Project 2
Exercise 3
For this exercise I chose a few items that were in my lounge/kitchen area – a vase, a mug, an apple, and a small box.
This is a technique that I have not practiced much so I had mixed emotions approaching this task. I was looking forward to experimenting with a new style of drawing, however, I will confess that I felt slightly apprehensive as to what the end result would be, but, I’m pleased to say that I’m very happy with the outcome and the skill that I have gained in the process.
I began with the vase as my introductory piece and, admittedly, I did not have high hopes for the final product. It was tricky for me to get used to drawing this way as it’s not something that I’ve ever tested before and, although it was interesting to experiment with lines and crosshatching as a form of shading, I think this is the weakest of my four pieces.
That being said, it wasn’t too bad for a first try!
I decided to try a few different approaches to crosshatching; varying the drawing tools that I used, the pressure that I applied to the paper, and the way in which I directed the lines. For areas of the object that were more shaded I used a black ball point drawing pen, however, I think I went a little too over the top and, as a result, I had to darken the other parts of the shade, which caused the sketch to lose a lot of its realism.
I found that the process of shading this way very effective, especially if looking at the drawing from a distance, and in spite of the fact that this piece didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped, I was eager to continue, adapt and improve!
I am far happier with my second sketch of the two as, by this point, I’d began to figure out what to do and what not to do.
For the vase, I feel that my biggest mistake was giving it such an obvious outline; looking at the mug above, I personally believe that it looks far more realistic due to the subtler outlines.
I began by using a pencil and lightly curving the lines around the shape of the mug. I realised from my first attempt that the lines needn’t be exact; the curvature and direction of the lines is dependant on the item being shaded. For instance, a mug is cylindrical, therefore, the shading needs to curve with the shape of the mug. Once I figured this out, I found that my sketches were improving greatly.
To create the mug I used a range of HB pencils and a 0.4 fine liner drawing pen to subtly add depth and darken the shading without going over the top.
I found the apple slightly more problematic due to the colouring and texture of it, as there were a lot of different shades of colour and the surface was not perfectly smooth as the previous two had been.
That being said, I’m pleased with what I achieved. The light from the lamp was hitting the apple directly from the left side, so the right side was entirely hidden from the light. This made creating the apple far easier, as I didn’t need to worry too much about shading and filling in a number of areas along the uneven surface of the piece of fruit. Again, guiding the pencil along the curvature of the apple made the appearance of shading far more convincing, and I used the 0.4 pen to slightly darken the parts that were further away from the light. Then, using a pencil I lightly blended the lines out.
In the future I am keen to attempt this technique on an apple again, but with the lighting directed onto a different area of it.
I chose a simple box for the last object.
This was easy to create as the light was hitting the box on the right hand side, therefore, the left hand face and a small part of the top of the box were completely in shadow. Shading this specific item reminded me of when I first practiced Still Life in school, as it was often a simple shape or item such as a box or a bottle that I would focus on to begin with. However, one thing that I hadn’t experienced was the effectivity of this form of shading, or how powerful it can make a simple drawing.
This piece required straight lines only, as I was simply following the outlines of the box, and although it was an uncomplicated task, I think it adds a great deal of character that would not be available if not for the brilliant technique of crosshatching.
To create my shaded group of items, I collected the previous four, put them together, then directed the light onto them from the right hand side. I very quickly drew the basic outlines of the objects without putting too much detail into them; this was challenging for me as I am a perfectionist and I craved to ameliorate the outlines of each object, however, I knew this wasn’t the objective of the task so I persevered and focused on shading. I used a range of HB pencils and some very fine drawing pens to create this image. I feel that, of all the tools used, the pens were the most useful and created the most successful effect, so I will be sure to keep that in mind for when I practice this further.
It was extremely satisfying seeing some basic sketches being brought to life by adding simple, effortless markings to portray shadow and darkness. Although it now seems very obvious to me, I’ve learnt that adapting the form and curve of the lines, depending on the object, made a vast improvement to the appearance of what is being drawn. This is an exceptionally useful technique which can be used to create very powerful pieces of work, and I’m determined to use it in my future work.
Jesy Gilkes 