Alejandro Grajal Artworks

winner in the “Strokes of Genius 12” Art Competition. Published in “Best of Drawing’ Magazine. Nov. 2020

I am captivated by the humble ballpoint pen. It provides a surprising range of values and toning, combined with crosshatching and stippling. When used on smooth white Bristol paper, the results can be quite elegant. Recently I started adding color ballpoint pens, with exciting results. The technique is quite unforgiving as ballpoint cannot be erased and it is easy to smudge. It requires forethought and near Zen concentration. This studio drawing depicts a tropical Gray-lined Hawk (Buteo nitidus) that I sketched during a trip to the dry forests of northern Colombia. I was first attracted by the strong personality of this elegant raptor, and then by the nearly abstract composition of the ghostly pale bird surrounded by a jumble of dry branches and vines.