Hand-crafted beads, jewelry and art
How to draw or sketch - Part Two - Value Study
This is the second part of my drawing tutorial which focuses on value study.
Exercise 1- Drawing with an eraser.
For this and all these exercises I made sure to use white objects in the still life arrangement. This is to help the student focus on value and not color.
Paper “toothiness” makes a big difference here. Charcoal paper works well for practice, but watercolor or printmaking paper works well for something you might put on the 'fridge.
Make a medium dark ground with soft vine charcoal on toothy paper (press into the paper with chamois using circular rubbing motions.)
Use 6B pencil to rough in object. In other words, draw a contour.
- Use eraser to erase pigments and depict the lightest lights.
- Use black Conte or hard pastel (Prismacolor Nupastel works) to create darkest darks.
- Work on details only at the last.
- If time – repeat with more complicated still life
Exercise 2
- Draw varying values.
- First draw 10 boxes about 1” square.
- Fill each box with varying amounts of value (shading) light to dark using mechanical pencil.
Sketch 3: Pencil drawing.
- Do a rough sketch using all previously learned techniques.
- Find the darkest parts of the object and create their values first.
- Work toward midrange.
- Remember where lightest light and darkest dark meet, image will come forward.
- Look for “breaks” in light.
- Looks for thin line of reflected light. (Chiascurro.)
In Closing
- Keep a sketch book with you always and draw frequently.
- Use different medium to sketch on (wood, fabric, gourds, polymer clay, or anything with tooth.)
Exercise 1
Exercise 3
Buy the corresponding kit for this lesson and more: Drawing Kit
Buy a drawing kit and get started today.
