Critique: Small Round Pot

 

My niece sent me a snapshot of her sketch of a small round pot with the text “drawing round things is hard!”

 

I can see that she had trouble with this.

 

Why?

 

Well, its not uncommon to have trouble with any round symmetrical object, or any asymmetrical object for that matter.

 

It can be hard to keep focused on what you actually see. The brain has a tendency to “fill in the blank” even when there is no blank.

 

The problem here is with the “math”

 

Her “measurements”   don’t add up.

 

I can tell from the sketch that there were a lot of false starts and more than a bit of erasing.

 

This is one reason some drawing teachers have students practice drawing with a pen rather than a pencil. No erasure allowed. When we erase and redraw over and over we tend to get frustrated, and things get bigger. More “incorrect”.

 

I also see that she got distracted by the shadows and the patterns on the vase. Distracted too soon by details she lost the overall shape of the object.

 

If you look at the pot, you will notice that it is almost twice as wide at the top than at the bottom. Also, at this angle, the opening of the top of the pot is almost 1/3 the overall height of the pot.

 

What would have helped?

 

A couple of things.

 

One, a plumb or center line. Do not be afraid of putting guidelines in your drawings and sketches. These should be light lines easily erased. You can use a straight edge, but really any reasonably straight line will do. Putting in a horizontal base line to indicate the bottom width and a wider horizontal line for the top of the pot would also help. This would automatically give you guidance for the correct slop. You can see that she has her sides almost straight. The pattern got in the way.

 

Don’t worry about any pattern when sketching out the shape. This is not important at this point.

 

The strong shadow also became too important. Because of the focus on the cast shadow she did not discern the contour shadows.

 

I can see the growing frustration in this sketch.

 

Rather than going on and on. I think some sketch lines over her drawing will say it all. I have added a couple if guidelines to this sketch showing how easy the use of centerlines can help.

 

Relax.

 

Try again.

 

 

 

Graphite wash

Did some experimenting yesterday. I have several pencils that are labeled, “Sketch & Wash” I have had them for a long time. The are almost used up. Just about 2 or 3 inches left, but I have only used them for sketching. They are nice, soft, dark pencils but I have not used them with water.

 

Never gave it a thought. I bought them originally on impulse. I was on my way to the Gallery, and planned to stop at Ritter Park for a while first to sketch, and had forgotten my pencil pouch. So I stopped and bought these mostly because they were inexpensive.

 

Yesterday, I was sketching some chrysanthemums, those nice spidery ones that are all long petals and weird angles. I pulled out these pencils, because they are nice and dark. Than thought, Why not? I grabbed  a  soft brush, and a small saucer of water and played around a bit.

 

I love them!

 

Wish I had the whole pencils again! I will have to check out the art supply store and buy more.

Preliminary Sketches And True Shapes

Preliminary sketches are just that, preliminary. You can concentrate on the overview, locating the major lights and darks, or you can isolate the objects/subjects you are interest in drawing. Preliminary sketches let you explore the details and analysis what you are really seeing. They can and should do a lot of things. Any really good work of art should have several preliminary sketches.

It is ok when you are out to do sketches of single objects. It is ok to do general landscapes. Sketches should be the way you explore the world around you, so be free with them. By sketching often, you can quickly come to understand how things really work.

Concentrate On That Object

When you have a subject that really interests you, concentrate on that. Draw it from many angles. Simplify it. Take it apart. Look for the basic shapes that make up that object.

Using A Photo Reference

This is true, even when using a photo reference. Or especially when using a photo reference. Photos can be misleading. Take the time to really explore what you are looking at. Don’t just jump into drawing it. Think. Art happens in the head, not on the paper. The paper just shows the results.

When using a photo reference, make a black and white copy of it. In fact, make several. Use a copy machine or print it from your computer on common paper, not good photo paper. These are working copies, not art. When you make your copies, lighten and darken the copy. Lighten the copy and even enlarging it will reveal details in the shadows that might be hard to see.

I tend to use my own digital photography for reference, so I have the files to play around with. Also I don't have to worry about copyright.

[note: never, ever work on the original file. Always do a “save as” and rename the file. Me, I put work at the beginning so I know this is the file to play with.]

With my software, I have several options to convert  a photo to grayscale. (this is what you are actually doing, converting to true black and white is not what you want to do!)Usually I use the desaturate option, as this allows me to play with contrast. You will need to learn what is best with the software you have.

True Shapes

With these b&w copies, you are ready to work out construction problems. Here I am not talking about layout and composition, but how you are going to draw individual objects. One reason I like to make the copies of my references is that I can draw right on them. This is helpful in finding the true shape of something.

“I can see the shape” you say, but do you really? How many times have you drawn a vase, then look back at your still life and find you have not drawn that vase? Not so easy, is it?

Ok now stop and think about drawing a bird or a squirrel. Looks can be deceiving! Try it, get a photo of a common bird or squirrel, then try and find the edges. Most photos tend to lose the details in shadows.

So we have the black and whites. Here the lighter versions will be helpful. Draw the true shape of things. I like to use tracing paper for this. Lightly draw around the actual edges. Now look. Surprised? They are fatter/leaner than you thought. Using tracing paper isolates the shape from the rest of the context in the photo. It isolates it from distracting patterns and shadows. You will find this especially true with wildlife. Nature plans it this way. Remember their patterns are supposed to make it difficult to see their true outlines. It is a survival thing. Once you have the true shapes, it is easier to transfer this to your drawing.

Spring, and a Young Artist's Fancy Turns to Plein Air

Spring




And a young artists fancy turns to…

....…plein air!

Actually, even not so young artists get the itch to get out of the studio and out into the warm air and paint, draw, photograph anything that is not inside!




So it was with pencil in hand I left home early this Wednesday planning to spend a little time wandering Ritter Park.



Ok, so the day was a little gray. Well, a lot gray, but it is early May, after all. But I was optimistic. The park would be green, and the dogwoods would be blooming.



Rainy Day in Ritter Park



Alas – by the time I had run a few errands, it had started to sprinkle. Just a fine mist, but water was leaking from the sky.

As I rounded to corner onto Ritter Park, the deluge began. Not just a light sprinkle. This was what the faucet salesman call “rainforest” when trying to sell a fancy showerhead! But cold, very cold.



I did take comfort in the fact that I was not alone in my disappointment. There was a line of cars, each filled with persons (human and canine) dismally eyeing the skies, looking longingly at the paths surrounding Ritter Park.



Sketch from Ritter Park
S. Tschantz



Now Ritter Park is a favorite of artist and joggers alike. It runs for blocks along a creek, and into the hills of Huntington WV. It has jogging/walking paths, playgrounds, tennis courts and picnic shelters. It also contains a rose garden. One of the best rose gardens in the country, and May is usually when it starts to come to life. But that will have to wait for a let up in the monsoon like rains we are getting this year!



From Day spent at Ritter Park
S. Tschantz

 Perhaps later I will get in my day of plein aire!