Drawing Class 4: Lighting Types & Techniques

Last night was the class on Lighting: Types & Techniques.

We played with lighting types for portrait art, such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Downstage. We talked about the differences and the effects the lighting had on the subject.

Next, I set up a still life with a silver set, adjusted the lighting several different ways to see what it did to the silver and the reflections. Then I added a red canister to it to get some interesting reflections.

Lastly, I brought out some breakfast items - a bowl, a mug, a napkin, a placemat, and two spoons. Then I had all the students set up their own still life by working together, including how they wanted the napkin to drape on the table, then adjust the lighting. Once they got it the way they liked it, they had to draw it! :D Finding the right view point from which to draw it was the hard part.

They all did very well! I'm proud that they are willing to stick with me through all of these challenges I keep putting them through! I want them to really aim high with what they draw. It is only when we challenge ourselves to do something we don't think we can do that we learn the most. I don't want them to always take the easy way out, whether it's because they are bored or because they don't think they can do it. Either excuse will stunt their growth as artists, and I don't want that to happen.

NEXT WEEK: We experiment with colors, using only the three primary colors, they will have to work out a palette by mixing their colors many different ways to achieve different colors, then draw a picture. They will have a choice of a couple of pics that I will provide. I think it's lots of fun and a great learning experience!!

Here are some pics from the class. Three are of students, the other one is the still life they set up.

It's a Blooming Spring!

Our flowers are starting to bloom all over now and they're making me think that perhaps it's time to paint a floral or two ..... maybe even in pastels instead of colored pencils. I've been itching to use my collection of pastels lately, maybe now is the time.

Basic Drawing I Class

I am into the fourth week of the Basic Drawing I class I am teaching at the AoA Gallery (Arts of The Albemarle), and having a great time! I thought I'd take a pic of my students drawing their first "test". The purpose for this "test" was for them to put into play all the things they were taught in the first two classes, namely values, shape, and form.

You can't see the subject they are drawing in the above photo very well, but it is a drapery test. I hung a piece of white material on a 30" x 40" foam board that I placed on my easel so they had a good view of it. It is a simple drapery subject. You should have seen what they had to draw at the end of the class - an inert mass!! I threw a large white piece of material over a chair that I had placed on top of a table, making sure it draped nicely down the chair and onto the table in a variety of folds. Then I said, "Okay, draw it!" A couple of the students hated me ..... until the end of the class when they looked at what they did and realized they really could do it! Plus they said they DID learn a lot from it, so in the end they were glad I made them draw it. I'm glad. I would be very sad if my students hated me. :p

Next week they are going to learn about the different types of lighting. I hope I don't forget to take some pics to post for you here. It ought to be a lot of fun! I'll see if I can get some pics of their drapery drawings too. They did a great job!!! I'm very proud of their work!

Pastel Experiment

Recently, I found a pastel tutorial by Diana Ponting using a ref pic of Allsorts that she had taken. Since I very badly needed more practice with my pastels I decided to give it a try, however, I ended up not following the tutorial at all but doing it my own way instead. I began the painting and learned a whole lot in the process.

First, I decided to use a piece of paper that was new to me. I had heard that Fabriano Tiziano was a very good pastel paper and so bought several sheets to give a try. I chose one for this painting. That was my first mistake. I did NOT like the paper! It is too rough and extremely difficult to get a nice smooth look to a painting.

Second, I had always thought that pastels were an opaque medium - not so. I used a combination of my very nice Rembrandts, Nu-Pastels, and Richeson semi-hard pastels along with some Mungyos (a cheaper brand of pastels). None of them could cover up my graphite lines from where I had drawn my sketch for the painting. You could see my pencil lines right through the pastels!

Third, the first painting of this pic being thrown out, I begin again with UART 600 grit. I don't like UART with my colored pencils, but I have never tried pastels on it, so this was a good time to experiment. This time I used white transfer paper to transfer my sketch to the UART. Alas, it too had problems being covered up with the pastels. I'll have to come up with a new game plan for the next piece.

Fourth, UART worked beautifully with the pastels!!! I am very pleased with the results! I will definitely be using UART with future pastel paintings.

So, I have learned several things from this experiment. I need to come up with a better transfer method that I can cover up with the pastels, I will NOT use Fabriano Tiziano again (at least not with pastels), and I love UART paper for pastels. I enjoyed this pastel experiment, but chose not to complete it. Since this is not my ref pic I cannot exhibit it and I can not enter it in competitions, so I do not want to spend too much time on it. Therefore, I am going to move onto one of my own ref pics and continue the learning process.


The first pic is the first painting on Tiziano that is now in the trash. The second pic is the one done on UART. Big difference I think. What do you think?

A Storm's a'coming!

Yep, windy day today with lots of clouds. Could not get a decent photo of Is Your Name In The Book today. Sorry. I tried. I don't like how it came out though, so I'll have to wait until this weekend to see if I can get a good pic.

In the meantime, I rearranged my pastels and cleaned out the drawers I keep them in. Took longer than I thought it would, but they are nice, clean, and organized. Didn't get any artwork done today though. Tomorrow we're going to a concert with Guy Penrod of the Gaithers and will be gone most of the day. It's my birthday present from my hubby! Can't wait, but am concerned about getting home. It's a very long drive home and we won't get home until about 3:00 AM. If there's going to be a storm, I hope it's over with by then.