11/25/15 Basic Drawing

Today's Class- Today we began our last new medium of the semester, the conte crayon.  These were developed about 200 years ago when a war had created a shortage of other art supplies.  Unlike the wax crayons familiar from childhood, these are made from pigments mixed with a clay base.  They are smooth and make precise marks with clean edges.  They don't smear easily, so spray fixative isn't needed immediately.  This means that they don't blend as easily, but blending stumps (tortillons), erasers, or bits of paper towel will do the job.  They can come in any color, but most common are black and the sanguine colors- earth tones ranging from red to brown.  I had students buy black and a sanguine as part of their kit this semester.

How to make this up-  Today I had students do two still life drawings, with a collection of familiar objects.  We did one using the black crayon first, since the effect is similar to the charcoal that you are all familiar with.  In the second half of class I had students do a drawing with just their red crayon.  With the latter one the overall value range will be less, but a range of relative lights and darks can be achieved.  Above and below are student examples from previous semesters.  An additional example and the specifics of how to make up the assignment can be found here.

These are portfolio exercises that must be made up by the last day of class to receive full credit.

Homework- Assemble a set of dining utensils- fork, knife, and spoon.  Lay them on a table in front of you, all different directions.  Draw the whole set on a page in your sketchbook using the black crayon, including any cast shadows and reflections in the metal.  Then draw the same set up with your red crayon on a new page.  Rearrange the three utensils and then draw again with the black and then the red.  Total of four drawings.

For next class 12/4/15- We will continue with conte crayons, this time combining the red and black in the same drawing to simulate the effect of a traditional chiaroscuro drawing. 

Bring your 18" x 24" pad, both red and black conte crayons, pencil eraser, and anything you wish to use to aid in blending.