The web thing |
scratchboard is a medium I have never used before, and to say the least it is quite bothersome. using a scratchboard is like using a permanent marker in reverse, and creating areas of darkness is especially challenging to do without creating a blatant black spot on your piece.Learning to scratch is also a challenge because scratching is a lot different than the smooth strokes of a pencil or pen. I will say however that scratchboards are fantastic for drawing texture such as fur...that is, if you are careful. I got the technique down after a while and I'm quite pleased by my last drawing. i used the 2/3 composition thing because it is more appealing to the eye, also i didn't have that much to draw. i am pleased that i was able to illustrate the bichromacy of my dog's fur
0 Comments
An important part of why I am taking this class is to develop my art/drawing skills. With this piece, I feel that I was really able to hone in my skills with shading and adding depth with contours. When I started drawing, I was afraid I would make the shadows too big and the surrounding areas too dark. After a while I became much more comfortable with my values and adding darkness to contrast highlights.
I collaborated with my colleague, McKayla, who really encouraged me to push my line values and shading. Just as well, she encouraged me to think outside the box with the content of my drawing because all of my other ideas were "too cliche". She explained to me that every other student in the class was drawing a portrait of them ripping the skin off their faces. At the time I had thought this was a pretty creative idea. She was actually the one whose fist was used in the reference photo One obstacle I faced along the way was drawing eyes. I had always found drawing eyes to be tedious. Just as well, people have a tendency to focus too heavily on the eyes, making them seem like a drawing of their own or even being too big. I took a risk by doing a portrait where I had my eyes closed. It made the piece easier to draw without taking away from the overall content. I was really glad with how this one came out. Normally when i draw from a picture i get caught up in the details and their location and my piece doesn't end up looking very life-like. but this time it did, especially around the rim of the jar. the problem with drawing from a photo reference is that sometimes the background looses context. when the object is affected by the background, like a jar, it is important to have context to explain what is going on and why the colors are where they are. looking at it now, I could have added more hi lights to the edges of the jar, also i could have added some more detail to the background. I did get the colors right and the locations of the hi lights appear to be accurate.
This is one of a few portraits that I had attempted to draw by eyesight alone. For most drawings, I often take a picture to use as reference. I feel I have developed my ability to draw from eyesight as well as my use of colored pencils over the course of my studies.
Along with a gel pen, I had not used colored pencils very much in the past. One challenge I faced was that I encountered a point in my piece where the highlights were not bright enough, I was encouraged to use a gel pen which worked quite well. I also learned a lot about blending/shading prismacolor to achieve different levels of value. I was able to create depth in the folds using deeper shades of purple or blues, and shadows with darker greens. Since I usually prefer the simplicity of regular pencils, blending colors and creating different shades of color was a relatively new concept to me. Although I have come a long way, there is still plenty of room to grow where my skills with colored pencil are concerned. I took a risk with trying to add a shadow that was not accurate to the positioning of the object. Because the reference picture was taken horizontally rather than vertically as the picture was drawn, I had to freehand a shadow for looking slightly down on the object. This added a more realistic effect than I had anticipated. Some individuals even claimed that I had somehow "cheated" in making my drawing. I drew these eggs freehand. No pictures, no objects, just what I thought an egg should look like. That being said, I was very satisfied with the shape of the three upright eggs. The crooked egg was really just a warm-up. As I went along, my shading became progressively better, and the eggs began to look more dimensional. Although the shapes could definitely be refined, I am glad with how these came out.
I took a different route than I usually do with this bottle, and I'm happy with the results. Normally when I dare things I use a photograph, but this time I just drew what was in front of me. I actually had fun playing around with different blues and greens to match the shades in the glass. The initial shape was the trickiest part. But once I got the lines and hi lights figured out, it was a no-brainer. What really brought the piece together was the background. McKayla had set the bottle on a pink sheet of construction paper. I didn't have any pink, so I used orange. The way the background reflects off the inside of the glass really helps the observer visualize and understand the contours of the bottle, as well as adds to a more life-like quality.
I developed my art making skills with this piece because i struggled to get the correct proportions, especially because i am not accustomed to drawing on a larger scale. I began to develop my skills with creating depth and value in the shapes but i still struggled with darker shades. I collaborated with my peers because i had them try to help me push my values...although it didn't really help until my later work. I was not very fond of this drawing because it had many elements and i was just a beginner. I guess you could say i took a risk with this piece by going outside my comfort zone and drawing in just pencil on a larger canvas. normally i prefer to draw smaller things.
At first I struggled with contour drawings. But after a while, I learned to let my hand flow a bit more and just draw the shapes I saw in front of me. I will say the backpack was a bit of a struggle, but as i began with the instruments i feel like my technique really started to dial-in.
|
why?I'm learning how to draw for college. Archives
May 2015
Categories |