Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
to begin drawing with different media: charcoal proach drawing a model, and presenting and
and its derivatives, sanguine crayon, chalk, dry evaluating the different media, while imparting a
pastel, graphite, colored pencils, and oil-based basic understanding of color theory.
crayons and pastels. All the media discussed can The fact that so many different media are
be used for drawing lines, shading (in the cases of covered does not mean that this book is unfo-
charcoal and graphite), and coloring. They are cused. To the contrary, it provides an overview
applied to a support, usually paper, following a of all that is essential for making progress in
series of procedures that are referred to as dry drawing and painting. Basing lessons on the ob-
techniques. And although they possess similar servation of a model, this book analyzes each
characteristics, their differences require different drawing and the light that illuminates it, teaching
techniques and render results that are very differ- the reader to mentally situate the areas of light
ent as well. The various media and effects, com- and shadow and to apply a range of tonal values
bined with the personal working style of each art- and colors necessary for modeling the volumes.
ist, all contribute to the wide range of expressive Dry media are ideal for realistic representations
possibilities. All the dry media will be covered in because during the learning phase the applica-
this book, each one requiring the development of tions and techniques emphasize depth.
good drawing skills and a mastery of color.
Francese Crespo drew a large still life with charcoal and
added a note of color with sanguine crayon.
Dry Techniques
T here are media that can be applied using dry
techniques without the need for additives or
complementary products, such as charcoal, sanguine
crayon, chalk, and soft pastel. But graphite, colored
pencils, wax crayons, and oil pastels are also consid-
ered to be oil-based media because of their grease,
oil, or wax components. Techniques common to all of
them include line, shading or coloring, gradating,
blending, and rubbing. The effects and results pro-
duced by each of these techniques, and others that
are not common to all, depend on the medium that is
used. A general overview comparing work done with
different media will make this quite clear.
SKETCHING MEDIA
It is obvious that a
sketch can be made
with the same medium
that is going to be
used to make the final for use in the pre- most used media for
drawing. However, it liminary sketch for sketching.
is not always done another medium. For Although a work of art
this way, since the example, the volatil- can be done entirely in
characteristics of one ity of charcoal causes charcoal, sanguine crayon,
medium make it ideal it to be one of the chalk, pastel, graphite pen-
cil, colored pencil, or oil
pastel, these media are of-
ten used to create the pre-
liminary sketch of a draw-
ing or painting that is then
done in another medium.
Charcoal, chalk, and soft
pastel are usually used to
make sketches for oils and
acrylics. Watercolors, on
the other hand, require
sketches done with graphite
or colored pencils, even
water-soluble ones. Oil
This is a character portrait, pastel, which can be dis-
L'Arnau, done completely in solved with turpentine or
charcoal by M. Braunstein using mineral spirits, can be used
the basic techniques of line,
gradation, and rubbing.
in the sketch for a painting
that will be completed in
oils. A line drawing is the
usual technique for a
sketch, the elements and
main shapes representing
the model being loosely
Gabriel Martin used charcoal and black chalk to create
this Still Life. drawn on the surface of the
support.
PERFECT MEDIA DRY MEDIA ARE COMPATIBLE
FOR SKETCHING White chalk is used to highlight a charcoal
drawing. Sepia is used to darken sanguine
Charcoal, sanguine crayon, and white chalk is used to lighten it.
crayon, chalk, pastel, The historic technique aux trois crayons mixes
graphite and colored charcoal, sanguine crayon, and white chalk,
pencils, and oil pastel which can be used to achieve a perfect repre-
can be used to make sentation of volume. Charcoal and sanguine
sketches using line, crayon are perfectly compatible with colored
shadow, and color to chalk and the soft pastels. The same is true of
indicate the light and soft pastels and the colored chalks, which are
shadow of the model. nothing more than hard pastel.
In addition, the tech- Sanguine crayon, chalk, or pastel can be
niques of gradating used over a sketch made with charcoal. In any
and some blending and case, it is always a good idea to draw lightly
rubbing can be applied
with the charcoal so the medium applied over
t o mo r e d e v e l o p e d
it will not become dirty.
sketches. The sketch
can be achromatic The graphite pen-
(charcoal or graphite pen- cil is a very inter-
cil), monochro-matic, with esting tool, since it
can be used to
one color of sanguine make a small
crayon, chalk, dry or oil drawing with a lot
pastel, or colored pencil), of detail.
or done in several colors.
This still life containing a variety of shapes is a good exercise for mod-
eling. 1. The sketch is drawn with very light lines to avoid smearing the paper.
2. Tile first color is applied very lightly as well. 3. An attempt is made to begin coloring by laying out the basic shapes
and shadows.
5. This drawing lends itself to modeling by erasing, and some highlights
are added to finish the scene.
6. The potential for applying chiaroscuro with sanguine arc visible in this drawing by Mercedes Caspar.
Texture and Chiaroscuro TEXTURE WITH
PENCILS
with Sanguine The textured details of the
hair are represented with thin
9. The Iast review to evaluate the overall feeling takes care of a few final touch-ups. The mastery of Vicenc Ballestar lays out everything with electri-
fying realism and a feeling of depth.
Modeling a Torso A VALUE STUDY
A value-study approach is
7. The background is
darkened to make the
figure stand out,
without moving the
focus away from the
torso.
4. Once the shadows are established, the greens arc applied in an effort to
approximate the different nuances of the colors and the tones.
7. A layer of white chalk adds to the atmospheric effect of the top right-hand
side, which intensifies the colors of the flowers, and especially of the vase.
6. The layering of colors to create an atmospheric back-
ground is begun by applying violet.
9. The shadows are colored with ochre to lighten
8. Now it is time to outline the vase and to define the shadows projected by the leaves. them.
1. The sketch must place all the shapes, sketching them simply with an
expressive line.
4. A few details are introduced: The shadows are defined and the
outline are reinforced, always modeling the forms with rallies.
A TREND
9. The darker touches and lines solidify the shapes and the
contrasts.
13. After touching up the shadows on the left and the effects that focus the interest on this floral motif, Esther Olive de Puig considers this
drawing finished.
Pastels and Contrasting
Colored Paper
T he artist can use a colored paper that vividly contrasts with the palette-chosen. This draw-
ing is based on the application of areas of color and a colorist approach. To confirm the
possibilities for contrast afforded by this approach, a test is conducted first with a few colors on
When the pastel colors have
been chosen for the leaves (box
on the left) and the tree trunks
(box on the right), a test is
a piece of scrap paper. This is a way of verifying the contrast that can be created between differ- conducted on both sides of two
ent colored papers and the selected pastel colors. A good example of contrast is the one estab- different blue papers. the
lished between warm colors and a cool colored paper. smooth side is represented by
the long strip, the coarser side
by the short strip.
SELECTING PASTELS
1. The sketch is drawn on the selected paper, a blue Canson Mi-Teintes. on the side with the heavier
texture.
3. Orange and red are used to represent the areas of shadow in this forest
2. Yellow contrasts strongly with the blue paper.
canopy. The contrast is strong, although the effect is less luminous.
9. Now that the entire scene has been laid out, the colors are darkened,
creating the highlights and the shadows of the treetops.
13. The warm colors create a strong contrast with the blue paper in this exercise painted by M. Braunstein.
Graphite
Combinations
T his exercise demonstrates a way of
working with graphite that consists
of alternating different grade pencils ac-
cording to the effect desired. For exam-
ple, a sketch can be done with an HB
pencil, but then the artist may progres-
sively switch to 2B, 5B, 8B, and a me-
dium-hard graphite stick. The final result
is an image that conveys a great feeling
of depth and outstanding modeling.
This simple still life will serve to illustrate how a drawing can be exe-
cuted with pencils and sticks of different hardnesses.
4. Once the background has been created with the graphite stick, the shading is dark-
ened with layers of vertical and oblique lines.
5. Tonal gradations arc applied in successive layers to represent the 7. A piece of paper is placed under the hand so it will not drag across the paper when
drawing detailed and specific lines and shadows.
atmospheric effect that surrounds the objects.
6 The first cruet is defined with pencil lines. The hatch-shaded back-
ground contrasts with the shading without hatching of the cruet, sulfate,
and doily.
8. The metal tray and the projection of its shadow are developed by alter-
nating the two pencils.
14. The shadows of the doily look darker once the drawing of the tray and the cruet is made final. This is the last step of the excellent exer-
cise, executed by Myriam Ferron, in which the various planes are differentiated in this realistic interpretation.
Landscape and
Shading without Lines
A landscape is the ideal theme for illustrat-
ing the technique of shading without visi-
ble hatching. The different planes that are
needed to convey the feeling of depth are cre-
ated with the intensity of the shading and the
intermediate values that result from using a
blending stick. Thanks to the 8B graphite pen-
cil, the results are immediate and convey in-
credible energy and harmony.
The artist will create a drawing that illustrates the technique of
shading without visible lines, based on this landscape.
CONTROLLING THE
case the pencilis essential. It is
LINE important to create light shading
that can be intensified by layering
For the technique of shad-
applications until the desired tone is
ing without hatch lines,
achieved.
mastery of the toolin this
LAYERING COLORS
When the artist works with
2. This first layer of color, which forms colored pencils, the strongest
part of the background that helps define tonal values are created
the space around the flowers, helps to lay through several applications of
out and to establish the location of the color.
flowers. First, the background is
applied very lightly until the
main theme, the flowers, is
well defined. Then the back-
ground is worked with darker
tones until the desired color is
achieved.
The artist does not begin to
model the flowers until the
background is completely fin-
ished. The successive layers of
different colors ultimately
represent the petals in a very
realistic and, at the same time, 3. Any layer of the same color, or a darker one that is applied over the
delicate way. first one, immediately becomes more intense. The artist also intro-
duces the highlighted areas of the vegetation using light greens on the
clear paper.
4. The shapes are defined and a few
permanent details arc introduced.
5. Dark colors and tones arc added over this base, indicating the
background, which will highlight the group of flowers.
THE DIRECTION OF
THE HATCHING
It is a good idea to apply
the hatching so it conforms
to the curves of the objects.
Modeling can be done by
following the direction of
the perspective lines. This
enhances the volumes and
conveys a strong sense of
depth in the drawing.
4. The modeling of the cup is done with curved strokes that attempt to
describe its volume.
1. The three objects arc drawn directly with the appropriate colors.
4. The folds of the cloth that hang over the table are suggested with a light
gray color.
12. With a little rubbing and a few final touches, M. Brunstein con-
cludes this still life with lemons.
SHORT LINES TO
Wax Crayon Lines for Texture CREATE TEXTURE
Many short lines end up creating
an optical mixture The richness of
If we compare the effect of a set of colors on white paper and another on black pa-
per applied over a layer of white crayon, we can see how they resemble stained
glass, which creates a very special look.
It is a good idea to practice the techniques that are going to be used.
4. All the buildings are painted, always with an effort to synthesize the
colors.
6. A sgraffito tool is used to describe the outline and the dark areas more
precisely.
7. Not all the details are outlined with sgraffito, only those required to
convey the feeling of an urban landscape.
8. Then, the artist can color over the
painting to lighten or darken it as
needed, "forgetting" about the original
color of the paper.
COMPOSITION FORMS
PRACTICAL PROTECTIVE The wrapper can be both- It can be useful to make your own
ersome when drawing. It pastel powder. Afterward, the different
ADVICE COVER colored powders may be mixed well or
can be partially or entirely
left unmixed. Making your own powder
To keep pastel sticks in Not all brands of pastel removed according to the is a good technique for creating color-
good condition, it is nec- sell their sticks with a requirements of the draw- ful streaks.
essary to store them in protective wrapper, but it ing.
compartments where they is a common practice.
will not touch each other. This protective wrapper
They are basically sticks fulfills several functions. IMPORTANT
made of pigment, and the For one, it keeps the stick
soft ones crumble quite from getting dirty. It also Special care must be
easily. Whenever two allows the pastel to be taken to avoid drop-
sticks come into con- tact, used without smudging ping or jarring all
they smudge each other the artist's fingers. And soft, semisoft, and
with their respec-tive col- finally, the wrapper helps hard pastels as well
ors. To avoid this, they are to bind the pastel dust on as pastel pencils.
kept in separate compart- the outside of the stick. The sticks will break,
ments. If it turns out that a and the broken lead
stick has been smudged in a damaged pencil
by another color, it can be Pastel slicks arc often protected will be exposed as
wiped off with a clean by a paper wrapper printed with the pencil is sharp-
cotton cloth. information about the color. Boxed assortments of pastels are usually protected
This is very useful when replac- ened. with foam padding. If you buy pastels individually, you
ing used-up colors. However, should provide similar padding to keep them from
the paper must be removed as bumping into or touching other colors.
the stick becomes smaller from
drawing and coloring.
There are special lead
QUALITY AND
HARDNESS
Colored pencil
leads are mixtures
that incorporate pig-
ments as the main
ingredient. The pig-
ments are bound with
kaolin and a small QUALITY AND and the semihard ones Many artists use this
amount of wax. This are better for coloring type of water-soluble
The colors can be bought results in a lead that HARDNESS
separately, building an large surfaces more or pencil to introduce ele-
is quite durable, with less uniformly. ments to contrast with
assortment of special tones Professional col-
and shades that should be the perfect hardness The leads of the the coloring done with
ored pencils are the
arranged in order and in for easily making a water-soluble colored conventional colored
only ones that color
relation to each other. sharp point. But the pencils are, without a pencils, which is nor
well. Several brands
wax in the lead and doubt, softer than the that intense.
offer assortments in
the presence of kao- semihard ones. As a
two grades of hard-
lin mean that the col- result, the intensity of
ness: the hard ones
ored pencils must be their colors is greater.
are used for very pre-
used for lines and
cise drawings,
hatching, and color-
ing that will not be as
intense as that of
other media.
This operation is re-
peated very often, since
LEADS the pencil wears down
quickly when doing a
lot of coloring.
There are also colored
leads of differ ent widths.
Only the thickest can be
used without a lead
holder. The thinnest, 1/64
inch (0.5 mm) in diameter,
can be used for very pre-
cise drawings and requires
a special lead holder be-
Colored pencils are made with different lead sizes. The cause of its size.
hard or semihard ones will have a thinner lead and the
case will be hexagonal. Water-soluble pencils are thicker Some detailed lines re-
and are normally cylindrical. There are also hard pencils quire making the point
with very thick leads. Pencils of different grades of with a craft knife, since
hardness color lightly. The the point will be longer
water-soluble pencil (A) can and stronger than one
color quite intensely, the me- made with a sharpener.
dium -hard pencil (B) with less
intensity, and the hard pencil
ASSORTMENT
AND ORDER
If you have a box, it is
easy to put each pencil
back in its corresponding
COLOR limitations of mixing spot after using it to keep
the pencils well organized.
SHARPENING
ASSORTMENTS colors with pencils. the base thicker, so it
The professional However, when drawing a will not need to be sharp-
brands also sell individ- particular subject or Professional brands of ened as often.
Boxed sets of col-
ual pencils, as seen in model, you may find it colored pencils have
ored pencils contain high quality wood cases
from 12 basic colors the catalogues of Caran helpful to choose only the
D'Ache, Rexel Cumber- colors that will be needed that make it easier to
in a small box to ten
land, Berol, Faber Cas- rather than sort through sharpen the lead. A
times that, 120 colors,
tell, Schwan, and Pris- the entire box. They sharpener makes a uni-
in the largest assort-
macolor. This makes it should be placed in order form, conical point, but a
ments. A box of 48
possible to personalize on the table or in another craft knife can be used to
pencils is enough to shape a longer point
make a full-color your colored pencil box. This way, it is easier
assortment. to select the right colored while keeping
drawing while avoid-
ing the typical pencil while drawing.
idea to practice and get to
Wax Crayon and Oil Pastel know the characteristics of
each one before drawing with
them. It is also important to
CHARACTERISTICS not produce powder, but WHITE run out in the middle
OTHER
flakes. However, doing this of a drawing. White
Any crayon will is a way to create some crayons can be bought TECHNIQUES
A lot of white
break relatively easily if immediate texture effects. separately or in boxes
crayon is used in a Although this book
it is applied with too of 12.
drawing. White is addresses only dry
much pressure to the
A BOXED OR used for reserves and media, it is impor-
paper or other sup-port.
PERSONAL also to lighten the
Even a new box will tant to point out that
ASSORTMENT tones of colors, and it
have pieces and rem- wax crayons, like
is important to have
nants of crayons after other grease-based
It is very important to several crayons so The color white is
the first drawing ses- pastels, have an oily
use professional quality you will not used often when
sion. They should be base similar to that
saved in the original wax crayons. The smallest drawing with wax
crayons. It is a good of oil paint and can
crayon's slot. box has 12 colors, and the
idea to buy several be used as a wet
The outside of the largest 75. Crayons arc
also available individually, sticks, or even a box technique when
crayon melts easily of them. mixed with a solvent
from the warmth of the allowing the artist to as-
semble a personal palette. like turpentine or
artist's hand. In addi-
This material is very af- mineral spirits.
tion, the compo-sition
of the crayons will fordable, so we recom-
cause two crayons in mend putting together a
contact to smudge each large assortment of colors.
other very easily. It is The beautiful colors in the
very common for this to resulting work of art are
happen. Unlike other more than worth the cost of
dry media, such as the crayons.
graph-ite and colored
pencil, scraping a
crayon will
Paper
P aper is the most common support
used when working with dry media.
There are many appropriate papers;
even papers that are meant for wet tech-
niques can be used. The only essential
requirement for a paper to be a good
support is for the particular medium to
adhere well. There is a large-selection of
colored papers. Besides the special col-
ored papers for dry media, there are
wrapping papers and recycled ones that
have unique neutral tones and interest-
ing textures.
Special drawing papers are sold in the form of sketchbooks and blocks, and
paper made for use with wet media can also be used with dry media.
FABRIC OTHER SUPPORTS Rigid plastic and glass glass to better show
are other options for the characteristics of
Primed fabric for paint- Styrofoam is a very the media and the col-
drawing. The surfaces
ing with oils or acrylics WOOD interesting material for ors of the drawing
of both should allow
has a special characteris- creating decorative ef- made with wax
wax crayons and some
tic; it has a coat of dry It is possible to draw fects. This support is crayon. A drawing
grease pencils to ad-
paint over which these on wood, MDF ideal for drawing with made on this type of
here. A white sheet of
paints can be applied (medium density fiber- wax crayons. It is not support requires good
paper should be placed
directly. Despite the board), chipboard, and necessary to apply much conservation; that is, it
underneath transparent
primer, the fabric has a plywood. It is impor- pressure, but try to soften should be matted and
plastic and
heavy, medium, or even tant that the wood fin- the wax with the heat framed.
fine texture. Drawing on ish does not contain from your hands, because
a primed fabric results in varnish, wax, or oil so the hardness of the me-
textural effects from the that any dry medium dium could damage the
surface of the fabric and that is used will adhere Canvas boards arc very practical
surface of the Styrofoam. supports. They do not give way
the white of the primer. well.
CANVAS BOARD when drawn on since the board
makes them rigid, and they weigh
Strokes of vine charcoal, sanguine crayon, pastel, and wax Fabric mounted less and occupy much less space
crayons show the textures of a fabric with heavy texture (A) on cardboard is than fabric mounted on a stretcher.
and another one with a finer texture (B). lighter than can-
vas on stretchers.
Most oil and
acrylic artists use
canvas boards
only for unimpor-
tant works,
sketches, and
color notations
because the fab-
ric cannot be
stretched on a
conventional
frame. However,
canvas board is a
perfect support
for drawing with
dry media be-
cause it is rigid
and easy to draw
on.
Sketch Boards WOOD
A wood sketch board
A lightweight paper
on a piece of corru-
gated cardboard can
be shaded using the
lines in a horizontal
or vertical direction to
create contrast effects.
DIMENSIONS CARDBOARD
The dimensions of Very thick and rigid
the sketch board cardboard can work
should exceed those of perfectly well as a
the paper being used sketch board. If you are
for the drawing. Space drawing directly on a
should be left on all cardboard support
four sides around the rather than on paper, a
drawing to hold the sketch board may not be
sketch board without needed. A cardboard
smudging the drawing sketch board can be
while working on it. A very handy for small
good rule of thumb and intermediate-sized
would be about 2 drawings. Drawings can
inches (5 cm). If the easily be done in
sketch board is too sketchbooks that have a
large it will be uncom- thick cardboard back-
fortable to work with; ing, which acts as a
therefore, it is a good sketch board, and a spi-
idea to have several ral or glued edge that These examples of colored pencil (hard and soft) and graphite pencil (hard and
sketch boards of dif- holds the paper in the soft) on lightweight paper illustrate the effects created by drawing on supports
ferent sizes. sketchbook. with two different textures.
TEXTURE OF THE
through, so it is not
SKETCH BOARD necessary to use a
perfectly smooth
It is a good idea to board.
use a very smooth sup Paper for drawings
port to keep a drawing done in graphite or
under control, espe- colored pencil does
cially in the begin- not have to be very
ning. Later, experi- heavy. Besides, the
ence will show that lines and details can
the characteristics of be seen better with
each drawing and the lighter paper. On a
paper must be taken light enough paper,
into consideration the texture of the
when choosing a sketch board can be
sketch board. For ex- seen, and it can be
ample, a heavy paper used to good effect in
will not let the texture the final drawing.
of the surface of the
sketch board show
Coloring with a blue crayon shows the different textures made by different supports:
above, two corrugated cardboards and a smooth one; below, two wood boards and a wall.
E
stable. Remember that the
asels and drawing boards arc very useful tools be-
rear leg must be very
cause they make the artist's work easier. There is no securely set.
set standard, but easels are usually used for drawing
with dry media, oil pastels, and graphite sticks, while the
drawing board is used for drawing with graphite and col-
ored pencils. In reality, it is a matter of being as com-
fortable and accurate as possible when making the
drawing.
A simple inclined
board is ideal for
small-format draw-
ings.
SPONGES BRUSHES
There is a large Any brush can be
variety of natural and used for blending or
artificial sponges. rubbing. All brushes
Their most important from the soft ones up
characteristics when to the very hardest
used for blending and onescan be used
rubbing are their soft- with dry media. A
ness or roughness and brush with very stiff
their particular tex- bristles must be used
Blending sticks are designed to be used for rubbing and blending. But cotton swabs and sim-
ple cotton balls trill create somewhat different effects when used for the same purpose. ture. They should be with grease-based me-
tested on a separate dia in order to move
paper before use on it on the paper.
BLENDING STICKS and the side of the cone- COTTON the final drawing to
shaped point for larger ascertain the effect
The blending stick is areas. The width of the Cotton in all shapes
and forms can be used they will produce.
a tool that can both blending stick will depend
blend and rub. It is a on the size of the area that to blend and rub any of
piece of paper that is is to be blended. the dry media, except
rolled into a cylinder This tool gets dirty-as for the hard colored
shape. It conies in dif- soon as it is used. It is a pencils.
ferent widths, from 3/4 good idea to have several A cotton towel is not
blending sticks, using one just for cleaning your
inch (2 cm) in diameter
for each type of medium
to the thinnest, barely hands; if used correctly,
( c h a r c o a l , s a n gu i n e
1/8 inch (3 mm). The crayon, and so forth) so it can also be a drawing
thickest blending sticks that media will not mix tool. A cotton ball can
usually have a point on and accidentally smudge be very useful for work-
each end. The thinnest the drawing. ing with powdered me-
are usually shorter so dia, and a cotton swab
they will be more resis- can be used for very
tant to bending and detailed and accurate
breaking. They often work.
have a point on just one
end.
When blending, the
point is used for details
A cotton towel or a piece of a towel can become the perfect tool for
blending.
HOW TO
MAKE A TOOL
Devising personalized
tools specially designed to
create a textural effect can
be left to the imagination of
each person. There are an
endless number of materials
that can be used for this
purpose: straw, a scrubbing
pad, Styrofoam, fine twigs,
a cork, and so on. Once tied
together to use for blending,
they can even be attached to With a little imagination The textures created by
a handle. all sorts of materials can blending with a hand-
be used to make tools for made tool are usually
blending and rubbing. very interesting.
ATTACHING THE holds the paper much a 30-degree angle from the
SUPPORT TO better, but care must be- line of the yet-to-be re-
THE BOARD taken not to damage the moved tape.
paper when removing the Thumbtacks make holes
tape. It helps to have in the paper unless they are
There arc several
ways of attaching the
tape that has been previ- inserted next to the edge of ATTACHING THE
paper to the sketch ously used on another the paper so that the head BOARD TO THE
board; the best way surface, like a table, so holds the paper in place.
that some of the adhesive This technique, however, is The easel should bead
depends on each
has come off. Special not secure enough when justed to the height of the
drawing. There is a large
care must be taken when making hard and quick work. The artist's eyes
assortment of clips that
removing the masking strokes, shading, and color- should more or less be at
do not damage the paper.
It is important to have tape after the drawing is ing. the middle of the paper.
some that will hold paper finished. It should be The position really de-
removed little by little, pends on the artist, but it is
that is somewhat smaller
folding the tape back and a matter of being able to
than the sketch board on
keeping it at about reach the top part of the
all sides. Masking tape
paper to draw without too
much effort. At the same
time, the artist should be
able to reach the bottom
part without bending over.
The board is attached to
the easel and tilted to the
required working angle.
All of the nuts and screws
must be tightened to avoid
unwanted movement.
The kinetic effect that accentuates the sense of movement is very expressive. It is
one application of the highlighting technique.
Charcoal is so volatile that it should be fixed not only when the drawing is completed
but even between sessions. A fine coating of the fixative is applied from a distance of
about 6 to S inches (15-20 cm) in a well-ventilated space.
Sanguine and
Modeling
S anguine crayon and sanguine pencil can
be used for drawing and coloring. A
drawing made with a single color is mono-
chromatic. White chalk can also be used for
making highlights. However, greater contrast
can be achieved by using regular sanguine
along with sepia for blocking in the shadows
and making the modeling more dramatic.
These are the darkest times that can be achieved with sanguine.
SANGUINE AND
THE FIGURE The blocking in of the figure
serves as a guide until outlines
The subject that makes best defining the forms arc added.
use of sanguine's potential is, This can be done on a piece of
without a doubt, the human fig- scratch paper or on the final
ure. The tonal range of sanguine drawing itself.
or sepia on white paper, or even
on cream-colored paper, is capa-
ble of creating the chiaroscuro
effects that are required to ex-
press the volumes of the figure's
forms. On white paper the differ-
ent tones are seen as semitrans-
parencies, while colored paper
has the added effect of optically
mixing the tonal range with the
color of the paper.
When the paper has a heavy
texture, the sanguine color is
really an optical mixture that
highlights the paper's color. But
blending and rubbing reduces or The first coloring
removes the effect of the texture. is light and re-
sponds to the
need for locating
the areas of light
and shadow. The
can be done over
the lightly drawn
sketch or directly
on blank paper.
INTERPRETATION
AND STYLE achieve the constant
goals of form and tonal
Expert draftspeople eventu- value.
ally develop a style that is ap- In reality, when an
propriate for them. They have a artist is capable of sub-
particular way of approaching stantially and deliber-
their work, a special touch in ately modifying the rep-
their coloring, a way of apply- resentation of a model, it
ing blending and all the other is a clear indication of
effects and techniques. his or her know-how, the
A personal style does not result of a lot of practice.
always result in an interpreta-
tion; it can also be applied to a
very realistic rendering. Be-
sides, an interpretation does not
require developing a personal
style, because the rendering can
be modified to
IS BLENDING
FIRST CONTRASTS NEEDED?
When the color is first Why does an artist de-
applied, contrasts between cide to blend? We know
the tones and the color of that there are several rea-
the paper begin to appear. sons, but it is also possible
But strong contrasts are to complete a drawing with-
created only by coloring out using the technique.
darkly. When making a Although there are vari-
dark, consistent tone or a ous reasons for the choice,
generally dark graduation it it is good to take into ac-
is important to know ex- count this point of view: A
actly where to put it. The drawing that is not blended
first light-colored areas, in is perceived as clean and
which the risk is not too precise. As soon as blending
great, are good guides or takes place, the drawing
references. begins to look dirty. If the
decision is made to blend,
the technique must be used
to achieve good results.
Blending should be applied
only where it is really
needed to ensure contrasting
textures.
Drawing with
Chalk
F ull-color drawings can be made with
chalk. However, it is important to un-
derstand drawing techniques and how to
use different colors to model the forms
being represented. An assortment of col-
ored chalk, always smaller than that of
soft pastels, is a good place to start. Ac-
tually, chalk is basically hard pastel, the
perfect entry-level medium to use before The achromatic value system relates different tones of charcoal; with chalk, both
tones and color systems are required.
moving on to more involved work with
soft pastels.
MONOCHROMATIC
DRAWINGS
DRAWING WITH CHALK AND
COLOR CHARCOAL Another simple way to be-
come familiar with chalk is to
Line is the primary tech- It is recommended that one investigate the possibilities of
nique tor drawing with learn to draw with vine char- drawing with a tonal range based
chalk, and the same is true coal because it is an achro- on a single color that is high-
for charcoal and sanguine. matic medium, and then move lighted with white.
Any part of the stick will on to sanguine, which is This consists of the tonal
work for coloring. Some monochromatic. Complica- range of the chalk's color on the
chalk is softer than others, tions increase with chalk be- paper, the tonal range of the
and drawings made with cause we progress to full-color white, which can be seen only on
chalk look more powdery. challenges. colored paper, and the tonal
Since chalk is a hard One way to understanding range between the selected color Chalk can be
pastel, it does not have the this level of complexity is to and the white in a mixture or used to make
same amount of pigment as do part of the drawing with expressive
overlay. lines. The
soft pastels, and it leaves vine charcoal, trying to repre- Blending and rubbing tech- width of a
less color on the paper. sent the greatest number of niques will increase the tonal single line
However, working with different possible tones. When ranges. can be varied
chalk is cleaner, since the moving on to coloring with by simply
light lines can be com chalk, you will see that be- twisting the
pletely eliminated with an cause the colors are flat the THE USES OF STICK crayon put-
eraser. drawing will progress rapidly. AND PENCIL ting more or
But when it is a matter of ex- less surface in
Applying different colors of pressing shades, the value sys- contact with
chalk will immediately show The pastel pencil has a hard the paper.
tem becomes one of colors and
the chromatic possibilities of pastel lead, and is therefore a
any quick sketch. tones.
chalk pencil. The crayon or
piece of a crayon can be used to
evenly color a dark or light area.
On the other hand, the pencil is
better for making hatching, the
simplest kind being parallel lines
that color an area of the paper.
Besides consistent coloring,
gradations can easily be made.
Because of the ability to control
the pressure of the medium on
the paper, it is easy to make gra-
dations of different intensities.
Gradations done with
pencil can be made light
or increasingly darker.
It is also possible to
create very light and
dark gradations with a
stick of chalk.
A quick sketch with blue and white chalk on a light blue paper shows the pos-
sibilities of depicting a subject with perspective. Drawing by M. Braunstein.
THE VALUE OF
GRADATING
A wide range can be created
with white chalk on colored pa-
per. Gradating, with its great
potential, creates the volumes of
the forms. Using a colored paper
changes the reference. In such a The impressive potential of
case, the darkest color (if we chiaroscuro, using just a white
discount the black used for chalk stick on gray paper, can
sketching, which is eliminated as he seen from the first marks.
the drawing is developed with
the white chalk) is the color of
the paper. All the tonal values
are created based on whether the The most intense white chalk
application of white chalk is lines arc used for the brightest
heavy or light. The light layers, areas. The gradations repre-
as well as the opaque and gra- sent all the values from light to
dated ones, should be applied dark because of the semi-
with purpose and confidence. transparent chalk on the gray
They are not repeated. This is the paper.
only way to create a clean, fresh
drawing.
ATTEMPTING A FULL
-COLOR DRAWING
This is how the pastel is held to make a long line. The pastel is held so that it can be fully controlled when drawing details.
Pastel Powder can
also be used for
drawing.
1. The first layer made with blue is quite even. 3. A second layer is applied by "scribbling " over the first with a
lighter blue.
2. Blending and rubbing with the fingers reduces the contrast. 4. Rubbing both blues will create a gradation that shows how a sky can
be created.
The sketch will
serve as a guideline
for the colors.
To create tonal
gradations, orange
is used to darken
the yellow, red for
the orange, and
carmine for the red.
CONSTANT FIXATIVE TO AVOID MIXING
EVALUATION Often a fixative can be used to prevent two
superimposed colors from mixing. Sometimes
A pastel artist applies overall col- the purpose of this is to avoid accidental mix-
ors, introduces shading, lightens con- tures and other times to preserve the crisp and
trasts, creates new ones, draws out- clean outline of a colored area.
lines, makes touch-ups, corrects, adds The fixative is sprayed over the color and
highlights, and so on. It is a process then left to dry out completely. This way, when
of constant evaluation to make sure the next color is applied over it, the colors will
that each color that is introduced cre- not mix with each other.
ates the desired effect and to decide if It is important to remember that the fixa-
further work is needed.
tive should be applied in thin layers, sprayed
quickly, without stopping in one particular area.
The carmine color provides a CHOOSING A The fixative should dry thoroughly, because
greater sense of depth and COLOR PALETTE wet paper is easily damaged. Finally, fixative
contrast when it is used to
should be applied only where it is needed, leav-
darken red or to adjust sepia. Although the subject suggests ing a last, general application for when the
the pastel colors that should be drawing is finished.
CONTRASTING used, it is normal to introduce a
different contrasting color that is
FORMS not present in the model. This is The bottom layer was not
It is easy to represent a done to enhance the drawing. treated with fixative; there-
building, a boat, or a figure An exercise that demonstrates fore, the colors are mixed.
that stands out as a silhou- the unlimited possibilities of pas-
ette against a lighted sky. tels consists of forming small
Sepia is a very dark color groups of juxtaposed colors. Lin-
that complements the warm ing up pastel sticks and pieces
tonal range of the sky in this shows the colors and tonal con-
sunset. To create a lighter trasts that arc available; the artist
mixture, we simply combine can decide if a color should be
this color with burnt sienna, darkened or lightened with another
which is also a neutral color. one, evaluate the effect of pure The bottom layer
A strong contrast is cre- colors against neutral ones, and was treated with
ated by painting with sepia ponder their contrast and defini- fixative, so the
tion. second color
over the gradated colors of does not mix
the background. A few ex- Going back to our model, this
exercise helps with the selection of with the first.
pressive lines are sufficient
to represent the bare trunk colors beyond the obvious ones, note of color, and enriches
and branches. But the details since some can only be created by the work; using pastel draw-
of the treetop need to be gradation and blending, a result ing techniques, the artist can
rubbed to spread the dark that may not be so obvious. The create the colors that are
color that will create the presence of these colors creates found in the model. The colors that form these columns
impression of a different contrast, adds another are proof of the unlimited number
texture. of combinations in which colors can
be arranged to create either con-
trast or harmony.
Graphite
Techniques
T he basic techniques of graphite are line
and shading, with or without visible
hatching. Other approaches can be used as
To draw a small de-
well, such as pointillism or divisionism, and tailed outline, hold the
even scribbling. These techniques are not all pencil the same way as
for writing.
used at the same time in the same drawing;
the artist must decide which technique best
suits his or her vision. DRAWING WITH very thin line without ever
THE GRAPHITE STICK being too dark.
Graphite sticks arc espe-
The line technique is usu- cially suitable for very light
ally reserved for drawing out- and very dark wide lines.
lines. The result depends on the When the artist learns how to
presentation. Therefore, it is go from thick to thin, from
important to practice with the dark to light, and so on, the
graphite pencil and stick until outlines can be very repre-
their respective properties have sentative of the forms.
been mastered. Lines created with a
Graphite pencils can be graphite stick are similar to
used to draw detailed outlines those done with charcoal.
and very thin lines. A soft lead However, the characteristics
can produce lines that are of a soft graphite stick are its
darker and somewhat thicker, typical shiny finish and the
A very soft graphite pencil can be A graphite stick produces but a hard lead can maintain a very dark tones, which do not
used for lines ranging from light wider lines than a pencil docs. smear like charcoal, resulting
to very dark. It can be used for light to very in a much more stable draw-
dark lines as well. ing.
HOW TO HOLD
THE FIRST LINES THE TOOL
At the beginning, it is hard to The way the tool is held
draw long lines with one continu- is indicative of the results
ous stroke. Insecurity forces the desired. Therefore, to create
artist to draw small short lines a detailed outline, hold the
that together show the right direc- graphite pencil the same
tion. It is important to practice way you would for writing.
with several exercises to become However, to draw a longer
proficient at handling the pencil line, hold the pencil by
and to be able to draw a continu- pressing the four opposing
ous long line with confidence. fingertips against the thumb.
The index finger exerts the
pressure that guides the pen-
cil. This way of holding the
Some long lines are more easily tool is similar to the way a
drawn by holding the pencil with charcoal bar is held to make
all the fingers and the opposing long lines.
thumb. The end of the pencil is
directed toward the palm.
The first lighter lines define the most
important elements. The subsequent
fines, now heavier and drawn with
Realistic results can be confidence, define the artist's interpre-
achieved by drawing free- tation by creating a relationship be-
hand without preliminary tween the shapes and the spontaneous
sketch. and suggestive scribbles.
IN SEARCH OF
THE OUTLINE RHYTHM
Shading can be
done by drawing
with very visible
When shading is done with
gradations, a perfect feel-
ing of volume is achieved.
To create a gradation that covers a very large area of the paper, the
application can be as wide as permitted by the stroke. Then a second
lighter shaded area is drawn right next to the first, darkened by
shading repeatedly until it resembles the first area.
GRADATIONS AND light and shadow using chiaro- GRADATIONS WITH A gradation may or may
RUBBING GRAPHITE scuro. The effect of the gradated GRAPHITE not show visible lines. In that
tones is enhanced by rubbing, case, it progresses from the
which evens out the graphite, lightest to the darkest tone
To model the volumes, the A gradated effect is
repairing tonal gaps and adding gradually, without sudden to-
artist can create gradations with achieved by progressing
new values. nal jumps and without visible
graphite and rub them as needed. from a light tone to a
lines.
Graphite, either in stick or pencil, darker one in several steps
However, a gradation made
is an ideal medium for creating without gaps between
with visible lines is perceived
gradations that represent the them.
through optical mixing, which
forms with their respective areas Each graphite tool pro-
is a function of how close to-
of duces distinct characteristic
gether the lines are drawn.
results. Since the darker
The contrast between dif-
tones are obtained with soft
ferent gradations is another
leads, the darker overall
element that can be introduced
gradations are created with
to model forms and to differ-
soft graphite in stick or
entiate planes.
pencil form. The harder
version of the graphite, on
Tonal gradation means creating shading that goes from light to dark without any tonal
gaps: with a stick (the overall tone is intermediate), with a soft pencil (the tone is more the other hand, produces
intense and can be darker), and with a hard pencil (the general tone is light). lighter gradations overall. GRADATIONS THAT
COVER VERY LARGE
AREA
C olored pencils arc the ideal tool for A defective sharpener easily make it darker.
breaks the tip and should be dis-
creating colorful work. The basic carded. Besides, a point that has
technique is the line, the same as with WATCH FOR WRINKLES
been made with a sharpener has ON THE PAPER
graphite, although shaded areas are re- an even, conelike shape that
placed by colored areas. But the effects wears out faster than a tip sharp-
ened with a knife or with a blade. A blunt tip or vigorously drawn
produced by colored pencils go well be- This irregular point can be left lines can leave wrinkles on the
yond the possibilities offered by mono- thicker at the base, which makes paper that can become more no-
chromatic drawing. Colored pencils can it more durable. It can also be ticeable with subsequent coloring
made longer so it will not have to sessions because the most raised
produce richly colored work, which can parts absorb all the color and the
be sharpened as often.
be an exact rendering of the real model indented areas none at all. This
or modify and even improve on it. effect, when it happens by acci-
dent, can ruin the results of the
drawing; therefore, it is important
A pencil sharpener whose to avoid it. As a general rule, it is
blade is dull or damaged better not to apply too much pres-
should be avoided because it sure on the paper; it is preferable
can easily break the lends of to layer the colors if they need to
the pencils.
be darkened.
A tonal range can be created with any color. It is important to relate it to the tonal
values of the monochromatic range.
THE SECRET OF
MODELING
The gradation technique
guarantees a volumetric ex-
pression. As we have seen
earlier, the most illuminated
area is represented with the
white of the paper and the
lightest gradation. The shaded
area, on the other hand, corre-
sponds to the darker gradation.
A gradation where the lines
are visible reinforces the feel-
ing of depth because the direc-
tion of the lines is used to en-
hance the dramatic effect of
the vanishing lines of the
forms and volumes. For vol-
umes with flat sides, straight
lines that converge at the van-
The texture of the pa-
ishing point can be used. Arcs
per adds an important
arc suitable for cylindrical artistic element to the
shapes, and circles for the coloring process be-
spheres. This effect can be cause it produces a
created with monochromatic The volume of a cup is repre- dramatic gradated
sented with evenly applied colors
tones when a single color is effect.
combined with gradations and
used. A one-color gradation some lines.
can be darkened with black, or COLORED PENCILS AND COLLAGE
as will be seen later, the result Drawing with colored pencils over a collage pro-
can be enhanced with a full- duces outstanding results. The layering of different
color drawing. In any case, the papers has defined the planes and the outlines of
basic technique is always the It is possible to create gradations the forms; colored pencils produce dramatic effects
gradation. with any soft, medium, or dark by creating textures that introduce contrast and op-
color tone. tical mixtures. Each colored paper with its particular
texture introduces nuances, which become a source
of enrichment.
This type of drawing lends itself to gradations or
the use of solid colors, and to practicing line tech-
niques, with outstanding results.
COMMERCIAL NEU-
TRAL COLORS
The gradation used to rep-
resent the wall in the back- With a commercial neutral
ground gives a sense of color, the need for mixing is
depth to the composition, greatly reduced and the color
and at the same time de- needed is easily obtained. It is a
fines the areas of light and matter of exploring the possibili-
shadow. ties of ochre, earth tones,
browns, greens, grays and so on.
The color obtained from mix-
ing a commercial neutral color
with any pure color will also be
neutral. With this approach, the
desired shade is very easily ob-
tained and a light application of
the color will produce the de-
sired effect immediately. In ad-
dition, these colors can be inten-
sified by additional application
until the appropriate tone is
achieved.
Shading can be created with
The range of colors pro- a gray pencil, which, as with
duced from commercial white, must be applied over an-
neutral colors and the neu- other color, fusing with it and
tral colors created by layer- darkening it to represent the
ing go very well with the areas of shade.
blue tones.
WORKING THE PALETTE
The neutral color technique demon-
In addition to using com- strated by Oscar Sanchis is based on
mercial neutral tones, it is bet- the use of complementary colors and
ter not to layer primary colors optical mixing.
to make "black." A black col-
ored pencil creates a very dark
black that cannot be repro- Although orange and
duced by superimposing col- violet are not direct
ors. It is a good idea to use it complements of each
for introducing heavy con- other, they contrast
trasts. strongly.
Layers of sepia or Prussian
blue can be used instead of
magenta and cyan to obtain the
darker colors more easily.
However, these are not the
only options available; we
recommend working with the
palette to become acquainted
with it.
CREATING HARMONY
WITH COLORED PENCILS
The three most impor-
tant harmonic ranges are
warm, cool. and neutral.
Therefore, commercial col-
ored pencils are also di-
vided into three groups:
warm, cool, and neutral.
Layering warm colors re-
sults in warm colors as
well. This indicates that
working exclusively with a
single group guarantees
complete color harmony,
which can be warm, cool,
or neutral.
To introduce a certain
variation or to establish in-
teresting contrasts, cool
colors are used opposite
warm colors, for example,
or warm colors against a
mainly cool palette, as well
as contrasting a warm with
a cool broken spectrum.
And there are many other
possibilities that the artist
may want to introduce
that are visually pleasing.
When the color of the paper is yellow, Blue and yellow are comple-
blue and carmine look very dark. mentary to each other, and
together they create a strong
visual contrast.
Possibilities and Limitations of TONE AND AMOUNT
Producing secondary and
Wax Crayons tertiary colors from primary
colors requires the application
of one over the other. The tone
Rubbing wax cray- M. Braunstein painted Still Lightly applied wax does not com-
ons spreads and Life with Pears on white paper pletely cover the paper.
mixes colors and with a rough texture, using a
tones.
heavy impasto technique.
BASIC WAX CRAYON EASY COLORING
TECHNIQUES The crayon is held like a
The entire side of the writing instrument when
The basic techniques for crayon can be used for color- drawing details, but the end
ing. In this way, it is very easy is directed toward the palm
wax crayons arc line and col- of the hand.
oring. It is important to be- to cover large areas of paper in
come used to the size of the a short time. Because of this,
crayons and to practice holding wax crayons arc the ideal me-
them for making lines and col- dium for making large-format
oring. If you wish to make posters.
light lines or areas of color you The crayon can be broken
apply only a small amount of for coloring with narrower
pressure to the paper. To draw strokes. The applications of
more intensely, you must press color arc made using circular
much harder. motions, or using strokes that
follow the direction indicated The crayon is held this
by the perspective (horizontal, way, lea ring the whole
vertical, lines of perspective). point free for coloring a
CHARACTERISTICS Many repeated lines in the large area, so that the
fingers do not interfere
OF THE LINE same area create intense color-
with the strokes.
ing without visible lines. Thus,
The crayon is held like a it is easy to make flat areas of
writing instrument to draw- color, which is, without a
details with short strokes. doubt, one of the most widely
These outlines, however artis- used techniques.
tic, have their limitations, be-
ing thicker compared to lines To make a long line, the
made with other media. This The long side crayon is held between the
characteristic influences the of the crayon is thumb and middle finger,
results and limits the medium's very useful. while the index finger
abilities to create a representa- controls the point and
tion. keeps the crayon from
Consequently, the resulting breaking.
works are always a synthesis.
This requires the artist to ana-
lyze the model to eliminate
superfluous details because
they cannot be represented. On
the other hand, the artist can
decide which details are essen-
tial to the drawing: which de-
tails can be represented with
crayons using a few lines and
especially with coloring that
defines the forms.
Long lines are made by
holding the wax crayon be-
tween the thumb and the mid-
dle finger, supporting it with
the index finger. The pressure
must be controlled when draw-
ing so that the crayon will not
break.
To orate an opaque gradation you need only apply white crayon over a grada-
tion of another color. there is much less darkening
of the tones and of the grada-
LIGHT GRADATIONS RUBBING WAX tion in general.
AND OPACITY CRAYONS By rubbing, a directional
effect can be created. This is
To create a gradation, begin This technique is without a useful when indicating rays
by applying a light tone to the doubt one of the most striking be- of light or the folds of fabric.
paper, then adding intermedi- cause of its effects. The oily wax When it is a matter of creat- Two light tones of one
ate tones until arriving at the medium melts and spreads with the ing an area of consistent color where the white
most intense. This is a semi- heat of the fingertip and friction. color, you should rub with has mixed with the over-
laid color can be rubbed
transparent gradation, since the Rubbing light and dark tones small circular or up-and- with the fingertip to
tones are perceived because of causes them to darken. down motions, going over create an even more
the white of the paper. The effect of rubbing is in- the same areas several times. intimate fusion. An
If you wish to construct an creased when used with an opaque For example, to indicate a opaque gradation of
opaque gradation, it is enough gradation made with white crayon. prominent area on a pitcher, white and another color
to apply an even layer of white This is because the particles of the you should rub the area of can also be rubbed.
crayon over the gradation. overlaid colors already have been the reflection with a circular
somewhat melted. The rubbing motion.
completes this fusion and
A tonal range, a gradation, and the results of rubbing on color paper.
A tonal range and a gradation made with blue and white on color paper.
The use of ochre is essential for creating these green tones. Drawing
by M. Braunstein.
DIFFERENT
RESULTS
The difference is obvious
when comparing manufactured
colors to the secondary and
tertiary colors mixed by the
artist. Using the wide range of
wax colors will produce
cleaner and more trans-parent
colors, and allow more versa-
tility in techniques, besides the
dirtier colors that result from
mixing, an outline that is
mixed requires two overlap-
ping lines, which lessens their
artistic expression.
GRADATIONS
BETWEEN PRIMARY
COLORS
The colors that arc applied first arc those that will be exposed
when the sgraffito technique is applied to the second layer, which
is the black color.
Figueras paper has a texture and a finish that imitates fabric. These prop-
erties make it a very suitable medium for painting with oils, and it provides
The result after sgraffito. The black layer makes the sgraffito difficult to a satiny finish that makes it possible to expose the white areas without the
do, so the work can be easier if lighted from behind, for example. Work need for white wax crayons.
by Marta Bru.
Dry Techniques HOW TO TELL
PASTELS APART
with Oil Pastel When two drawings are
compared, it is difficult to
E ven though oil pastels are not only a dry technique, they are
worth mentioning for their usefulness for creating sketches in
situ or for applying the first colors in an oil painting that will be con-
know which is wax and which
is oil pastel. But wax crayon
smear a lot easier than oil pas-
tels when rubbed with a finger.
tinued in the studio. The most common techniques for this medium The colors of oil pastels are
are lines and coloring, which can be applied evenly or through grada- much harder to blend.
tion, and blending. Oil pastels are not used as the end procedure; At first sight, lines or
instead, they are part of a phase that will ultimately require the use blocks of color created with
soft or semisoft pastels have a
of mineral spirits, which can be applied in conjunction with all the powdery finish that is very
techniques derived from oil painting, such as impasto, glazing, and different from grease-based
rubbing. pastels like wax and oil.
The six colors on the left are oil pastels.
Their lines are not that much different
from each other. The red stick is an oil WHAT TO DO WITH
pastel, the ochre is a wax crayon, and the OIL PASTELS
blue is a soft pastel.
Oil pastels can be applied
from very light to very intense,
either by coloring evenly or
through gradations, for which
white is needed. Also, two-
color and overall gradations
can be created by using several
colors that chosen among a
selection of a few values The
sample shows that colors in-
tensify through blending. In
fact, the same techniques used
with other pastels can be used,
although the results arc less
showy.
As with soft
pastels and
wax crayons,
oil pastels
can be ap-
plied lightly
or intensely.
This orange color is an exam- Two-color gradations, like this yellow and
ple of a light gradation. orange, can also be made.
In a small sketch, the width These two figures should be Quick sketches constitute a The first exercise approach-
of the charcoal line plays an drawn together and the ges- good exercise for practicing ing the figure is define some
important role. The texture in tures toward each other should contour lines. The shading is tonal value: Three or four dif-
this case can be used to inten- look credible. A way to create done very softlyjust enough ferent value are enough to ap-
sify the shaded area. a sketch of this type of subject to reinforce the impression of proximate the volume of the
is to block in both figures si- these contour lines. figure.
multaneously and shade them
with lines that are drawn in the
same direction, defined by the
light that shines on them. The The movement or the pose
unity in the shading process represented by a drawing
creates a visible relationship. composed of two figures
must be coherent.
This drawing of a
figure shows a
Depending on the size strong chiaro-
of the sketch, just a scuro, yet not
few charcoal lines many different
drawn with as many tonal values.
strokes are enough to
fill in the shaded
areas.
EXPRESSION WITH
CHIAROSCURO
A much more complete
study of a figure incorporates
gradations, which help model
the volumes. Abrupt tonal
changes are avoided whenever
possible by blending and
touching up.
The chiaro-
scuro in this
figure seen
from behind
illustrates
complete
mastery of
tonal values.
CONTRAST WITH
CHARCOAL PENCIL
AND WHITE CHALK
HIGHLIGHTS
Very dark black shading is
created with short charcoal
pencil lines, which are easy to
identify from the vine char-
coal lines of the basic drawing.
A few touches of white
chalk are sufficient to enhance
the reflection in the eyes and to
1. the sketch is better represent the dog's ex-
drawn freehand, pression. The same procedure
using only a few is used to create the volume of
references to es-
2. The intensity of the the tongue and the reflections
tablish the size.
first shading is very of the wet snout and mouth.
moderate. The color of the paper, a
dirty white, enhances the
white chalk lines used to draw
the texture of the dog's hair.
3. As the draw-
ing progresses,
now more deci-
sively, darker
rallies arc intro- 4. Rubbing a shaded area with a fin-
duced. gertip establishes intermediate values
and models the forms.
5. The drawing after all the shading 6. Areas of darker
has been applied. Rubbing and shading are defined
blending decrease the intensity of until the appropri-
the overall tone. ate contrast is
achieved without
the use of too much
layering.
9. At this point,
after an overall
evaluation of the
values and the
general feeling of
the hair has been
checked, M.
Braunstein con-
siders the drawing
completed.
8. A few touches
of white chalk
convey the ex-
pression of this
animal, as well
as the shiny
areas and addi-
tional details.
Landscape with Charcoal Powder BLENDING STICK
TECHNIQUE
and Blending Practically anything can be
drawn with a medium-sized
1. First, it is important to shade the entire paper by spreading the charcoal powder
over the surface with the blending stick.
4. To create contrast, the shaded areas are
darkened using charcoal powder and a blend-
ing stick.