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Ms. Toad

(35,640 posts)
Wed Feb 14, 2024, 06:15 PM Feb 2024

More from my drawing foundations class.

Just for fun - a gesture drawing of a kitten crawling under a magazine rack (stalking the new kitten in the house who was hiding under the sideboard right next to the magazine rack). The idea is to capture the essence of the scene/thing without focusing on precise details. These take 30 seconds to 2 minutes. This took around a minute.



Negative space drawing of a still life. The idea is to start somewhere near the center and draw the shapes of the spaces which don't have objects, work your way out until all of the spaces which don't have objects in them. No markings at all in these spaces - so when two negative spaces cross there are no internal markings showing the cross. We're getting ready for working with charcoal. I don't think I'm going to like charcoal.



Two point perspective drawing from inside a room. Normally you think of a two point perspective as standing on a corner, looking down one side of the block toward a vanishing point on that side, then looking down the other side of the block toward a vanishing point on the other side. In this sketch, instead of looking toward something getting diminishingly small as it fades into the distance, here you are standing inside the room with the walls coming out toward you. Also my first attempt at cross-hatching for shading. I'm not thrilled with the shading on the ceiling and the wall. I started with none, since there really aren't many shadows on the wall and ceiling - but I was told to go back and add some.

The paintings on the mantel are my daughter's pictures.



11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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More from my drawing foundations class. (Original Post) Ms. Toad Feb 2024 OP
Great work! Think. Again. Feb 2024 #1
Thank you! n/t Ms. Toad Feb 2024 #3
I especially like the negative space drawing. people Feb 2024 #2
Thank you! Ms. Toad Feb 2024 #4
Nice work I_UndergroundPanther Feb 2024 #5
We're starting with Char-Kole pastels. Ms. Toad Feb 2024 #6
These are great exercises! Ocelot II Feb 2024 #7
I'm impressed with the program. Ms. Toad Feb 2024 #10
Really nice work. Your teacher must enjoy working with you because you make the most of the assignments MadameButterfly Feb 2024 #8
Thank you! Ms. Toad Feb 2024 #9
These are wonderful Ms. Toad! Goddessartist Feb 2024 #11

Think. Again.

(19,157 posts)
1. Great work!
Wed Feb 14, 2024, 06:20 PM
Feb 2024

You've got a very confident hand, and a great eye for composition! And your work overall really grabs and holds interest.

Ms. Toad

(35,640 posts)
4. Thank you!
Wed Feb 14, 2024, 06:39 PM
Feb 2024

It's the first time I've done a drawing like that. It was fine - but now we're supposed to translate that to charcoal.

I_UndergroundPanther

(12,952 posts)
5. Nice work
Wed Feb 14, 2024, 06:40 PM
Feb 2024

And just to let you know I don't like drawing with charcoal either. The willow sticks arrrgh.

Ms. Toad

(35,640 posts)
6. We're starting with Char-Kole pastels.
Wed Feb 14, 2024, 06:43 PM
Feb 2024

But willow and vine are on the horizon.

I think my current angst is because the instructor hasn't set out the process clearly. Those who have worked with charcoal before ignored his process and were mostly done today. Those of us who haven't touched charcoal before were struggling to follow his not-well-defined process. Before Friday I'm going to watch a few you-tube videos and maybe try my hand at one at home.

Ocelot II

(121,524 posts)
7. These are great exercises!
Wed Feb 14, 2024, 06:48 PM
Feb 2024

Nice work - and you are getting a great foundation for your art.

Ms. Toad

(35,640 posts)
10. I'm impressed with the program.
Wed Feb 14, 2024, 07:15 PM
Feb 2024

It is an extremely well-developed set of foundational classes. I did 3D last semester. Next semester I'll do 2D, then next spring I have a foundation review class (where we review our portfolio, and rethink some of the projects we did in these three classes to take them to the next level). It's a lot for the typical bachelor's degree student - who does all 3 in the same semester. I'm really grateful that I am retired so I have the opportunity to really do a deep dive into this experience.

MadameButterfly

(1,960 posts)
8. Really nice work. Your teacher must enjoy working with you because you make the most of the assignments
Wed Feb 14, 2024, 06:53 PM
Feb 2024

From a drawing teacher.

Charcoal is great too--you're going to love it. Have a chamois cloth and a kneaded eraser on hand and think of it as half drawing half painting.

You also have a very good teacher.

Ms. Toad

(35,640 posts)
9. Thank you!
Wed Feb 14, 2024, 07:09 PM
Feb 2024

It is nice to be at the stage in my life where I can focus on getting the most out of every assignment, rather than simply completing it. All of my instructors seem to enjoy having someone who isn't just phoning it in.

The instructor is good. He's struggling a bit with explaining the last two concepts - but at least this most recent one is challenging to explain. I'm very impressed with the foundations program so far (this is the second of three classes - I did 3D last semester). I'm not sure how much leeway the individual instructors have to modify it - but the program is rigorous and generally well designed. We're moving in a direction I'm less comfortable with (the ultimate goal is to combine several different images into one large drawing using at least 3 mediums). I'm more comfortable doing representational work than a hodge-podge of snippets assembled into a pleasing composiiton that involves significant variation in scale and relationshipto each other. But it is an excellent way to push people like me - and force us to think outside of the box. Ultimately, that will make me a better artist.

My jury is still out on charcoal. I will probably enjoy it more once I get a handle on the process (or work out my own). How we started isn't comfortable to me - but I'm approaching this adventure I'm on by leaning into stuff that is uncomfortable so that I learn the techniques. Later on I can choose to toss what doesn't work - but if I don't learn it I can't make the choice to use it if it is a useful technique.

Goddessartist

(2,067 posts)
11. These are wonderful Ms. Toad!
Fri Feb 16, 2024, 08:56 AM
Feb 2024

Very well done, and I'm familiar with these exercises - very good!
Excellent class!

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