Drawing 1

Drawing – 1

Ebony Pencil, Charcoal Pencil, White Charcoal Pencil, Graphite Stick, Compressed Charcoal

An Ebony Pencil is a fine tool for beginners to realize line, form, shape and gradation. The Drawing – 1 Crash Course begins with this medium. An Ebony Pencil is a linear tool that graciously allows a student to build their confidence in acquiring drawing skills. Learning to draw a still-life object using an Ebony Pencil benefits a student on many levels, challenging them to develop skills in proportion, composition, balance-to-shading(?), gradation and highlight. Charcoal Pencil is the next medium in this crash course that further enhances the skills already acquired using an Ebony Pencil. Applying distinct levels of pencil pressure while shading, or while simply making a confident line, will be the primary learning goal for the student. Since the very tone of Charcoal is dark, maneuvering the medium through the entire drawing activity demands expert guidance. Following this module, students will use White Charcoal Pencil on black paper; the technique itself is the reverse of what was learned using previous drawing tools but demands fresh skills. Students learn to draw the negative side of an object while remaining vigilant in their observation of light and its gradation, rather than darkness, shade, or depth. These critical skills in negotiating light and dark must be mastered before students move onto more challenging, larger implements like the Graphite Stick and Compressed Charcoal. Though these tools are more forgiving than the Pencils, gaining the dexterity to successfully utilize them requires professional guidance.

The class will progress from still life object study to live model study.

Course duration: 10 classes – 2 hours per class / 2 classes per medium