Yesterday I set up an old milk can on the floor in the middle of my drawing classroom at Sacramento City College and had my students spend several hours rendering the can in fabulous vine charcoal. I did this demo to give them the idea that charcoal is both an additive and SUBTRACTIVE medium. After drawing the contours of the milk can very lightly in charcoal, I then proceeded to cover the entire contour drawing in mid range grey charcoal. I then PULLED OFF charcoal with a kneaded eraser and pencil eraser (for small highlight areas) to render the lighter areas on the can (both reflective light and local lighter values of the can). Charcoal was then ADDED to render the darker areas of the can (shadow and local values). ADD + SUBTRACT+ ADD. Whenever you succeed in rendering a successful charcoal drawing, celebrate with a nice cold glass of milk! Milk can help keep your muscles and bones healthy and therefore aid in your drawing ability. Cheers!
10 comments:
I tell them the same thing in my classes, except I use beer rather than milk :-)
You got some time on Friday mornings? come paint with me~
Very nice drawing. As for the milk as a treat, uh...not so much (unless milk chocolate counts)!
Terry, Beer's good! Shot you an email concerning Fri. morn.
Rhonda, milk chocolate counts and count me in on that...I'll have it with my glass of milk.
Hi David,
What I love about charcoal and your description too, is that you can use charcoal like paint in a way you can't with pen, or pencil. Great drawing. Your students are lucky.
Cheers,
Barbara
Great drawing. I'm gonna send my students to check it out. Really true about the subtractive additive aspect!
You've got every medium mastered it seems. Like the process you described.
Got Talent?
Oh yes.
I had one of those milk cans - I think it was de rigeur of the hippie 60s' thing.
Right on, Barbara...gotta love the stuff. I like to work with vine charcoal...the soft test where if you sneeze on it, and your rendering flies off the paper!
Hey, thanks Kenney. Hopefully we will meet someday at the Fouts Gallery.
Comrade, let's forget about the milk can...what I'm impressed with is that you can spell French words! I can hardly spell English words for christ sake!
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