Trying Tonal Drawings

Last week in my Figure Drawing class, we studied how value creates depth in a drawing.  We saw how using just 4 values in your drawing, you can create a sense of dimension. 

Start with a quick line drawing, marking in areas of shadow.  

Choose 4 values: 

darkest darks, 

lighter shadows, 

mid-tones and 

highlights.  

Lay in the tones, using a light hand on the highlights -- they're easy to overdo.  Step back often to see the larger effect of your shadows. Finish by blending the tones and adding finishing touches.

You can see the 4 tones I used in the top left corner of the drawing below.  I used vine charcoal and white NuPastel on toned paper.

As much as I love line, I love the depth that values create.  

I hope you give this process a try! 

Happy Creating! 

Osher Figure Drawing with Model Emily

We had a wonderful Osher class today with model Emily!  We began the class with five two-minute gesture poses, and I encouraged my students to draw rapidly, capturing interior structures as well as exterior contours. Emily gave us active, elegant poses to study.

We moved on to drawing the face using shadows primarily.  David set the camera to transmit a black-and-white image, and we started the first two minutes of the fifteen-minute pose with the camera de-focused. After two minutes, we sharpened the image a little, and after two more minutes, we sharpened the image to tack-sharp.  

This approach allowed us to really see the shadow shapes without getting caught up in trying to draw features, and it forced a technique artists often use in the studio in real life, intentionally blurring their vision.  

 We finished up with an hour-long pose (with breaks for Emily!).  Some students focused just on the portrait, and others drew the entire foreshortened pose.

Many thanks to model Emily for her elegant poses and rock-solid stillness!