From the fur to the expression.
The lines of the pen drawing seem to be like a tabby cat jumping onto the paper and rolling out.
Some painters focus on the precision of images, deliberating even a single strand of hair multiple times; others disregard minor details, capturing major relationships and mastering motion; and still others pursue the contrast of light and shadow, meticulously depicting brightness and transparency...
All roads lead to Rome.
These methods are neither right nor wrong. The differences in theoretical and artistic approaches can be discussed endlessly, but they ultimately lead to the same destination.
No matter the painting technique, you can tell at a glance if a work is "alive."
This pen drawing has come "alive."
The advantages of the fine lines of the dip pen have been completely realized by the boy—the cat's whiskers quivering in the air, the slightly bared canines, and the small shadow on the dimples of the little girl's cheek...
