Sketchbook Week 10: Organic Form and Contour Hatch Marks
Three Drawings
Subject: Still Life
Materials: View Catcher, three sheets of 9"x11 3/4" Strathmore 400 paper, 2H graphite pencil, kneaded and gum erasers, India ink, Manga pen/holder.
This assignment will help you build on what you have learned previously in this class about the layering of marks to create a range of value. Additionally you will work with the idea of contour hatch marks and what is called visual texture: that is the textural quality of the marks on the paper. You will focus on studying the effect of light on objects and the effect that it has on local value (the color of the object).
Select both organic and manufactured forms with diverse surface qualities and which are reminiscent of the cone and cylinder; I recommend selecting objects that do not a very complex surface texture.
Drawing #1
1) Select an organic or manufactured from that is reminiscent of a cylinder. Place this on a table or desk top with the general room light you might normally use. Add a light source directed toward the object; you can use a spotlight, desk lamp, flashlight, etc. You will see emphasis with the light directed at your subject, but the contrast will soften with the general ambient light in the room. Use your View Catcher to help decide on a composition that has interest for you. 5-10 minutes.
2) Move your hand across the paper to feel the general direction and scale that your object will be on the picture plane. Hold you 2H pencil in the open manner and lightly define the directional forces and proportions of your object. 5 minutes.
3) Use your India ink and Manga pen for this step. Begin defining the volume of the form through the use of hatch marks that mimic the directional curves of the object in space. Remember that stipple marks or dots are also considered lines. Include the addition of cast shadow to help ground the object on the picture plane. Feel the rhythmic quality of the marks as the surface pattern or visual texture of the drawing develops. 15 minutes.
4) Continue developing the value range of your drawing with ink and pen marks. 90 minutes.
Drawing #2
1) Select an object that is reminiscent of a cone. Use low light in the surrounding environment and place a light directed at your subject as you did in Drawing #1. You will end up with much higher contrast in this still life and in the drawing that results from your response to it. 5 minutes.
2) Follow steps 2-4 from Drawing #1 to complete this drawing. 1 hour thirty-five minutes.
Drawing #3
1) Follow steps 1-4 from Drawing #1 using the two objects together in an arrangement. Use either light condition to work in, but continue using a light of some sort directed on your object. 1 hour thirty-five minutes.