma Micron Pen to outline it.

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But I was really not happy with just bare outlines. Since it was late enough, I went to bed, putting it aside for another time. But the moment I woke up this morning, I had this hankering to put colour to this sketch. Happily for me, it worked and this is the final result –

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I used my trusted  Staedtler Aquarelle Pencils to fill in the colours and then diluted them. Worked beautifully.

Lord Shiva or the Neelkantha (the blue throat) as he’s also referred to, is one of my favourite Gods in Hindu Mythology. He’s part of the Hindu trinity of Gods along with Lords Vishnu and Brahma and is said to be the destroyer of evil and the transformer of the universe. While most of the world knows him as a destroyer or an ascetic, he’s also a complete family man, which is why I like and revere him the most. His asceticism and devotion to his family set him apart from the rest of the bejwelled, opulent Gods and Goddesses in Hindu Mythology. The way he cared for his lady love, Sati, the way he avenged her death, and the way he is a stern yet compassionate father to his sons – Ganesha, the Elephant God, and Kartikeya, God of War, would put to shame any Mills & Boons ‘tall, dark and handsome’ hero. He has shades of both light and dark, which fit perfectly with my belief on life –

Life is gray – there is light and dark in all of us. No one is perfect, none imperfect.

For some time now I had been intending to make a sketch of him, and that’s why I’m glad this turned out well. My only regret is that I didn’t use watercolour paper and so, being dampened excessively by water, the paper tore at places. Maybe I can replicate this on watercolour paper again on a larger scale.

So what do you think? Am I improving? Would love your thoughts and advice on sketching and painting.

Have a great day!

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Copyright ©2018 Pradita Kapahi.

All rights reserved.

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29 thoughts on “The Neelkantha – Shiva: A Sketch”

    • 😂 😂 Advertising wasn’t the intention. Most of the art based parts I’ve read online always inform the reader what exact materials were used, so I was just doing that but thank you for the compliment.

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