12/9/16- Basic Drawing

Today's Class- Today I introduced the last new concept of the semester, the idea of chiaroscuro drawing.  This is a traditional process, normally done with a medium value toned paper (can be color or neutral) and drawn with both black and white media, to create a wide range of value.  I showed both slides and actual student drawings as demonstration.  Because toned paper is not available on campus and can by pricey, I have worked out an alternative that uses the materials that students already have- white paper and both red and black conte crayons.  Below are some student examples from previous semesters.

To give students a chance to make better use of this new material and to test their skills at modeling with value and tone, our usual still life object stayed home and we had a visit from more figural objects- items from our collection of mannequins, body part casts, animals, and good old Headless Baby.

We also took a brief field trip to the 2nd floor, both to see a current art show and to learn about the history of the drawing class, including seeing the location of the previous drawing classroom.

How to make this up- The class did two drawings combining the red and black crayons into a single drawing, as in the above examples.  For detailed instructions and to see further student examples, click here.

Homework- We will stick with today's medium but go back to an old subject.  Find a shoe of your choice and set on a table in front of you.  Draw it on a page of your sketchbook using both the red and black crayons, trying to capture the volume and shapes of an object designed to fit on the human body.  Then either switch to another shoe, or change its position, and do a second red/black conte drawing.  Total of 2 drawings.

For next class 12/16/16- You will be doing the final still life drawing of the semester, a mix of typical objects- some you've seen before and some new, but nothing too unusual.  For the medium select whatever you feel most comfortable with from among these value options- charcoal (vine or compressed), ink wash (can be combined with traditional pen using the same ink) or conte crayon (red, black, or combining both crayons).  I plan to have it set up for 2:00pm and you can have the whole class period if you need it.  Spend the time you need to do the drawing, as this counts for a lot of points.  Bring your 18" x 24" pad, your chosen medium, and any needed related materials (such as erasers, blending sticks, fixative, brushes, etc)