4/10/15 Basic Drawing

Today's Class-  Today we concluded our time working with ink wash, with an individually graded drawing.  The subject was a large leafy plant hanging within my wooden tripod easel (also used in last week's class), the focus on matching local values of the leaves, vines, pot, wood, etc.  The drawings were collected and will be returned graded next week.

How to make this up- You will need a large leafy potted plant, either real or artificial.  Place the pot on a wooden chair in a well lit room.  Sketch the set up on a sheet of your 18" x 24" paper at 100% scale (if a leaf on the plant is 2 inches long, it should also be 2 inches long in your drawing) in pencil, then use ink wash to draw the values of the set up.  Include the plant, the pot, and whatever parts of the chair are in your view.  Treat background however you want.  Spend up to 3 hours on it.  Above and below are examples of this project (with the easel) from previous semesters.  Additional examples and the specifics of the assignment can be seen here.

Homework- Find three different kinds of leaves, and place on a table.  Draw the leaves on a page in your sketchbook, first with pencil and then using ink wash to match the values.  Reflect any variation in the colors of the leaves, and any shadows that may be cast on the table.  Then rearrange the leaves and draw it a second time, for a total of two pages.

For next class 4/17/15- We will be starting our last new medium of the semester, conte crayons.  These are not simple wax crayons, but a mix that includes clay and pigment, developed in the 19th century.  Harder than charcoal, and less messy.  The material stays where you draw it, allowing for clean edges. It can be blended and erased, but with some effort.  Most common colors are black and earth tones.  I had your buy black and sanguine, a reddish color.  It's a medium that most art supply stores should carry, but some stock it less often, so don't wait until next Friday to start looking for it.  Bring your 18" x 24" pad, black and red crayons.  and erasers.