Shaded skulls on toned paper

There is no light, only dark and light.

In my Drawing 1 class shut down the overhead lights, to see new forms emerge in by the use of shadows. I set up some still life skulls so we could experiment with mark making to bring out the visual form.

I demoed how to see the shadows and light relationships by big form modelling the values. We worked on our paper which we toned by rubbing in powdered charcoal.

I placed the display items in front of my rich burgundy bed sheets to help establish a middle value from the get go.

Here you can see by focusing on the dark shapes and building from there the form emerges as if coming right off of the drawing paper.

Evrey drawer should practice these types of exercises and realize the importance of how we actually se and how we can translate that into drawing with out hands.

Without relying on line, simplified shapes of light and dark relate the form and its proportions convincingly and with great beauty. This is where art begins to happen.

Here the artist is not only contrasting the dark and light value she sees, but also how the material is soft or coarse on the drawing surface.

These students two drawings are tackled with their own individual touch and technique for two convincing yet individual takes not eh subject matter.

What do you see and how will you push and pull this image from the papers surface?

By the end of the class we turn don't he lights and had a look around the room at what everybody accomplished. I was very proud and very happy to see the work the entire class completed by the end of our time together.