COLOR PENCILS: Reverse Drawing

Yesterday the class made drawings using white pencils on black paper. When using toned paper it is beneficial to take advantage of the papers value. With black paper, the shadows are already present. Therefore, the artist works from dark light. This requires thinking in reverse to working with dark materials on white paper.

Crystal

 Crystal has created a very stable composition by engaging the top and bottom edges of the paper. The large scale of the objects fills the composition activating the negative areas and establishing rhythmic value patterns.

Jose

 Jose has very keenly observed the subtle tonal variations within the transparent objects. The values are bold and striking. The centered composition allows him to address the still life in its entirety.

Laura

Laura has also employed "cropping" to great effect with her composition. This Cubist inspired drawing is composed of many positive and negative shapes interlocked together. Observe how she uses brighter values in the negative areas and switches to diffused values with the transparent, positive areas.

VALUE REVERSAL

Ivan

Rainey

Yesterday the class made drawings on black paper with white colored pencil. The objective was to create a Value Reversal. Rather than merely draw with white pencil creating the appearance of a negative, students drew the white areas using the black tone of the paper for the shadows while applying light layers of pencil for gray values. The two drawings above reflect the varied methods used. Ivan's drawing exhibits a variety of mark-making with busy directional changes sprinkled with accents addressing the "categories of light." Rainey's drawing addresses the light patterns as well yet she has focused of the light and dark rhythms of the variously toned shapes within the objects.