Samson Slaying the Philistine

This drawing was done at the Victoria & Albert Museum where they have a great selection of stone and marble statues.
I chose this statue because of its subject and general sense of movement and strength. It shows Samson about to strike the crouching Philistine with the jawbone of an ass (?). He holds the weapon aloft while yanking back the head of his victim by the hair. It's a pretty dramatic pose, full of tension and straining muscles.
I spent about 40 minutes on it, working with a 4B pencil, and working from a standing position (one of the museum assistants did kindly offer to bring me a stool but by this time I didn't want to change position!)
I'm not unhappy with the result but I must admit it fails to capture the sheer vigour and strength of the original. I plan to return and maybe use a combination of pencil, chalk and ink to achieve a bit more 'body' to the image. I will also need to spend more time.

I've added a photo to show how my image compares...