Today's Class- Today we continued our study of value drawing, but with a new medium. I introduced the idea of ink wash, using black drawing ink diluted with water to create a variety of value tones. I showed a few slides- examples from history, some student drawings from previous semesters, and even a demonstration piece I made a few years ago. After that I set up some simple exercises involving white drapery and objects, just dealing with value as a function of light and shadow. I reserved time at the end of class to critique the charcoal drawings done last week, returned graded today.
How to make this up- Set up the still life. Hang a piece of white or very light cloth so that it forms a loose and flowing backdrop, while the lower end covers a table or some other level surface. Place a simple white or very light colored object on the lower end, and shine a direct light source on it so that a variety of light and shadow is created. Draw the set up on a piece of your 18" x 24" paper, making the object life size. You may sketch the contours with light pencil first, then use your ink. Put water in a cup or can and add a few drops of ink at a time. Test the resulting mix with a brush on some scrap paper or a corner of your page to see the resulting value. Value can be lightened by adding more water to the cup, or darkened by adding more ink. Use the ink wash everywhere in the composition that is not meant to be white. Use the whole page. Build the values in layers. gradually adding more ink to your wash so that subsequent applications of the wash make those areas darker. The example piece that I made to demonstrate this can be found here on this site. Then make a change to your set up (different object, different view point, changing the light source, etc) and do a second drawing. Additional student ink wash drawings and some descriptions of the process can be found here.
These are portfolio exercises that must be made up by the last day of the semester to receive full credit, but if you weren't there today I strongly recommend doing them before next week for the practice and experience. Next week in class you'll be doing a graded ink wash drawing.
Homework- Set up a still life as in the above description (see the top photo in this post as well) and draw it on a page in your sketchbook, using pencil to draw the contours and the ink wash to draw the values. Change the object or your viewing angle and draw it again. Do a total of two sketchbook drawings.
Anyone who still hasn't turned in their final charcoal drawing or had the first half portfolio graded should bring these in as soon as possible. The longer the delay, the less these items will be worth.
For next class 11/7/14- We will continue working with ink wash, doing the next graded drawing. Bring your 18" x 24" pad (or equivalent piece of watercolor paper if you prefer), drawing ink, watercolor brushes, pencil and eraser, and two water containers.
Today's Class- Today we concluded our study of value drawing using charcoal. I set up a still life with objects of mixed values and the class had the entire period to draw it using the charcoal of their choice. While that was going on I graded the first half of the semester portfolios. Today's drawings were collected and will be returned graded next week.
How to make this up- Today's assignment is a graded project. Set up a still life on a tabletop- drape a box with a white cloth and a darkly colored cloth, and then gather a mixture of light and dark colored objects to place on and around it. Specific instructions as to what you'll need, as well as additional student examples, can be found here.
This is a graded assignment, and the value of it decreases the longer it takes you to turn it in, so complete it as soon as you can. If you have any medical notes to cover why you weren't there today, bring them to class. The portfolio grading is also time sensitive, so if you weren't there today or are one of those who needed to make up something, try to get it for next week.
Homework- Find yourself a pumpkin. Can be whole, or one carved into a jack o'lantern. Shine a light on it so that shadows are created by the texture and cast onto whatever it is sitting on. Draw the pumpkin using your softest pencil, matching the values of the pumpkin surface, stem, and shadows as closely as possible. Then rotate the pumpkin and do a second drawing, for a total of two drawings.
For next class 10/31/14- We will continue with value, but now with ink wash. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencil and eraser, a small bottle of black waterproof ink (india ink), two brushes (small and medium sizes) designed for watercolors, and a container or two for holding water. Watercolor paper works better than the paper in your pad, but you may use the standard drawing paper if you prefer.
Today's Class- Today we continued our study of value using charcoal. Last week the still life set ups just included white objects and drapery, but today I introduced other local color values. I also talked about next week's midterm portfolio collection.
How to make this up- Set up a still life. Put a box on a table, drape with both a white (or light colored) cloth and one darker, and arrange two white or light colored objects, and two darker colored objects on and around the box. Light in such a way to create patterns of light and shadow. You will do two full page value drawings of this set up, one using vine charcoal, one using compressed. Specific requirements and additional student examples can be found here.
There are portfolio exercises that must be made up by next week's midterm portfolio grading to receive full credit, plus next week is the graded charcoal drawing and I would guess anyone who missed today could use the extra practice.
Homework- Set up a still life with a box, and drape with a colored or patterned cloth. Include 4 objects of similar size- two white/light colored, two dark colors, and arrange on and around the box. draw the still life using your softest pencil, matching values and dealing with the usual issues of shape, proportion, perspective, etc. Then rearrange the objects and draw the set up a second time in your sketchbook. Total of two sketches.
Midterm Portfolio Grading-
Next week we pass the halfway point of the semester and I'll be grading all the work done so far that hasn't been graded individually. If you haven't missed any classes then you probably already have everything done. If you have missed some time, or have work scattered in different places, here is a list of what I expect to see and where on this blog you'll find he assignments:
9/12/14- Contour Lines (shoes)
9/19/14- Reductive Lines (bamboo)
Negative Space (chair)
Negative/Positive (bottles)
9/26/14- Perspective (boxes, boxes and cans)
10/10/14- Value (white objects- vine charcoal)
(white objects- compressed charcoal)
10/17/14- Value (mixed value objects-vine charcoal)
(mixed value objects- compressed charcoal)
For next class 10/24/14- We will be doing the final charcoal drawing of the semester, a graded project. While you are working on that, I'll graded the 1st half portfolios. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, charcoal of your choice, eraser, spray fixative, and any blending tools you might have. Also bring all your work from the first half of the semester.
Today's Class- Today we began our study of value, which will be a part of everything we do for the rest of the semester. In this case value refers to the use of light and dark in two dimensional art to imply or suggest volume, form, distance, weight and space, as well as to focus attention and provide other information. I showed a few dozen slides of historical art, explaining the evolution of using value in 2D art, and showing the effect it had in each case. Then I set up some still lifes in the center of the room and the class did two drawings using a different type of charcoal for each.
How to make this up- Put a medium-small box on a table and drape it with a white or light colored cloth (towel or sheet) . Gather three white or light colored objects of similar size to be used as subjects. Place one on top of the draped box, and the others on the table around it. The still life should be lit with a single light source in order to create patterns of light and shadow. The first drawing will be done as a reductive vine charcoal drawing (drawing the light) and the second will be a more traditional value drawing using compressed charcoal on white paper. Example student drawings and the full instructions can be found here.
These are portfolio drawings, which must be completed before the first half grading day (October 24, 2014) in order to receive full credit, but if you've never done any charcoal before, I suggest doing them before next week to make sure you are caught up.
Homework- Set up a still life as in the one mentioned in "how to make this up" above. Draw the still life on a page in your sketchbook using a soft pencil (such as a 4B or 6B) paying attention to shape, size, negative space, and trying to match values as closely as possible, filling the whole page. As in class today, try to eliminate contour lines in favor of edges of value shapes. Then rearrange the three objects and draw it again, for a total of two pages.
**mid-semester portfolio grading will be done in class in two weeks. details will be announced in class and on this blog next week.**
For next class 10/17/14- We will continue with value, this time adding in objects with a variety of local color, not just white. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, both vine and compressed charcoal, your kneaded eraser, and spray fixative. Any blending tools you might have are optional.
Today's Class- Today we concluded our study of line with a graded line drawing of a complex still life. I set up a collection of objects, some we've seen before and some we hadn't, and asked the class to select a view and draw it. Below is an example from a previous semester.
How to make this up- The whole class was present today and so everyone completed the project. They will be returned graded next week.
Homework- Set up another still life. Place a box on a table and drape with some kind of cloth. Select four dissimilar objects of about the same size and place in the still life- one on top of the draped box and three around it. Draw the still life on a full page in your small sketchbook using pencil line only. Then, leaving the set up in place, move to a new position where you can still see all four objects and draw it again. Total of two pages of drawings.
For next class 10/10/14- We will start our study of value, the use of light and dark to imply form and space in two dimensional art. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, compressed and vine charcoal, kneaded eraser, and spray fixative. Something to aid in blending the charcoal is optional.
