"A Dove's Plea for Peace"

I have been procrastinating a lot on commenting on this piece of art here on my channel for a few weeks now but I decided to go for it today.

First things first... This drawing was created for an art competition for peace organized by an organization called 4-H Zimbabwe Foundation ( big shout-out to the organization for organizing such as amazing competition). You're probably wondering if I won the competition or not, slow down, will you? I wasn't in the top 3 but I'm still grateful for being in the top 8 out of the hundred or more submissions that were made by various artists. Let me not waste time and get straight to what you want to read. I bet you all love hearing an artist talking more about his or her own artwork.

I'll briefly start by generally telling you about the handshake and the dove.

The handshake

The meanings of handshakes vary where I'm from in Zimbabwe. They stand for a salutation (greeting), an understanding, or a demonstration of good faith. It can also stand for a friendship or a trusting relationship.

The dove

Over the centuries the dove has been identified (by different groups such as Christianity, Judaism and Islams) as a symbol of peace for centuries, with roots in many different cultures. In Christianity, the dove often represents peace, freedom, love and hope.

Because of its delicate character, the dove is seen as a symbol of peace in numerous civilizations.  The dove is a symbol of peace in many contexts, even under the most trying circumstances.



The artwork as a whole

Zimbabwe (my country) is heading for general elections on the 23rd of August 2023 so for a moment during the drawing stages I almost added the ballot box so everyone would understand the artwork at first glance but I then thought of creating a timeless piece, an artwork that will still be relevant even after elections or 50 years from now so I decided not to add. I wanted (I still want) this drawing to be relevant in different aspects of life rather than the 2023 elections only.

The handshake represents the coming together of two or more people or groups.
Unity and cooperation are a path to peace. In the artwork, the handshake is the central focus, which could be seen as a physical representation of two people coming together. This is a powerful symbol, as it shows that even when there are differences, there is the potential for understanding and agreement.

The dove adds an extra layer of meaning because it is a universal symbol of peace. and it represents the purity and innocence that is needed to achieve true peace.

The combination of the two symbolizes the power of unity and cooperation in achieving peace.

A look into the drawing process

I have been focusing a lot on wildlife drawing so when I had to do this particular drawing I felt like I was being disloyal (cheating) on my beloved animals but I had to do it regardless.

At first I didn't know what to draw, as I just stated that I'm a wildlife artist so when it came to this piece I was really clueless but ideas just started flowing into my head as I sat down to sketch. I went on to the internet and got a lot of different images of the Zimbabwean map, handshakes and the doves. I then started eliminating some photos until I was left with the last 3 then I had to figure out a way of combining them to create the final piece.

Once I had gathered the reference photos the drawing process was relatively smooth process. The most difficult thing for an artist is what to draw as compared to how to draw it.

For this drawing I used;
• Graphite pencils
• 3 sheet board paper
• Charcoal pencils


Peace during and after elections- That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

Thank you for taking your time and going through this article. Remember to leave your comments and questions in the comments section.

Cheers!!!