#039 Layering with Graphite Pencil

 Gather art materials and references. 

This week our subject is something that everyone loves: food! This subject is readily available. Just walk into your kitchen or pantry. Jars of canned goods make lovely subjects. You may find a bowl of fruit or even draw what is on your plate at mealtime. That’s what I did. I liked the shapes of the chips and how the ice looked inside the glass.  You will make four drawings during this month. In each one I will show you another way that you can add more to a pencil drawing. You will need a graphite pencil, plastic eraser, and sheet of drawing paper for each week.

Find two or three interesting objects. You can use more, but be careful not to make your arrangement too complex. Set up your still-life. Overlap the objects so that the edges meet. This will help tie the group of objects together in a pleasing way. Notice, in the teacher example, how the plate sits in front of the glass, but it overlaps as well. The chips overlap each other and the bun.

 Step One: Placement

 When drawing a still-life from direct observation you should have your drawing paper directly in front of you. Arrange the objects on the table surface about twelve inches from the top of the paper. 

To draw the still-life, look at the outside edges of the objects. Also look for shapes that you can put onto the paper. Start by drawing lines that show these edges. Rather than working on one object at a time, draw just a few lines to suggest each object as you fit them onto the paper. Try to fill the page without having major parts go off the page. Do not erase lines too soon. When some lines aren’t right, go back to that area of the paper and draw over them. Once everything fits, you can go back to each object and draw in more details. There are no mistakes in drawing. Draw, redraw, and finally erase lines that make the shapes confusing or that do not belong. Older students should notice that the plate and glass are fairly simple and if I had only given my attention to those objects there would be a lot of empty space in my picture. I chose to draw lines that showed where the shadows changed the light patterns on the table and wall. These lines fill out the space of the page.

If you critique your work, always compare it to work you have done previously, and not to the teacher example. The example is only here to show you what a line drawing might look like when working from direct observation. Your drawing will be different and should look like it came from your hand, not from my hand, as your teacher. Congratulations on drawing a still-life!

Step Two: Adding Light Values

In this step, we will learn about lighting and lay down the lightest values.

Since we want to see how light falls upon these objects it is best to modify the light so that it only comes from one direction. You can turn off overhead lighting and work with the light from one window. Close other windows that shine light from directions other than the one you have chosen.  Now you should see both light and dark sides on your object. We will look at those dark areas today and draw them. Look at the teacher example to see how to lay down a layer of light values and follow the instructions below.

Begin your drawing with lines, giving attention to placement on the page. You want all the items in the still-life to fit onto the paper. Draw and redraw as needed. Once you like the placement of the objects, shift your attention to the light and dark areas. Use a #2 pencil, any H or HB pencil from a pencil set, or draw with very light pressure using an Ebony pencil. You do not want to make dark marks that cannot be erased at this point. Holding the pencil as you do for handwriting, gently draw back and forth with a light pressure, overlapping the lines to get a smooth area of tone. Take a look at the teacher example. Only two light values have been used: light and middle gray. Once you cover an area with value, you can go back over the same area to darken it or simply to fill in white spaces to make it smoother. In this example I chose to add the values that I saw in the shadows as well as those that are on the objects. These shadows help fill in the space and become as much a part of the picture as the objects themselves. Congratulations on drawing a still life with light values! Join me in the next step, to see how to add darker values to create a full value range.

Step Three: Full Value Drawing 

It's time to add the darks! 

To create darker values, add more pressure to the pencil when drawing or use a pencil that is designed to make dark values. If you have a pencil set, use the B pencils to make darker values. You’ll notice that the larger the number in your set, the darker value that pencil will make. If you have an Ebony pencil, then you can make the darkest values possible. This is a very soft lead, so that it makes very dark marks. If you are using a #2 pencil, then your only option is to add more pressure to the areas as you draw. As you look at the still life, you should have already put in the light values. We add dark values in places where we see the darkest values in our still-life. In my picture the darkest values are seen in the glass, the hotdog bun, and in some of the shadows. These values are put on the paper in smooth even strokes, in the same way as the light values were placed on the paper.

What a difference adding darker values makes!  Join me in the next step and see just what you can do to give your picture additional impact. 

Step Four: Details and Sharp Edges

 It's time to add texture marks!

Now look at the teacher example for the final stage. See how the chips now have a texture created by small dashes or dots. The edges are more clearly defined as very dark marks are used in places along the edges. The bun and hotdog are shown with dark edges. This is done on the outside of the glass as well. To create details the pencils must be sharp. Sharpen the pencils often as you draw. Look for texture and add the types of lines or marks that will show the texture of the object. Older students can note that the line thickness is not the same throughout the picture. You can see this on the edges of the glass. Lines are used to make certain parts of an object stand out or to show how light is seen on a surface.

I hope you enjoyed the process of adding values and details to a picture using pencils. Join me next week to learn new techniques in pastel drawing as we look at cars, trucks, or boats.

Your art teacher,

Brenda Ellis

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