Preliminary Drawing: The Battery 1

Preliminary Drawing for Bones of the Earth series
"The Battery" - Capstan Island, Labrador
Graphite on paper, 7" x 14"

The weathered cliff face of "The Battery" rises to a height of over 900 feet above sea level on the Labrador side of the Strait of Belle Isle in eastern Canada, between the communities of L'Anse au Loup and Capstan Island.

This astonishing formation is made of layers of different types of rock which settled at the bottom of a primordial ocean thousands and thousands of years ago. Nowadays in the summertime on this headland, we can see green and brown stripes of vegetation clinging to the hills, and in the winter, we can see blue and white stripes of ice and snow blown into crevices.

That we get to see anything at all is because of geological forces which pushed this mass of rock well above sea level as part of the Appalachian mountain chain, and because of weathering forces which have eroded this ancient peak into its present rugged form.
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Preliminary Drawing: Littoral 1

Preliminary Drawing for "Bones of the Earth" series
"Littoral" - The Strand, Red Bay, Labrador.
Graphite on paper, 9" x 11"


At the same time as I am having fun observing the erosion effects of the rocks in this area, I am also having fun with the technical names of the features I am portraying.

The word "Littoral" relates to a shore, especially the sea-shore, and most particularly in a coastal region, the shore zone between high and low water marks.

I suppose I could have said, "Rocks at Low Tide" but that other word is a lot more interesting!

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Color Variations 1

Color Variations 1

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Colored pencil on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Color! A lot of artists base the use of color in their artworks on trial and error, or on suggestions from teachers or from other artists, or even on lucky guesses.
Although there are many scientific methods for studying color, most artists work in an intuitive way with color, using their instincts to make adjustments to color in their artworks.

Despite a Western art tradition of color being used in an emotional way, we still need an objective method of referring to the characteristics of color, we need to have a common and shared terminology.
So, we can talk about the hue of a color, or its saturation, or its value. We can discuss complementary colors, analogous colors, primary and secondary colors, tones and tints and shades.

For the next month on this blog, my focus is color, and my materials are colored pencils and paper. Check back and explore color from a different viewpoint, every day!
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Apples 7

Apples 7

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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

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Apples sliced horizontally, across their equators, show the core of the apple as a star. The star is a group of pods gripping the apple seeds in place with just a tiny bit of room for expansion when they sprout.

With daylight from the window raking across the flat cut surface, you can see the structural details of the apple, too, reinforcing the pentagon geometry of this fruit, and you can also see the lights and darks of the paper underneath the apple.

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Apples 6

Apples 6

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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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The surface of the apple has dappled color markings, as well as tonal gradations from the apple's spherical shape. It also has highlights and shadows from lighting, and more lights and darks from reflections.

Graphite leaves a grey mark on paper, and the softer the grade of graphite, the darker grey the mark is. The trick to drawing with graphite is to use different grades of graphite in order to achieve a complete tonal range that can represent all the lights and darks needed in the drawing.
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Apples 4

Apples 4

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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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This somewhat lopsided apple shows highlights from two windows and reflections from around the room and also reflections from the shiny plate it is sitting on. The shiny plate acts as a mirror, too, reflecting the apple back to itself. The only true shadow areas are underneath the apple where it touches the plate, and at the boundaries of the spherical form.
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Apples 3

Apples 3

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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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An apple cut in half yields two hemisperical forms each with a flat plane revealing the inside of the fruit. Cut from top to bottom, the apple's core shows a seed pod, with its distinctive oval shape, and tiny protective capsules holding the tear-drop shaped seeds.

Drawing the seed pod is a challenge because it is so small and so intricate, and while its lights and shadows can be suggested with graphite, the marks must be accurate to make the flat plane surface look like something is resting underneath.
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Apples 2

Apples 2
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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

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The spherical form of an apple displays beautiful gradations of highlights and shadows. The apple's peel is shiny and reflects its surroundings, so the highlights and shadows are changed.

Drawing a spherical form in graphite could become a mechanical job, but with the irregular form of the fruit and the reflections from the surroundings, observing and recording the apple becomes a lot more interesting.

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Apples 1

Apples 1

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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

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Apples are great to draw.

Apples are generally round, which gives the artist the challenge of rendering lights and darks on a spherical surface, except when they are cut open, which provides another challenge of rendering planes in perspective.

Apples seen in bright light catch highlights and produce cast shadows of interesting shapes and tonal ranges, and apples placed on a shiny surface give the artist an additional set of reflections to puzzle over.

But when the drawing is done, the benefit of drawing apples is that you get to eat them!

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Rocks 6

Rocks 6
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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

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Shape. Well, form, really. Shape is the two dimensional aspect of what we see and Form is the three dimensional aspect. Cezanne said there are four basic forms: the cone, the cube, the cylinder, and the sphere.

Rocks are "formed" chunks of solidified magma that have been chipped apart and worn away to varying degrees. The more the rocks are weathered and tumbled by wind and wave motion - and depending on the softness of the materials they are made of - the smoother the surface and the more rounded the form they have.

To draw realistic looking rocks requires paying attention to how the 3D form of the rock produces highlights and shadows, and then to rendering them as lighter and darker 2D areas flat on the paper.

Rocks 5

Rocks 5
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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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Lines don't exist in nature. So why is it that we see lines everywhere we look? Well, lines are a shortcut that our minds use so we don't have to process all that other information.

In these three rocks we can see lines, or bands of contrasting material in the rock. These stripes of white running all the way around the outside of each rock are actually narrow layers of quartz sandwiched inside the rock mass. The wider the line, the thicker the layer of quartz. The banding looks different on each rock because the part we see follows the outside contours of that rock. We don't see the rest of the quartz layer that's on the inside of the rock.
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Rocks 4

Rocks 4
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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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There is a logic to the arrangement of lights and shadows in a drawing. Some of the light and dark tones come from the color of the object being drawn, and some more come from the highlights and cast shadows that are created by illumination on the object. As well, some light tones and dark tones are placed by the artist to make the drawing look better or work better as a composition.


In this drawing there is a single light source, the sun, which is coming from the upper right, and casting shadows under the left sides of the rocks. There are surface shadows on the rocks as well, indicating texture, and there is reflected light shining into the darkest areas of the still life and revealing hidden forms. The effects may appear subtle, but light and shadow are what make a drawing.
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Rocks 3

Rocks 3
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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"
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As we generally see rocks, they are part of a larger group, a pile of boulders, a beach full of pebbles, an aggregate of gravel in cement or asphalt.
If you select one single stone, weigh it in your hand and observe its contours and colors and markings, you will start to become aware that it has a unique appearance. You could easily identify this rock from a group of others. It assumes an individual quality.

In drawing these rocks, I set them out almost like putting characters on a stage, the "star performer" in the front and the "chorus" at the rear. To separate them, I made use of design techniques such as value contrast, overlapping and variations in sizes. But what really happened is that the individual characteristics of each stone become apparent. I think that's what the drawing really communicates.
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Rocks 2

Rocks 2

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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

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In this arrangement, there are two beach rocks, which have been tumbled and rubbed by wave action for many years, and one pebble from a pile of gravel, which was crushed to a standard size and deliberately made sharp and rough for industrial purposes.

Just as there is a difference in the texture of these rocks, there is a difference in the way we react to them... the beach rocks are pleasant to hold, smooth and firm. The piece of gravel is easier to grip and the crystals of quartz exposed on its surface sparkle in the sunshine.

In the end, they are just rocks, but what a difference between them!

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Rocks 1

Rocks 1

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Graphite on paper, 6.5" x 10"

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Still life studies are great for training the eye's observation and also for developing the skills of technique.

Rocks are tricky objects to use for still life... rocks are not as attractive as flowers or fruit, and they are not regular in shape, and thus not as easy to represent as vases or books are.

And, if you still think that rocks are easy to draw, remember that our minds have learned to estimate the shape and weight of objects from the arrangements of lights and shadows that our retinas receive. And in order to look "real," a drawing of rocks must refer to the laws of physics every bit as much as a drawing of flowers or vases does.

Rocks are a challenge... and I enjoy challenges!

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Tonal Variations - Floating

Tonal Variations - Floating

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Graphite on paper, 10" x 13"

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These drawing experiments are each based on a quick scribble drawing that defines shapes and areas for me to work in. Then I imagine a light source and what kind of shadow values it would create on these shapes. I pick up which ever grade of pencil I feel appropriate and I start to fill in lights and shadows to indicate three dimensional forms on the paper.

Today I am working with a new kind of paper, made of cotton fiber, in a lighter weight sheet, with a fine textured surface. For today's drawing, I used 3B and 5B grades of graphite, which this new paper accepts well. I am pleased with the fluidity and the gentle movement of the 3-D forms I have created.

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Tonal Variations - Angles

Tonal Variations - Angles
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Graphite on paper, 7.5" x 11"
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Depending on the mood or emphasis I want for the drawing, I might start with defining the lighter tones and work toward the darker ones, or I might launch into building up the darkest areas and then work my way back into lighter and lighter shapes. In this drawing, I found that the areas I wanted as the darkest weren't as dark as the softest 6B graphite could give me, so I added extra dark shapes for greater depth and enhanced emphasis.
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Tonal Variations - Twist

Tonal Variations - Twist
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Graphite on paper, 7.5" x 11"
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By layering the various grades of graphite pencil, HB, 3B, 5B, and 6B, you can achieve a large range of tonal variations, from the darkest, most intense shades to a workable midrange gray. The lighter tones, of course, are represented by the paper showing through the places where the graphite hasn't been applied.
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Tonal Variations - Stripe

Tonal Variations - Stripe
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Graphite on paper, 5" x 7.5"
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While I have been able to achieve variations in dark and light tones using greater or lesser pressure on the pencil, another way to achieve a wide range of tones is with pencils containing different grades of graphite, from HB, a standard hardness, through 3B, 5B to 6B, the softest lead, containing the greatest proportion of graphite and the least amount of binder.
Using different grades of pencils, I was able to go from the lightest light grey to the absolute darkest shade. But watch out! That 6B graphite is so soft, it smears over everything it touches, hands, papers, fingers, clothes...
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Ice on the Churchill River

Ice on the Churchill River

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Graphite on paper, 11" x 15"
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Graphite HB pencil, on Rising Stonehenge watercolor paper. The graphite deposited well without a lot of pressure onto the soft thick paper, giving a lot of tonal variation.
From the lookout at Dome Mountain, the Churchill River is still covered with ice, and there is still snow and ice on the streams in the woods.
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