The Ohio State University: Mansfield Campus

Value, Reading, Bullet Points and Drawing

For this homework assignment I needed to read a short article and create a drawing inspired by one of the works in the article.  I needed to write down five main points from in the article, for some of the points I also added some information that I have been taught previously about the subject.

  • A value scale is an effective way to consider what values to use in a drawing.
    • This could be a 9-step scale
    • A 5-step scale
    • Or really any number of steps, however humans can only see about nine different grey values in any one drawing, (meaning the most steps a drawing should have would be 9-steps)
  • Values that are closer together on the scale show less contrast when placed next to each other in a drawing which shows a “softer” shadow/shape.
    • Conversely values at opposite ends of the scale that are placed near each other in a drawing have high contrast, and will show a sharper/more defined shadow.
  • Value schemes
    • The visualization of the combination of values from the value scale
    • This (having a value scheme) helps to keep the drawing balanced, to make sure that no one part of the drawing unintentionally draws the viewers eye. Which would be  due to a section being (overall) too heavily at one end of the value scale.
  • Choosing where on the scale you want to start and end can also affect the overall feeling of a drawing.
    • Choosing values only on the higher end of the scale (the lighter values) will give a bright drawing that likely will have a “light” feeling.
    • Choosing values only on the lower end of the scale (the darker values) will give a shadowy drawing that likely will have a “heavier” feeling
  • Using different values from the scale and knowing how those values will fit together are what create “deeper” drawings
    • Value usage is how drawings gain depth, even when looking at just contour lines, there is still the difference in thinner and thicker lines which create that sense of value.

 

For my drawing, after I looked at the work done by Paule Vezelay I thought of a lava lamp, or more accurately the shapes the heated wax creates in the glycerin mixture which is found in lava lamps.  I looked up a couple inspiration images and drew my abstract shapes and shadows based on those images.


 

Firstly I would like to address the “textured” pencil lines that look different than all my other work posted thus far.  This texture is caused by the paper I am using, up until now I have been using a smooth(er) paper.  Without thinking when I went to do this drawing I grabbed a sheet of my watercolor paper which has a more textured surface to catch pigment in water.

I started my drawing with an ebony pencil to rough out my initial shapes and shadow lines, then I started with a 6B in my darkest areas.  Following with the 4B, 2B and finally B pencil for the other designated areas.  As a final step I also used the ebony to shade out and darken a couple parts.