At this point you can also start adding medium forms within the larger forms you have already established. Once the outside contour is complete, you can start adding detail to the shapes inside the subject. Make sure to leave a lot of white paper in the lighter sections, otherwise your drawing will start to look too grey. In nature, these rhythms are typically complex, which is what makes them so beautiful.Īs you work on the lines, you can also begin adding larger forms to the drawing by shading in the shadows and the portions of the subject which are generally darker. Preferably lit by a single dominant light source.īegin by adding more detail to the outside contour of your drawing, looking for the particular rhythms that break up the longer lines from part 1.ĭon’t make your lines too regular, always observe the specific difference in the length of the lines that make up the shapes in the subject. A simple still life subject (fruit with leaves, teapot, small curiosities etc.Pencil sharpener or a knife and sandpaper block.
In part 2, you will learn how to use break down the longer flowing lines from part 1 into more complex rhythms and find large and medium forms within the subject. You will learn to produce an artistic interpretation of a simple subject, making use of flowing, expressive lines. This project will help you to approach your work in a more expressive manner. Think about where you'd like to keep your drawing loose and gestural, and where you want it more "finished.Drawing Project #2 Rhythmic Drawing from Life Part 2 Breaking Down Longer Lines and Finding Forms One of the best qualities of charcoal is that it allows you to leave some parts of a drawing unrefined while developing other areas more fully. Make Your Final Touchesĭon't overwork! Use your best judgment to determine when your drawing is finished. Be careful not to keep working over the area or it could smudge! 8. To create crisp, hard-lined highlights and value shapes, use quick, assertive strokes with your eraser. Pull back any areas that have gotten too dark with the chamois, or use it to blend and smooth the background values. (Consider adding color to the negative space around the figure to help with definition.) 6. Keep Blending!Ĭontinue applying charcoal and blending/smoothing with the paper stump as you go. With your paper stump, you can start smoothing and blending some of your values to get more even tones, as well as extend your marks a bit further without directly applying charcoal. Sometimes you want the strokes and marks of compressed charcoal, and sometimes you don't. Pay attention to where the light source is on your source image or subject. With the edge of your compressed charcoal, start laying in values. Because it can be erased easily, it's great for rough sketching. Lay out the basic shapes with a stick of vine charcoal. Make sure to secure your paper or sketchpad with clips before you begin! This allows the charcoal dust to fall away, and lets you see the whole drawing without any of the distortion or foreshortening that a flat surface can cause. When you start a charcoal drawing, it's best to work vertically on an easel or drawing horse. Chamois: This soft leather square can also soften value fields, and is good for lightening areas of charcoal that have become too dark.Paper stumps: These are great for softening and blending charcoal, and for evening out your values.Pencils sharpener: A lot of charcoal pencils are wider than typical drawing pencils, so make sure you have a sharpener that fits your pencils!.Erasers: While I prefer white vinyl erasers, others often chooseīecause they don't leave behind "crumbs." I also like pen-shaped erasers for finer control.It's a little less messy, but it can be sharpened to a useful fine point. Charcoal pencils: This is compressed charcoal in pencil form.Compressed charcoal: This usually comes in bar form and is generally much darker than vine charcoal, though it also comes in several varieties of softness/darkness.Vine charcoal: This is an actual piece of charred willow, and it comes in several softness/darkness varieties.This step-by-step tutorial will have you falling in love, too. We're crazy about the dark, velvety colors and loose, gestural marks.
When it comes to black-and-white drawing, no other medium is as rich and satisfying.
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