Original artwork description:

As I made this drawing of a toad, covered in warts and sagging into the folds of his own skin, his character became more and more clear to me.

It became a study of depression, encouraging sympathy and empathy with the subject through light humour. The toad is defeated by the daily battle of living in his own body and crushed by the disgust that he provokes in others.

I added the fly just above his head to accentuate the feeling of lethargy. The toad can't rouse himself to act, even to feed himself when a fly is within easy reach.

The drawing is in black ink on a 20cm x 20cm sheet of Hahnemule natural white, acid free, 300g/m2, hot pressed, watercolour paper. It is initialled in the lower centre.

Materials used:

India ink and watercolour paper

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