Learning Objectives:
Students will learn how to use value and texture to create engaging images. Students will explore value to better understand its range.
Print / Download Friendly VersionMini-Assignments:
Conte can be a very fussy material. It does not erase well and when black and white conte are blended, the grey that is made is not very attractive. These mini-assignments are designed to help you get the most from the material.
1. Take a sheet of paper and crumple it up. Set it on a table and light it so that the shadows are not too harsh. In your sketchbook, use black conte to draw the sheet of paper. Focus on trying to draw the soft shadows; this will mean that you will have to control how hard you press down with the conte. Once conte is applied, it is very difficult to erase, almost impossible.
2. Using a sheet of grey paper or a brown grocery bag, draw the same piece of crumpled paper. This time however, use both black and white conte. Experiment with blending the conte with paper towels, rags, chamois and blending stumps.
3. Research vanitas and still life paintings and bring several printed black and white images to class.
Materials:
Toned Gray Drawing Paper, 18″ x 24″ or ink toned water color paper
Black and White Conte
Blending stumps and chamois
Kneaded eraser
Black and white image of your painting or your still life
Info:
Value is the range of dark to light present in a work of art. Most people start off only using a few different values, mostly in the middle gray range. By using a full range of values your drawings can become much more expressive.
Major Assignment:
Using a black and white image as reference, recreate the image focusing on value. The reference image should be a historical vanitas or still life painting or another image chosen by the student and approved by the professor. A vanitas painting is one that deals with the inevitability of death and makes the viewer aware of their mortaility. These paintings were used to remind wealthy patrons of their religious obligations, particularly to the church. They can also be used to remind us to enjoy life while we can.
Research:
Still Life Paintings
Vanitas Paintings
