Shading: Final(s)

Graphite detail

Charcoal Full 

1.  I'm pretty sure that I used all nine values. I mean, it looks that way to me, and I certainly made an attempt to distinguish between values while I was drawing.  I believe that this is evident in the both drawings because of the details in the creases. 

2.  My knowledge of values really helped in these pieces, because without it, I wouldn't have been able to draw them.  And the studies also helped, as well.  I almost think that the studies look better than the finished pieces, but creating the studies helped me recognize how the fabric was going to fall, and what I could do to mimic that. 

3.  For the charcoal, it was really difficult to achieve all of the values.  I was using vine charcoal, and then it was suggested I switch to pencil, which was insanely easier, but I didn't like how it looked.  It looked pretty much like a rougher 6B, and I'd just done that. But, I had to be really careful with the vine charcoal because if I felt like I only had control over 2 of the nine values, and I would up touching it a bunch and smudging it anyways.  With pencil, it was a lot easier.  Looking at the photo now, I probably didn't go as dark as I should have with the pencil, but varying the pressure was a lot easier and had more noticeable results.  

    I think that the transitions all went pretty well for both pieces, except for maybe a couple times on the graphite when it was a little abrupt. 

4.  I think that I managed to make the fabric look really drape-y in both pictures, so I'm really proud of that. I also think that the creases on both pieces are well-developed, as are the highlights.  Those are really the things that are essential to capturing the texture of cloth, because of it's free-flowing nature. 

5.  If I could recreate my piece, I would probably put a lot more time onto both.  Maybe I would have chosen a more interesting portion of the curtain to draw for the graphite picture, and I definitely would have done the charcoal on a larger scale (I'd forgotten that we were supposed to do that).  I also would have touched the charcoal one less, so there wouldn't be any fingerprints on it. 

Shading: White Charcoal and Prismacolored Ribbons

These were ribbons of paper that we drew.  The top curl is drawn with prismacolors, the bottom with white charcoal, and the shadow for both is done with dray prismacolor pencil.  Instead of emphasizing the dark shadows with a dark color against a light paper, we were emphasizing the lights by drawing with a light against colored paper.  This was really frustrating for me, and also my ribbon ripped in half, so it's a bit short. Also,  I couldn't get all nine values into the ribbon, and I couldn't accurately draw the reflection of the light from the table on the bottom spirals of the ribbons.

Shading: Fabric in Charcoal

We did this project to get acquainted with the shading of the folds of fabric.  I think it's called vine charcoal?  Anyways, that is what I used for the majority of the chasing, and then I used compressed charcoal for the darker lines that you see.  I wasn't too happy with how this turned out, though maybe it was better before I closed the sketchbook and smudged it a little bit.

Shading: Highlighting Shapes with Erasing

We used charcoal to make mid-gradient backgrounds, and then we erased highlights from these backgrounds. We also darkened where we wanted a shadow to be, so that a shape was created with the mid-values already in place, and every other element of the shape was built around it.
   I don't have just shapes on paper, if that was an exercise we did, because I was at the English presentation that day.

Contour Line Drawings: Final

1. I don't think I did very well doing fluid line.  I did pretty well the bottom right corner, and continuing along the right side, I think, but after that the room overwhelmed me, and I started drawing faster to get people before they moved.  I think the fluidity of my lines, in the sections that they are fluid, are evident by their lack of sketchiness and how each of them are carefully planned and followed through.

2.  My knowledge and my prior practice studies with contour lines helped me be more confident in the proportions of the room. Though some of the people do still have terrible proportions, I believe that they would have been worse if I didn't do prior studies.  The prior studies also gave me a greater knowledge of the room, so I knew where things would be already, so though I was observing while drawing, I was simultaneously remember how and where I'd drawn thing previously.

3.  An outline drawing wouldn't have the detail of fabrics, or of the details on the objects around the room.  It would have been more static, and the individual details of the room would have been lost.  An observer might not have been able to tell what I had been trying to draw, just looking at the outline drawing, but a contour drawing gives the viewer enough context and detail to understand the drawing.

4. I feel that the art room is a bit messy and chaotic in a good way, so I tried to draw it in a way that represented the spontaneity I see when looking around.  I feel that maybe absolute lines aren't the best in capturing that feel, and that lighter, looser lines help greater to capture the spirit of the room than denser, darker lines.  Though I do wish I had used more orderly lines in some places, and more lines in other, to represent depth and texture.

5. I learned from this drawing that I need to be more careful in my drawings, and look simultaneously at the greater part of what I need to draw, but also in the details.  I also learned that I should focus on a smaller space, maybe the corner of the room instead of everything I could see at the moment.  If I could recreate this piece, though, I would go slower and make sure everyone sat still so that when I was finishing up the drawing everything was in the same place as it was when I started!