Week 7: Still Life - Light and Shadow

Here are two charcoal drawings of certain objects, placed in a position where we can see some shadows caused by the placement of lighting. It took approximately 15 - 20 minutes to complete each. The darker areas in between the objects are created because the source of light has been intercepted by other objects. The reason for the darkness of the background in the second study is so that the picture doesn't look as if it is floating around in thin air also to intensify the image as a whole.

We can see that in both studies there are some dark and dense tonal values which create form shadows on the drapery and the objects placed on the table. This gives the picture a 3-D effect of volume, mass and depth.

The first study shows a subtle difference between light and shadow. You can see where the form shadow is as the source of light is coming in from the right. This creates a more dark tonal value to the objects on the left especially on the arc of the cone as well as the sphere. You can see a slightly dark reflection on the center of the sphere and cone as the dark drapery gives off the reflected light. Also, the sphere has cast a shadow on the top part of the cone as you can see it has a much more darker tonal value compared to the lower part of the cone where the point is.

Week 6: Still Life - Arrangements and Composition (Directed Study)

This is a still life drawing showing the composition and arrangement using a graphite stick. The arrangement is good as the objects are positioned in the center of the drawer, although they are secluded in one area. Whats good about the arrangement is that the top left hand side of the drawer creates some sort of an implied line down to the bottom, across and then back up the drawer, up the left hand side of the bottle, across the top, back down the right hand side of the bottle to the smaller bottle then back up to the tub.

Also, the perspective of the image is good and is successful in showing the contrast at where the light hits the drawer and where it doesn't. Though the source of light is coming in from the right hand side it should cast a shadow on the left side of the drawer, however, this study doesn't clearly show where the shadows are cast and therefore having a cast shadow would make the study more effective in terms of arrangement and composition. This study could be more pleasing to the eye if there was a background and a couple more objects which were placed in a position which applied to the rule of thirds.

Week 4 & 5: Still Life - Shape and Silhouette / Form & Contours

Both studies are created using a graphite stick and took approximately 10 - 15 minutes. The first study involves the negative space in a still life setting. You can tell that by looking at the shapes which is very visible to the eye that the background of the study has a very dark highlight and the objects have a very light highlight. Even though it is blatantly on the piece of paper you can tell there is depth between the objects in the background and foreground because of the negative space.

The downside of the study is where the small jug and the skull are overlapping and the small vase seems as though its orphaned in the point between the background and the foreground. At least that's what the illusion of the negative space gives.

The second study focuses on the form, contours and shape of the objects, using the help of grid lines to show the direction of the shading which gives the objects in the study a more stronger form compared to what a study which has shading in a straight line.

Week 3: Still Life - Planning an Image

These are some quick drawings using a graphite stick which took approximately 20 seconds each in planning out where the objects would roughly be placed. The two drawings on the right hand side look incorrect as it seems as if the graphite stick has been pressed on to the paper too hard which makes it look too strong. However, the image in the middle is the opposite and looks to light and neat. The two others look correct as they are easier to see and change any mistakes also to erase any construction lines once the accuracy of where the objects are placed on the paper are correct.

Some of the studies are done in a portrait orientation and some in a landscape orientation. The orientation changed depending on the angle of the objects. The first study on the top left was done in an angle where the big jug looked wide as the view was straight from the front. Whereas, the middle drawing was done in a portrait orientation as the angle was slightly higher giving the look of the jug more thinner and longer than wider.

Week 2: Drawing the Basics - Measuring & Observation

Here are two studies focusing on measuring and observation. The drawing on the left involves several cube shapes of a cardboard box. As you can tell the measurements were taken to ensure that the foreshortening is correct on the cardboard. This was drawn numerous times to get the correct 3-D object on to a sheet of paper. The shading helps to create the sense of depth and foreshortening on the object.

The second study involves construction lines in order to understand where the objects were. This helps the artist to draw a more accurate still life drawing as it not too messy and not too neat and light. The dark lines show the proportion of the objects in terms of observation and measurements.