This is a pencil study by William Lionel Wyllie. It is a study of two octopuses, an octopus’ eye and a suckered tentacle. The octopus has been drawn in detail. Its head is tilted back and its eyes are at the top of its body. The octopus sits on its tentacles which are curled beneath its revealing suckers, one tentacle is outstretched. Pencil marks have been used to indicate the mottled texture of its skin. There are areas of dark shading beneath the octopus indicative of shadow. Another octopus is depicted at the bottom of the page. Here the head is less visible but the eyes can still be seen. The tentacles are depicted closer to the body and appeared more tangled, suckers are visible. Areas of blank space indicate the shape of the tentacles. Dark marks indicate the mottled skin of the octopus. A study for the eye of the octopus takes up the bottom right of the page. The eye is rendered in detail and the shape of the top of the head has been outlined. The suckers of an octopuses tentacle have been drawn in the top right of the page. The suckers have been left white and shading used to define their shape.
Study for Wyllie's oil painting 'Davy Jones's Locker', completed in 1890 (Museum no. ZBA5055).