Udkast til "Vilderik Kongesøn og Miseri Mø" (f.o.) og "Den lille slange" (to forarbejder f.n.) 1917

This is a preliminary sketch by Niels Skovgaard, a peek into his process of creating illustrations for Danish folk tales. Look at the cross-hatching that gives weight to the figure of the old woman. The lines are confident, immediate, a kind of shorthand. You can sense Skovgaard thinking through the character right there on the page. It’s all about the touch of the hand. Skovgaard’s marks carry so much information with so little fuss. You can almost feel the scratch of the pen on the page, the pressure and release. The blank space around the figures becomes as important as the marks themselves. Think of the narrative work of someone like Paula Rego, who also understood the dark undertones of folk tales. The sketch is a reminder that art isn't just about the final product. It’s about the conversation, the questions, and the journey of making.