Project 2
Exercise 1
The aim of this task was to practice building up dark, medium and light tones using hatching and cross-hatching techniques. I selected two shells for this exercise.
I browsed through other students’ blogs to gain some inspiration and noticed that some had chosen to use only graphite pencils, whereas, others had used a range of coloured pencils. It wasn’t clear for this specific exercise what tools we were allowed to use, however, I chose to experiment with a variety of colours.
First, I experimented with different medias to see which were the most effective in creating the details and tone on the shells. I chose to sketch and add the differing tones using a range of graphite pencils to begin with, and I found this to be a simple yet effective technique. It fast added realism to what began as a bland sketch.
After this, I chose to sketch the shells using a range of coloured pencils. I really like the effect that this had, as I think it shows clearly where the light hits and where the shadows on each shell are. In hindsight, I think I went slightly overboard with the yellow and I have made a note to be mindful of not doing this in the final product.
Finally, I combined all of these different medias, using both graphite and coloured pencils. This was the technique I liked the most, as it portrays the contrast of tones in great detail, more so than the previous two experiments. I decided that this is the technique I shall be using in the following part of this task.
I began by crosshatching the darkest tones using a black coloured pencil. I’m never sure whether to start with the lighter or darker tones, however, I personally find it easier to begin with the darker. This section of the shell was entirely in shadow as the light was hitting from the right-hand side. It appeared as though the darkened part of the shell merged into the shadow cast by it, which I thought would be challenging to portray, however, it proved easier than I thought. To create this effect it felt as though I was cross-hatching and drawing various lines over and over and over again, which, essentially, I was, but patience paid off because I’m really pleased with the appearance I’ve achieved.
Next, I began to work in the yellow, orange and brown colours I could see. I got caught up in creativity and forgot to take pictures of the actual order I did this in.
I started with the yellow pencil and crosshatched where I could see these tones. The yellow areas were mainly around the shadowing in each curve of the shell, and was quite inconsistent over the surface. I guess over time the surface of the shells has been worn and changed by the environment, altering its appearance.
Then, I used a combination of orange and brown to blend the yellow tones out and to darken other areas of the shell. There were many dips and bumps along the surface that held just a small amount of shadow, and it was really useful to have these mid-tone colours to depict this. It was very effective to have the brown shading, and to then blend it out/in using an orange. Far more effective than if I were to be shading using only graphite.
Next, I chose dark brown to work on the darkest parts of the shell. These were the parts that weren’t in shadow, but were far darker than the yellow, cream and brown areas of the shell. The top of the shell and the centre of each dip/curve were very dark, and adding dark brown to those areas worked wonders. This is when I started to see my drawing come to life, as I was able to bring some 3-dimensionality to the shells.
To finish this piece, I used all the previous colours to work over these areas further. I spent some time tweaking any parts of the shells that needed it, and went over the shading on the left-hand shell and below each shell to form effective shadowing. Adding colour and shading to the other areas seemed to dull the black that I had previously added in, so going over it bought it back to life.
The shells were covered in many long, fine lines along the curve of their shape, so I finally added these in and went over the lighter patches with an eraser to show the patches where the light hit the most.
The Final Outcome
I am really pleased with how this piece turned out. I really enjoyed being able to experiment with colour as this is something that I don’t often practice. I usually work in only graphite pencils and fine liners, however, it was great to step out of my comfort zone and to branch out with my creativity.
It was really interesting to put to the test how to form shading and shadowing using coloured pencils, and I’m keen to work on this more in the future.
Jesy Gilkes 