Working on Art Projects

Everyone was working on their own projects this week in the Wednesday art classes at the Renaissance Art Gallery.

Negative Space

Working on proper placement of objects in a drawing, understanding negative space and trying new media.

Working on negative space, drawing the spaces between.

Placement can be a challenge, but if you don't have objects in the right places on the paper, no amount of detail will help. Learning to visually measure and line them up, as well as draw that in the correct size in relationship to each other takes practice. Sometimes drawing the negative space between objects can help you understand this.

Dip Pen & Ink



Adding character with a dip pen.

Using a dip pen for pen & ink drawings seems to becoming a lost art quickly. Few art supply/craft stores are still stocking these pens. While the pre-filled technical ink pens are wonderful, with their full range of sizes, the fluid and graceful transition between thin, thick lines you can get by mastering a dip pen can ad real beauty to artwork. They even feel different on paper.

 

Portraiture and Colored Pencil



Blending, blending and more blending

Mastering portraiture in colored pencil takes commitment and patience. The most beautiful come from manipulating layers of pencil. For this you need a strong enough support, but also the commitment to the time and effort it will take to blending and smoothing layers of pigment.  Getting the right texture of hair, face and fabric calls for differing techniques in blending.





Drawing Trees



Working on the details of the "knees"

Drawing a botanical drawing of large trees is a complicated undertaking. Cypress trees, growing I southern swamps have amazing adaptations. From breathing "knees" needle-like leaves and large luminous seed pods. Getting the varied textures and colorations right takes hours of effort.




Matt board is strong enough for this work, as well as added good texture or tooth to hold the multiple layers of colored pencil. It can be cut large enough for a work of this scope. Being ridged, it does stand up to the abuse of colored pencil, blending, burnishing and polishing that really good color pencil paintings requires. 

 

 

Simply drawing

Of course simply using a pencil is still a basic drawing tool. Even a number 2 standard pencil can give a wide range of value to a sketchbook drawing.

Working from life or your own photographs is rewarding.