11/6/15 Basic Drawing

Today's Class- The class is done with charcoal now, be we continued with exploring value with a new medium- ink wash.  This is a process where we use liquid drawing ink, which is diluted with water to achieve various levels of value and is applied with a brush.  I showed a few slides, a mix of historical and student work from earlier semesters.  I also showed a demonstration piece from several years ago, simulating the progress as the ink gets darker.  After that the class did a couple of portfolio exercises, working with white objects and drapery, so students could gain some familiarity with the medium.  The last part of class we had critique of last week's charcoal drawings, which were returned graded.

How to make this up- You will need to set up a still life involving some white drapery, a few white or very light colored objects, all with direct lighting to create patterns of light and shadow.  Sketch the set up lightly with pencil on a page of your 18" x 24" paper.  Fill a small container (cup, can, etc) with water and add a few drops of your black drawing ink.  Test the wash on some scrap paper or a corner of your drawing.  If the value matches what you want to work with, go ahead and start applying it to the page wherever you don't want white.  If the wash isn't dark enough, add a few more drops; if it's too dark, add some more water.  Once you have applied the tone everywhere it needs to be and the paper is more or less dry, add a few more drops of ink, and add this darker tone where appropriate.  Continue the process until the darkest areas of the drawing match the darkest parts of your set up.  Above and below are student examples of this exercise.  More student examples and specifics on how to make up the assignment can be seen here.

Ink wash drawing has some similarities to watercolor, so if you have some experience with that it should come naturally.  The big difference is that once the ink is in the paper it is permanent and can't be lifted out as watercolors can.  When the ink is very wet, you may be able to blot it up with a paper towel, so keep one handy.

Homework- Attach a white cloth to a wall or something tall, and let the end gather on a table or other horizontal surface.  Place a white or light colored object on the horizontal part (like the images above) and light to create strong light and shadow patterns.  Sketch on a page in your sketchbook using pencil, then ink wash to match the values.  Replace the white object with a different one and do a second drawing.  Total of two drawings.

For next class 11/13/15- We will do a graded drawing using the ink wash.  Bring your 18" x 24" pad, bottle of ink, brushes, and two water containers. You have the option of bringing an equivalent sized piece of watercolor paper instead, hot press is recommended.  Such paper absorbs water better and allows the artist more control, but your grade won't be affected if you just go with the paper in your pad.