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 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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Open Water - Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - 4

Open Water - Spring on the Churchill River

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - 4

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Graphite on rice paper, 7" x 9"

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This is HB pencil on the shinier side of the rice paper. The dark tones laid down fairly easily, but the paper was very unforgiving when I attempted to create a very light shade.

Spring is here, the ice is breaking up and there are ducks in the open water. The reflection of the sun on the snow gives a brilliant overall light to the landscape that you don't see any other time of the year.

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Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - 3

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - Version 3 - A Different Pencil

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Graphite on rice paper, 7" x 9"

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Today I experimented with using a different pencil - it's listed as HB and a lot softer than the #2 pencil I used before. I drew on the fuzzy side of the rice paper, and I found the paper accepted the HB graphite much better - with less working to lay down layers of tone. Even though the paper surface did fill in with the particles of graphite, I was able to build up darker tones than before, and I was able to create a greater range of tonal variations.

Y'know, we assume that just because it's an ordinary pencil, it will do just an ordinary job, but I can say from these results that you'll only know if you try, and experiment to see what even the most common tools will do.

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Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - 2

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper - Version 2 - The Other Side

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Graphite on rice paper, 7" x 9" .

In yesterday's experiment with graphite drawing on rice paper, I determined that the soft and velvety surface of the rice paper didn't allow the graphite to create a full range of tones. The opposite side of the paper has a smoother surface, still soft but a little shinier, too.

So, with the same yellow #2 pencil, I made another drawing using the same method, starting with a loose scribble drawing, and filling in the shapes with curlicue lines, going over and over on the same spot to make denser layers of graphite and create darker tones.

Once again, the fragile rice paper didn't hold the graphite as well as a more robust paper might have done, but I find that the delicacy of tonal variations is very pleasant to look at.

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Tonal Variations on Rice Paper

Tonal Variations on Rice Paper
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Graphite on rice paper, 7" x 9"
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One of the pleasures of drawing is trying out different materials. Different pencils, different inks and brushes, different markers, and today, a different paper. From a roll of rice paper, I cut several pieces of the tissue-thin stuff to experiment with drawing on it. I chose a regular yellow #2 pencil, because I wanted to see how this soft and slightly fuzzy rice paper works with ordinary graphite. I found that I had to use a surprising amount of pressure to achieve tonal gradations. I found that I could leave an initial mark on the paper by just touching the surface with the pencil lead, but to get a full range of tones, I had to draw over and over on a spot to darken it. And I found that the fibers on the surface of the paper have a tendency to clog with graphite and not allow more to be deposited. As for erasing... I didn't even go there! Overall, I found the rice paper to have a nice tooth and a velvety touch, but it is so soft and so feather-light that the action of making marks on it with graphite feels awkward to me. If I am going to use it again for graphite drawing, I am going to have to develop a "rice paper technique" to use.
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Art Every Day Month - November 19

16 M's







My initial, and also the initial of Maya Angelou, who says:
"Not everything you create will be a masterpiece, but you get out there and you try, and sometimes it really happens. The other times you're just stretching your soul."
Thanks to Leah at the home site of Art Every Day Month for this quote.

So, this Maya Angelou quote was running through my mind as I started with today's challenge.
I wanted some imagery that would develop briskly on the paper but still be a challenge in technique and rendering.
Some icon or logo, I thought... maybe some oriental character? ... What about using capital letters?

I thought, well, where's the challenge in just painting letters?
And then I thought there's that quote, it's telling me that if nothing else, my challenge will be staying with the project and making it happen.
And if it doesn't work this time, according to Maya Angelou, at least I'm stretching my soul.

As it turned out, today's painting was a bit of a challenge technically.
I haven't created letters with a brush since I was in my teens, and I became fascinated with how the shape of the letter showed up against its background.
I attempted shading the letter with lighter and darker strokes, and I was just as intrigued with the failures in rendering as with the successes.

In the end, this sheet of 16 M's reminds me of rough hand-lettered signs, carnival sideshow banners, and for some reason, a children's book that I may have owned when I was little.

And I'm thinking that my soul is being stretched every time I glance over and take another look at one of those 16 M's.