This is pre shading mode. I nearly gave up on this one early one because having it on an angle and the addition of a hand brought a lot of extra challenges. But I kind of wanted to see if I could do it any justice. Not sure If I did, but I'd say it's at least recognizable.

ABPOS,
I'm certainly not an art or drawing critic, but I can recognize when something looks right to me. Everything about this drawing looks right!!! You have an excellent talent for this kind of drawing, IMO. Good job!

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So long ... Ken

Great work....right down to the turn line. (Hope the barrel's not canted)

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Beautifully done. You are very talented.

I'm picking up my new 442 next week. Thanks for drawing my new gun!

You have great talent and I hope it will bring financial security for you. We all here are sure enjoying looking at it develop.

Thanks for sharing.

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JAREDSHS
LEO(retired)

I really appreciate the good vibes you guys send. It really brings a guy up.

kthom, I was worried about some of the angles not being quite spot on. But I guess they're about as close as I'm going to get them.

armorer951: If it is canted, maybe I can send it to you to straighten it out. LOL. Or were you meaning the angle? I redid it like 5 times not sure if I had the barrel exactly in line with the frame / top strap. It's as close as I can get it with my eyeballs.

yep380: Congrats on the purchase!!!!! I like mine. I think I would prefer a steel frame, but it does the job. And is very easy to carry. I also think it's a good looking gun, in sort of a utility type of way. I just noticed that VZ is making some really nice looking greyish grips for J frames. Although having said that, the factory boot grips work pretty darn well for me.
VZ Grips | VZ Grips - Smith & Wesson J-Frame

JAREDSHS. I have no clue how that would happen. But it sure is good for my soul. And I'm glad other people enjoy looking at them too!

ABPOS,
One more comment. If you could measure what you drew and found it to be exactly perfect, your drawing would look like a digital rendition of the subject matter. As it is, I see it as if I were looking at what you drew but in real life. In other words, it looks as it would if any of us would see it, real! Yours looks like a hand drawn picture drawn by a very talented person. That always trumps a "perfect" rendition in my books.

For me, at least, that's the way I want to see things ... as they are if I were looking at the real thing. Shoot, even the real gun probably wouldn't spec out exactly perfectly if it was measured. As for the hand, it looks like a real hand and is in correct proportion to itself. The size of the fingers, fingernails, and position of every portion of it are correct for the job that hand is doing. Hands look different, but that hand looks like a real hand should!

I understand being critical of yourself. That causes you to do your best work, but just keep drawing in such a way that what people see is what they expect to see and that it looks real. You've done an excellent job of that with this drawing! Few would have the ability to draw what you have drawn.

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So long ... Ken

Thank you. I was going over in my head about if I got the measuring tool out, I could maybe do a better job at proportions. But I'm with you in that I want it to be more about.... Well, partially keeping it simple and keeping it true to a free hand type of work. I do use my soundbar remote for a straight edge at times though. And I will sometimes use it or lengths on my pencil for rough measurements. To makes sure I'm in the ball park. But I'm with you. I don't really want to go down the road of breaking out all kinds of tools to make it a more precise thing. I will lose some enjoyment. And maybe some quality. However, I could maybe make them even more dialed in if I did......

Abpos,

The "canted" comment was a bit of an inside joke, and not a criticism of your work at all, which is very good.

I bought a 442-1 a couple of years ago and it has a canted barrel that drives me crazy. It's been back twice....I just need to get over it. It's a misfit, like me.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Excellent Work My Friend! Keep it coming! I really Like them, and they are spot on!

The only problem I see is that it isn't loaded.

Very nice drawing! Are those the Uncle Mike's 3-finger combat grips? Guessing they must be as I can barely get 2 fingers on the smaller boot grips.

@ABPOS - thanks for the congrats. I've wanted a 442 no-lock for a long time. Got a good deal on a new one online so I finally jumped.

Anyway, enjoyed your drawing very much and hoping to see more!

Lots of justice done...Looking Good.
I know drawing checkering on the grips is tough.....but the human hand is even harder to draw.....You nailed it !
(sorry about the bad pun but the fingers are spot on)

One of my drafting instructors told me in a perspective drawing things do not have to be technically and exactly correct but they have to look like they are right...the drawing has to look pleasing to the eye.
Yours is pleasing to the eye. Keep on .
Gary

Well Done! People that have artistic ability amaze me.

armorer951: I figured the comment was something like that. That's a bummer. But I guess if it shoots straight...... I know some people would be bugged by stuff like that. One of my M9's I had to drift the sight pretty far to the right to get it to be spot on. But the other one I didn't. Most people said it was me, but since I didn't have to do it on both guns, I figured it was actually the gun. I really don't think about it much though and it shoots nice. So.... I have OCD, but not about everything. I always found little anomolies in manufactured products kind of cool. Having everything identical and exact I think would be harder for my mind. Like not realistic. I can relate to the comment about feeling like a misfit...... We're all unique. Which is a good thing. But can make you feel odd at times.

Hostler: That's one of the first things I thought about when choosing that picture. It doesn't look as cool without rounds in there. LOL.

Capn: They are actually the factory laminated hardwood boot grips. I don't have overly big hands (although my fingers aren't short compared to some). I sort of kind of get the 3rd finger on there. It's right on the bottom edge, barely hanging onto the front edge. Once I shade you'll see because I'll put the streaks in the laminate. They're actually very good looking. I don't like shooting with them though. They're too slippery for the amount of recoil an airweight produces.

Yep380: I think you will like it. I like how they're still making them without the lock. Mine is newer and has no lock. And I like how they still use a normal barrel. Although I'm not sure the 2 piece ones are bad.

gwpercle: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Especially because when you look at something, or a camera takes a shot of something, the perspective probably changes the angles a bit to not be completely straight and square. And like someone said, the gun itself is probably not completely perfect and square. Which is also one of the reasons I like drawing revolvers. Well, other than that I just like double action revolvers over everything else. One guy asked me to do a 1911 and I'm just not sure I want to go down that road. There are so many Smith's I'd rather do first. And all of those straight lines.......... And one more thing, yeah, the hands. My daughter draws too and we both agree, not easy. When I had art in high school I remember getting frustrated with a few drawings that I just left them off. LOL. Brought new meaning to "Look Ma, no hands!". LOL.

Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to do this. Or if I'll always have time or make time. Or what God has in store. But it sure has been fun so far. But it's almost overwhelming as to how blessed I feel to have such nice feedback from you guys. I do have to keep in mind my first priority is to please God. And not man. But hopefully God is being glorified through the work. Somehow. I guess if anything it shows that when the chips are down, he is still there strengthening me.

I also have been feeling a little better lately. But there is a lot to square away with my health still. But it's been cooler here last couple of days and that helps me. Yay!

Shivasirons: Everyone has talents. So don't forget that you have plenty. I know for sure there are things you can do that I could never do. I'm not saying you were feeling that way. But I wanted to make sure you knew that I know that just because you feel like you have no artistic ability, doesn't mean you don't have other tremendous talents. The longer I live the more I understand that most people have done amazing things and their lives. And most of the time never get any credit it for it. And a lot of people don't like to acknowledge others brilliance because they're too busy trying to put themselves up on a pedestal. Or something. Anyways.... hopefully you get my drift. I appreciate the comment and know that you do great things too.

Nothing at all wrong with making sure a line that's supposed to be straight is straight. And a sure enough right angle needs to be correct to look good. But the rest will be good if your eye is good. In other words, if you know what you are drawing really looks like! Keeping it simple and true to a free hand drawing is a very good goal. More good practice and your honest critical opinion will pay more dividends than lots of measuring! Just keep things in proper porportion! I think you've already got a handle on that. Same thing with your shading to enhance the drawing. Some parts of what you draw need to be your vision of what you are drawing. Doesn't really matter if it particularly suits any one else, but it sure is nice when others appreciate what you have accomplished. My opinion is just that, and it's just one opinion. Seems to me that I have lots of company here though, and that's bonus for both of us!

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So long ... Ken

The grip, the angle and the presentation look very natural. Even with perfect draftsmanship if a picture doesn't look natural it causes you to focus on the flaw instead of what the artist intended. It's very easy to see your drawing converted into real life. Kind of like those TV things where a drawing segues into real life and vice/versa.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Finished it up this Saturday morning. I almost like them before shading more. But whatever. Getting a good picture is part of the battle too.

^^^^^^^^^Love it!

Each one is good, in it's own way. Seeing all three of these together makes one tend to choose between them. But it's all the same drawing (picture), right? Just shaded differently. Something for every one here, and all are good! FWIW, I tend to favor the bottom one among the three shown here. But I might change my mind if I were to see them in person!

Actually, I like the hand better in the top two pictures, but the revolver a bit better in the bottom picture!

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So long ... Ken

There are no changes in the drawing, just the picture I took of it. It probably looks closest to the middle one in real life. Sorry. LOL. It's amazing how different they look with different settings on the camera.

One to paint it and the other to beat them on the head when they should stop.

I'm not great at drawing, but some of the best I've done were just line drawings made looking at the subject but not the paper. It seemed to capture the essence of what I was drawing. I made one of our old dog and I had to slap my head because though it was just a single line drawing, it WAS our dog.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

That picture is way out of portions. You have all the fingers on the grip! That's not the way life is! The small finger and half of the next in line should be hanging off the bottom of the grips And the finger on the trigger does not fill the trigger guard opening! OOPS, you didn't draw my hand! ? ! ? I have been told I don't have fingers I have 5 sausages on the end of a 1.5" thick stake! BUT, I do love the Centennials and you have done one justice with your drawing! You, sir, have a natural talent that many of us can only dream of! It looks so natural it could have been a picture!
IMHO jcelect

Yeah, the J frame, small enough for pockets, not big enough for hands.... LOL. I got lucky, I can kind of keep that pinky on the very bottom of the grip. But in the end, different stocks make them much more shoot-able . But they don't fit in pants pockets as well. If you want to do that.

I still say someone hasn't come up with a middle ground between boot grips and say like the hogue tamers or the factory 3 grips. I think someone should make on that is not quite as long and isn't quite as thick over the backstrap. But I haven't seen anything like that. It's either nothing covering the backstrap, or something pretty thick and longer than needed for some of us.