David Ojikutu's Contest Entry

I wanted to work on my hand's anatomy. So I used my live hand as a reference (along with a photo I took of my hand). I worked from dark (smeared charcoal) to darker (shadows) to lighter (highlights). With the second hand on the right, I also wanted to make the whole greater than its parts by thinking of the outline surrounding the hand while doing the opposite (concentrating on the details rather than the whole) for the first hand (clenched fist).

This is a Crazy Barbarian Warrior. I was inspired by a scene I watched in The Vikings. I wanted to illustrate this piece in a comic book style. So I used sharp and defined lines as well as various types of hatching in different parts of the subject. The drawing is also scratchy and not the cleanest, which contributes to the barbaric nature of the subject.

I wanted to depict a character who exudes a sense of determination and grit. The figure is dressed in a suit, suggesting a formal or professional setting, but the disheveled appearance and clenched fist add an element of tension and struggle. I used strong, angular lines to emphasize the character's rugged features and intense expression. The bold, dark strokes create a high contrast, enhancing the dramatic effect. By focusing on the character's face and stance, I aimed to capture a moment of resolve, highlighting the narrative potential of the scene.

In this drawing, I depicted a corgi using cross-hatching to create texture and depth. The intricate linework captures the dog's fur and expressive face. I focused on the eyes to convey a sense of personality and warmth, while the bold outlines helped define the form and structure of the corgi's body. The overall style aims to balance detail with a sketch-like quality, emphasizing the playful and endearing nature of the subject.

This is a drawing of the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius. Because I was working from Greek art, I decided to give him an athletic, muscular build. The figure's form is rendered in dynamic, gestural strokes that capture the planes and curves of the body along with loose, flowing drapery trailing behind. The drawing exhibits an expressionistic style with strong contours and shading.

This water and acrylic painting has a visceral, emotionally charged quality. A distorted facial form dominates the canvas, with anguished features rendered in thick strokes of black, pink and brown against a mottled, textured background.

The pencil or charcoal drawing shows an exaggerated, twisted human figure with elongated limbs and a contorted torso. The abstracted forms and disproportionate features create a disquieting, expressionistic effect. Thick, layered line work defines the anguished pose and facial expression, lending an intense, primal quality to the figurative study.