Pen & Ink Drawing
Transcript of Pen & Ink Drawing
PEN&INKDRAWING
PEN&INKDRAWING
FRANKJ.LOHAN
DOVERPUBLICATIONS,INC.MINEOLA,NEWYORK
Copyright
Copyright©1981byFrankJ.LohanAllrightsreserved.
BibliographicalNote
ThisDoveredition,firstpublishedin2013,isanunabridgedrepublicationoftheworkoriginallypublishedbyContemporaryBooks,Inc.,Chicago,in1981underthetitlePen&InkThemes.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Lohan,Frank.[Pen&inkthemes]Pen&inkdrawing/FrankJ.Lohan.pagescm.ThisDoveredition,firstpublishedin2013,isanunabridgedrepublicationoftheworkoriginally
publishedbyContemporaryBooks,Inc.,Chicago,in1981underthetitlePen&InkThemes.Summary:“Aninspiringsourcebookforallskilllevels,thisguidehelpsartistsdiscoverawide
varietyofsubjectsandideasfortheirnextsketch.Morethan140oftheauthor’sowndrawingsincludepartiallyfinisheddetailsthatillustratehowtoachievethedesiredvisualeffects.Stimulatingtopicsincludenostalgicscenes,oldengravings,atmosphericeffects,photographs,landscapes,andlifeitself.”—Providedbypublisher.Includesbibliographicalreferences.ISBN-13:978-0-486-49715-0(pbk.)ISBN-10:0-486-49715-1(pbk.)1.Pendrawing—Themes,motives.2.Pendrawing—Technique.I.Title.II.Title:Penandink
drawing.
NC905.L632013741.2’;6—dc23
2012045736ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesbyCourierCorporation
497151012013www.doverpublications.com
Thisbookisdedicatedtoallthosewhoworktoacquireskillstheyadmireandwantfortheirown.
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter1:NostalgicSubjectsTheOldTimersOldRuralRouteTheOldHomeTownTheSteeleMillGrandRiverAvenueMcGeeHillBridgeTheOldSmithyOriginalBillboardGrandma’sHouseForgottenCoveredBridgesOldBuildingsYourFavoriteThingsProgress
Chapter2:SubjectsfromOldEngravingsLondonRiversideTheOldCheshireCheeseFromAlbrechtDurerAScratchboardBlizzardPortugueseFishermen
Chapter3:AtmosphericEffectsasSubjectsSundownEveningFoggyDay
Chapter4:SubjectsfromPhotographsBelowtheMillpondGreyfriarsChurchyardAbuSimbelColtPeopleintheNewspapersFogonCanneryRowCanadaGooseJuncoBodiamCastleStoneBarnThePastureAWordaboutPensMaineHarborBirchesElephantKinkaku-JiTempleMiyukiGateHighCountryCathedralRockNearSedonaJoshuaTreeYuccaPlantSaguaroCactusPanFishBleached
Chapter5:SubjectsfromLifeMilkweedPodsFieldGrassHemlockandJackPineFavoriteTreeChalet316FromthePorchRockyRiverSeedsandFlowersGargoyleWoodSpriteEarlySpringShrub
DownedTreeMushroomsandBoatMoorings
Chapter6:LandscapeSubjectsAroundtheLakeFoliageStepbyStepSunnyClearingBrookWithandWithoutFoliageEvergreenTypesBirdandFencePost
Chapter7:YourPointofDeparture
Bibliography
Foreword
Visualartisticexpressionisoneoftheoldestandmostenduringformsofcommunication.Constantchangesinsocialcustomsandcultureshavecoincidedwith—and,insomecases,followed—thetrendsofinnovativeartists.Fromthebeginning,theartisthasplayedanuniqueandindispensableroleinourlifestyles.Itisveryclearthatillustrativematerialandwrittencopyareextensivelyemployedinadvertisingtoproducesalesanduseofproductsandservices.Notsoreadilyapparent,however,isthefactthateachautomobile,appliance,fabric,carpet,andwall-coveringdesign,aswellasvirtuallyeveryproductweuse—evendowntotheplainlittlebuttononapieceofclothing—firstsawthelightofdayonanartist’sdrawingboard.Thosearethecommercialaspectsofart.Butwealsohaveavastarrayof
drawing,painting,andsculpturereflectingthepersonalartisticviewsofcountlessindividualswhoimmersethemselvesinthisuniversalformofexpression.Obviously,noteveryonedesirestoentertheartfieldonaprofessionaloroccupationallevel,butanyonecanlearntodraworpaintwithproperinstructionthatincludesfundamentallysoundgroundworkindrawingandtechniques.Fortunately,theknowledgeofmanyrecognizedartistshasbeenpreserved
throughinstructionalbooksdesignedtohelpthenovice,aswellasthemoreexperiencedartist,furtherdevelophisorhertalents.Itdoesnotholdtrue,however,thatallartistsaregoodteachers.Furthermore,notallteacherscanordowritebooks.FrankLohanisnotonlytechnicallyproficientwithpenandink,butalsoisa
metalsculptor,painter,engineer,and,veryimportantly,afineartteacher.Itisfortunate,indeed,thathehasfoundtimewithinhismostactivescheduletocalluponhisvariedexperienceanddisciplinestobecomeanauthor.Hisearlierbook,PenandInkTechniques,hasbecomeavaluableadditiontotheartlibraryasasourceofreferenceandinspiration.Convincedthatsharinghisideasinsuchamannercouldbenefitothers,hehas
beeninducedtowritethiscurrentvolume,PenandInkThemes.Init,FrankLohanagainuseshisexpertisetoguidethereadervisuallyandmethodically
throughyetanotherphaseofthatmostusefulandeffectivelinemedium,penandink.Healsoprovidesawealthofinformationonhisownapproachtolinearexpression,provingthatartisapersonalentitythatprovidesmanyavenuestoacommongoal.Enrichedbyinformative,concisetextandmorethanonehundredfortyofhis
illustrations,thebookreflectstheauthor’sphilosophythatdrawingcanandshouldbeamostpleasantactivity.Fromthestandpointofinstructionalvalue,PenandInkThemesexplainswith
claritythevariouswaystohandlesimpleaswellasmorecomplexsubjects.Someofthisinstructionstemsfrommaterialtheauthorhascompiledaslessons,demonstrations,andteachingaidsforhisstudents;theremainderwaspreparedspecificallyforthisbook.Underlyingeachinstructionalchapterarethebasicsofcompositionandthe
relationshipsofvalues,shapes,andthatall-importantwhitespace.Thereaderlearnswhattolookforandhowtochoosesubjectmatterfromtheenvironmentforinterestingtexturesandpictorialeffects.Thevalueofsketchnotesandtheuseofphotographsassupplementalreferencearediscussedfromseveralpointsofview.Thetechniquesdescribedinthisbookweretestedinactualclassroom
situationsandsurelywillbehelpfultostudent,experiencedartist,andartinstructoralike.Onpageafterpageofthisvolume,FrankLohan’sworkwillcaptureyour
imaginationsocompletelythatyouwilljusthavetoreachforthepen—andyouwillfinditdifficulttoputyourpenandpaperaside.Truly,PenandInkThemesisnotabookyouwillwanttoreadandplaceona
shelf.Rather,itwillbecomeafrequentlyusedsourceoflearningthatwillhelpyouimproveyourartisticskillsthroughpracticewithsubjectsitshowsyouhowtosee.FrankLohanusesaclear,concise,educationalpresentation.Hisenthusiasm
andloveforthecreativevisualartsclearlyshowthrough.
ArthurF.ChargoisBoyntonBeach,Florida1980
ProfessorChargoisformerlywasheadoftheCommercialArtDepartment,DuCretSchoolofArt
Introduction
”WhatshallIsketch?”Thisisaquestionmystudentsoftenaskaftertheyhavecompletedasemester
ortwoinoneofmyclasses,oncetheyhavelearnedthefundamentalsofworkinginpenandinkandbecomefamiliarwiththevarietyofimplementsandmaterialsavailable.Sourcesofinspirationforanyindividualartistareunlimited.InthisbookI
havetriedtopointtojustafewofmyowngeneralsourcesofinspiration—nostalgia,oldengravings,photographs,and,ofcourse,thatbestofallsources,lifeitself.WithintheselooselydefinedcategoriesIexhibitsomeofmypenwork;inmanycasessomepartiallyfinisheddetailsarealsodrawnsoyoucanseehowIproceededwiththesketch.Thisisatruehow-tobook,sinceIshowexactlyhowIdidit,therebyoffering
thereaderonewaytosketch.HowIdiditis,ofcourse,onlyoneofthemanywaysthesamethingcanbedonesuccessfully.AsIstatedintheintroductiontoPenandInkTechniques:
Yourtechnique,yourstyle,thatdistinctivewayyouhaveofmakingandarrangingthelines,dots,anddarkareasonthepaperwillevolveifyoureallyhavethedesireandifyoupersevere.
Someoneoncesaidthatnatureproduces,thatitisonlymanthatcategorizes.ThecategoriesaroundwhichIhaveorganizedthisbookarequitearbitraryand,ifanythoughtisgiventothem,rathermeaningless.Thisdoesnotmatteraslongastheyserveasacatalystbyplantingsomeseeds,someideasonwhereyoumightfindinspirationforsubjectmatter.Thesecategoriesaremeantsimplyasaframeworkonwhichtohangmyideasforyourconsideration.Whatshallyousketch?Idon’tknow.Butinthisbookareafewideasthat
mayhelpyouanswerthatquestion.Manytoolsandmaterialsareavailabletothepenandinkartist.Theyvary
widelyinpriceandconvenience.Ifyouareseriousaboutthemedium,youwilleventuallytrymostofthem.Manyofthesketchesinthisbookweredonewithseveraldifferentpens—aninexpensivecrowquillnibinanequallyinexpensiveholder,amoderatelyexpensiveartist’sfountainpen,andaslightlymoreexpensivetechnicalpen.ForsomeofthesketchesIusedjustoneofthesepens.
expensivetechnicalpen.ForsomeofthesketchesIusedjustoneofthesepens.Thesalespeopleinanywell-stockedartsupplystore(notyourcorner
drugstore)willbeabletoshowyouthevariouspens,inks,andpaperandadviseyouonwhatyouneedtobegin.Remember,ifyoureallybecomeinterestedinthismedium,youwillbebackforadditionalmaterial—sotheyareasinterestedinyoursuccessasyouare.Donotbeafraidtoaskforadviceandrecommendationsfromsalespeople.
Pens
Replaceablenibscomeinmanytypesanddegreesofstiffness.ThegoodoldcrowquillbyHuntorGillottorothermanufacturersisanexcellentcompromisebetweenstiffnessandflexibility.Itisquiteinexpensiveandyoushouldhaveseveraldifferentones,fromverysmallandsharptothosethatwilldrawawiderline.Usethemtopracticeandwork.Thesepointswillworkwithanyindiaink.Wipethemfrequentlyasyouusethemsotheinkdoesnotdryandcakeonthem.
Severalbrandsofartists’fountainpensareonthemarket.Thesepensspareyouthehassleofconstantlydippingthepointininkand,generally,theyhavereplaceablepoints.Theyaremoreexpensivethanthecrowquill,buttheconveniencemorethanmakesupfortheextracost.Artists’fountainpensusuallyrequireaninkmadespeciallyforthesepens.Itcostsjustafewcentsmorethantheotherinksbutwillnotdryupandclogyourpen.
Draftsmenusetechnicalpens,tubular-pointpensthathavenoflexibilityatallastolinethickness.Thesearefountainspensandareverywellsuitedforsketchingonceyoulearntoholdthemmoreperpendiculartothepaperthanyouwouldafountainpen.Theyalsorequirespecialinkthatismadeforthem.Myfavoritepointisa”000,”ortriplezero.Manyofthesketchesinthisbookweredoneusingonlythispoint.
Fine-pointfelt-tipornylon-tippenscanalsobeused,aswellasfinewatercolorbrushessuchasdoubleortriplezerosize.
Inks
Thereisawidevarietyofinks,somestrictlyforfountainpensandothersjustfornibpens.Therearewaterproofandnonwaterproofinks,aswellasinksofevery
nibpens.Therearewaterproofandnonwaterproofinks,aswellasinksofeveryimaginablecolor.ItisfunjusttolookthroughadisplayofcolorfulWinsorandNewtoninks.
Ninety-fivepercentofmyworkisdonewithblackink.Theremainingfivepercentisdonewithadarkbrownink(IlikeWinsorandNewton’speatbrown)onroughoff-whitewatercolorpapersuchas140-poundMorillaboard.
Notethatsomeinksaremadefor“film,”thatis,forsketchingonclearacetateormylarfilm.
Paper
Bristolboardisthecustomarypaperforink.Itisavailableinpadsorsheetsandinavarietyoffinishes.Iliketwo-plykidfinish.Watercolorpaperalsotakesinkwell.Iliketheinterestthataroughwatercolorpaperaddstocertainsubjects.
Youcansketchonvellum,aragtracingpaperthatisgreatforplacingdirectlyoveryourpencilsketchandgoingdirectlytoworkwiththeink.Youcanalsodothiswithclearacetate,butbesuretouseaninkthatismadeforworkingonfilm.Sincetheacetateisnotporous,theinkneedsadditivesthatpreventitfromeasilyrubbingoffthesurface.
Scratchboardisaspecialpaperwithaclaycoatingononeside.Youdoyourinkworkonthisside,drawingtheusualblacklinesonawhitesurface.Then,however,youcanuseascratchboardtoolthatfitsintoanib-penholdertoscratchthroughsomeoftheblackinkmarksandproducewhitelinesormarksontheblack.Severalofthesketchesinthisbookweredoneonscratchboard.
PenStrokes
Hatchingindicatesparallelinklinesthatareusedtocreateadarktoneonthepaper.Crosshatchingisthetonecreatedbyhatchinganarea,thendoingthesamethingontopofthatbutinadifferentdirection.Stippleorstipplingreferstotoninganareabyusingdotsratherthanlines.
Basics
Formoredetailsonthebasics—enlargingorreducingasketchbythegridsystem;mattingandframingyourwork;hatching,crosshatching,andgradedtonepracticeexercises;stippling;andsoon—seePartIinmyearlierbook,PenandInkTechniques.
1:NostalgicSubjects
Thingsandplacesofthepastaretheingredientsofmanyafavoritepainting,sketch,poem,andstory.Awistfuloversimplificationalmostalwaysgoeshandinhandwithanostalgicpieceinanyartform.Onetemporarilysetsasideallunpleasantaspectsofrealityandfocusesontheremembered—orimagined—beautyandpeacefulnessoflongpastmoments.Onebasicallyprovidesanemotionalglanceatsomethingthatwas,orthatmighthavebeenif...Nostalgiaimpliespleasantmemoriesoforfantasiesaboutthingsthatwill
neveragainbe;forinstance,thesecurityandwarmthofahappychildhoodrememberedonlyasahazyoverallfeelingwhentoysofthateraareseen,ortheimaginedcomfortsofafarlesshurriedlifewhenold-timephotographsarerediscovered,ortherosyimageofaplacestilllovedbutunlikelytobevisitedagain.Ifyoutravel—eithernearorfar—youhaveawealthofsketchingmaterial
storedinyourmemory.Placesthatareimposing,modest,ordownrightdingybutstillholdaspecialplaceinyourlife’sexperiencearegreatsubjects.Theyaregoodchoicesbecausetheyhavespokentoyou,touchedyou,sothatyourrenditionofthemcantrulybeyourstatementaboutsomethingofvaluetoyou.Thewayyoucapturesuchscenesbecomesyourpersonalnostalgia.Itmaywelltouchsomeoneelseinasimilarmanner.Thisiswhatallartshouldbe.Interpretationsbycriticsarerelativelymeaningless;theimportantelementiswhattheartistfeltasheorsheexecutedtheworkandhowwellheorshefeelsthestatementwasmade.Ifseeingtheworktouchesaviewer’sheart,thentheworkisevenmoresuccessful.Thisaddedsuccessshouldbeconsideredonlyabonus,however,sincethebasicsuccessisdeterminedsolelybytheartist.
Nostalgiacanencompassavarietyofsubjectsaswideasyourownimaginationwhentappedasasourceforsketchideas.So,onceuponatime...
TheOld-Timers
Thisisasketchofasmallcollectionoftoysthatprobablypredatesmostofus.Itwashandledwithafinepenand,forthemostpart,delicatelineworkinordertocarryouttheideaofsoftnessinthedoll’sclothingandthebear’sfur.Boldpenworkwouldhavecreatedavalidbutentirelydifferentfeeling.
Noticethatthedoll’shairwascreatedwithrelativelyfewstrandsactuallybeingdrawn.Thefuronthebearwassuggestedwithaveryfewfurindications,thefuzzyoutlineofthebearcarryingmostoftheidea.Comparethebearwiththedoll’sfeet,whicharecomparativelysmooth,asisthewoodentoysoldier.
Otherold-timersubjectswouldincludesomeoldbooks,anoldTiffanylamp,asteamertrunklayingopen,awellbucket,ahorsecollarandothertack,andsoon.
TheOldRuralRoute
TheOldRuralRouteincludesanumberofold-timers—mailboxesthathaveseenbetterdays,milkcansofabygoneagewhenpeoplewerelessconcernedwithhealthhazards(andprobablyworkedtoohardtobesick),arailfencelongpast
healthhazards(andprobablyworkedtoohardtobesick),arailfencelongpastperforminganyfunction,andatreestillexhibitingarugged,massivedignity,evenindeath.
Thecompositionisbasedonaseriesofoverlappingtrianglesofdifferentsizes,asshownintheauxiliarysketch.
Thepredominanceofoldweatheredwoodinthecompositiondictatedabold,roughapproachtoboththeoutliningandthetexturinglines.Aheavierpenwas
usedherethanthatintheprecedingcollectionoftoys.
WhenIsketchajumbleofweedsandgrasses,asaroundthemailboxesandthemilkstand,Iindicatejustenoughtocarrytheideaofmixedvegetation.Toomanystrokesmakeitlookdarkandshadowedinwhatshouldbethesunlitareas.
Thefoursketchesonthefollowingpages1900inFarmington,Michigan,nowaarebasedonoldphotographstakenaboutDetroitsuburb.
TheOldHomeTown
Correctperspectiveisvitaltosuccessfulrenderingofstructures.Whatevermethodyouuse,becertainthatyoueliminateallperspectiveproblemsinyourpencilsketchpriortostartingwiththeink.ThebestwayIhavefoundtocatchmistakesinperspectiveistolookattheworkingpencildrawinginamirror.Thisseemstomagnifysuchproblemsandletsyouspotthemmoreeasily.
Ifyouarelikeme,youareneverquitesatisfiedwiththeexactviewpresentedbyaphotograph.AlmostwithoutexceptionIchangetheangle,movethe“eye”toapositiondifferentfromthatofthecameralens—perhapshigherorlower,and
positiondifferentfromthatofthecameralens—perhapshigherorlower,andoftenconsiderablyfarthertotheleftorright.Thisisdonetoincludemoreofsomeelementoranotherandoftentominimizeoreliminatetherelativemonotonyofaparticularfeature.Artisticlicenseisthereforyou,theartist,touse.
Successfullychangingthepointofviewrequiresatleastalittleknowledgeofperspectivedrawingsothatyoucanreconstructtheobjectinthecorrectproportionandrelationshipofdetail.Oneofthebestsummaryexplanationsofperspectivebasics—allanyoneneedstoknowaboutthesubjecttosketchreasonablywell—iscontainedintheWalterFosterbookPerspectiveDrawingbyErnestNorling,whichisavailableinartist’ssupplystoresthatcarrytheWalterFosterseries.
ThissketchofTownHallTowerwastakenfromaphotographthatshowedmuchmoreofthebuilding,andshoweditfromgroundlevel.ThepatternoftheMansardroof,decorativebrickwork,andwindowsofthetowercaughtmyfancy.IimaginedIwasupina“cherrypicker”,closetothesecondfloorlevel.ThenIcreatedmyowncomposition,usingthephotographasareferenceforplacementandproportionofdetails.
Iusedafinepointforthelineworkinthesunshineandamediumonefortheshadedwork.
TheSteeleMill
TheSteeleMillsketchwasdoneasifIwaslookingacrossthecreekatthebuildingonabright,hotsummerday.
IhavelearnedthatwhenIsketchgrassy,weedypatches,lessisgenerallybetterthanmore.Itrytoputalittlevarietyintotheindicationsofvegetationandlettheviewer’simaginationsupplytherest.WhenshowingthebrightfoliageofabushorgrassthatiscatchingfullsunlightItrytojuxtaposeitwithacooldarktonetoworksomedramaticcontrastsintomysketch.Itriedthisinthelowerleft-handcornerofthisdrawing.
Theshadedsideofthebuildinghasjustonedoorandtwowindows.Thisbroadexpanseofclapboardisrelativelymonotonous,sowhenthesketchwasfinishedIbrokeuptheshadebygoingoveritwithsomeirregularlyshapeddarkpatches,ratherthancreatingafairlyuniformtone.
Ifrequentlymentionthatoutlinesshouldbeminimizedinyourwork.BythisImeanyoushouldeliminateoutlinesininkonyourfinalproduct.Bynomeansskimponpenciloutlinesofalldetailwork,whichareerasedwhenyoursketchiscompleted.Thebetteryourinitialsketchinpencil,thebetteryourcompletedinkversionwillbe.
GrandRiverAvenue
GrandRiverAvenuewasthemainroadfromDetroittoLansing,Michigan,untiltheinterstatehighwaysystemblossomed.Inthe1870s,aspicturedinthissketch,itwasunpavedandFarmingtonresembledatownfromalmostanymotionpictureabouttheOldWest.
Theroaditselfmusthavebeenunbelievableduringarainyspring.Iusedafinepentoshowthebumpy,rutteddirtsurface.Extremelyunevensurfaceslikethisrequireapatchytextureofhatchworkwiththehatchlineslyingalmosthorizontally.Thewhitespacesbetweenthepatchesindicatewheresunlightisglaringofftheirregularraisedspots.Theimpressionofirregularityisenhancedifinsomeofthegroupsofhatchedpatchesthelinestiltslightlytotherightandothersslightlytotheleft.Thissimulatestheundulatingsurfaceofaroughdirtroad.
Wherebricks,stonework,etc.,areintheshadow,Iindicatethedetailsfirst,then
Wherebricks,stonework,etc.,areintheshadow,Iindicatethedetailsfirst,thenhatchoveritalltorepresenttheshadedsurface.
McGeeHillBridge
AtthiswritingtheMcGeeHillBridgeisstillinexistence,althoughwellovertwodecadeshaveelapsedsinceitwaslastusedbyregulartraffic.Theroadhaslongsincebeenreroutedtoavoidthesteepestpartofthehill.
Ipicturethisasawarmdayinlatesummerwiththenarrowriverquietlyflowingunderthecooldarknessofthebridge.
WhenIshowbrightweedsandbranchesintheforegroundagainstadarkbackground,asatthelowerleft-handcornerofthissketch,Iworkthebackgroundlines(inthiscase,thewater)betweencarefullyoutlinedweeds.Then,havingleftamplewhitespacefortheweedleaves,Iemphasizethedarkundersidesoftheleavesandstems.Onestroketoomanyandtheweeddisappearsintothebackground.
Aimforvarietyinthesizeandshapeofrocksinyoursketchesthatshowthem.
Aimforvarietyinthesizeandshapeofrocksinyoursketchesthatshowthem.Don’tmakethemlooklikealoadofpotatoes.
TheOldSmithy
Thisisanimaginarynostalgicscene.Ilikebarns,oldwood,andsomeoftheclutterIassociatewithabandonedoldruralstructures.ThiswasarainydayexerciseinwhichIusedthesamebasiccompositionasthatonpage73ofmyearlierbook,PenandInkTechniques.Inthissketch,however,Irearrangedsomeofthetreesandredesignedpartsofthebarn,butIretainedthesamegenerallayout.Idon’tknowjustwhatI’mlookingforwhenIdothis,butthereareseveralbasicsettingsinvolvingoldbuildingsthatIsketchfromtimetotimewithsomevariationsinthedetails—justformyownpleasureandrelaxation.
Thisisanotherexampleofrough,undulatinggroundthatcallsforpatchy,horizontalhatchwork.Thebarnwoodinthiscasewasrenderedwithbold,deliberatelinesusingamediumpen.Thesameappliestoallofthefoliage,whichisindicatedhereprimarilyinoutlineorsilhouettewithastylethatismoredecorativethanrealistic.
AnOriginalBillboard
Beforehighwayswereconstructedtoconveytrafficonabeelinefromheretothere,travelwasmuchslowerandmorescenic.Ourbillboardblightofthe1940sthroughthe1960swasanoutgrowthofthesignsadvertisingtobacco,circuses,andDoctorso-and-so’spillsthatwerepastedorpaintedonoldroadsidebarnsandshedsliketheoneshownhere.
Suchpracticaloldstructuresarenotmereruralcuriositiesbutrather,asEricSloane,masterpenman,painter,andauthor,said,“..theshrinesofagoodlife....”Ashepointsout,fewstructuresbuilttodaywilloutlasttheirbuildersasthefarmstructuresofahundredormoreyearsagohavedone.
farmstructuresofahundredormoreyearsagohavedone.
Grandma’sHouse
Manyoldfarmhousesweresmallbytoday’sstandards.Thiswasapracticalmovedictatedbythepoorinsulationandheatingsystemsoftheera.Smallandpracticalhadtobethethingtominimizewinterdiscomfort.
Grandma’sHouseshowsanalternativemethodofdepictingwoodwhenithasnotweathereddeeplyliketheprecedingbarnsorthecoveredbridgesthatfollow.
Generally,ifthestructureislightincolor,theshadowswillnotbeasdeepasthoseassociatedwithadarkstructure.Afinepenratherthanamediumoneservesbestinthiscase.
Thisisnotmygrandmother’shouse;however,itcouldhavebeen.
Forgotten
Thiscemeteryscene—withitsricketypicketfence,tombstonesbrokenandwornbytheweather,gravelpath,andbirchtrees—couldbetypicalofanyofthousandsofsuchruralburialgrounds.
Itisinterestingtowalkthroughsuchacemeteryonapleasantspringorsummerday.Manytombstoneinscriptionsarestilllegibleafterahundredormoreyears.TheybringtomindsadstoriesofCivilWarcasualtiesand,evensadder,theypointtotheterriblyhighinfantmortalityrateofthatera.Inmanywaysthe“goodolddays”arebetterinourimaginationthantheyeverwereinfact.
CoveredBridges
Theseareourmostrapidlydisappearinglinkswithatrulyruralpast.IhadthepleasureoflivingandworkinginVermontduringthelate1960s.InmythreeyearsthereIsawthreecoveredbridgesburnedandonedestroyedbecauseofdamconstruction.TheolderlocalVermontersstillcalledthemkissingbridges,alwayssmilingastheirthoughtswentbackintime.
Insomeareashistoricalsocietiesdowhattheycantopreserveorrestorethesebridges,butfewofthemanythousandsthatwerebuiltstillexist.Soifyouarefortunateenoughtolivenearacoveredbridgeortocomeupononewhentraveling,takeasecondlookatatrulynostalgicelementthatisalmostcertaintobelostforeverinthenearfuture.Suchstructuresmakemarveloussubjectsforanyartist,butsomehowtheyareideallysuitedtopenandink.
Thedarkinteriorinthelargestsubjectherewasdoneusingasmallwatercolorbrush,blendingtheinkintothetextureddarkareasdonewithpen.
OldBuildings
Ofthethreebuildingsshownhere,thestoneoneisEuropeanandtheothertwoAmerican.Iindicatedthatthedarksectionsofonecoveredbridgesketchweredonewithabrushandink.Thesametechniquewasusedonthestonebuildingshownhere.
Althoughthisstonebuildingwasrenderedwithbothpenandbrush,youcansimulatethefinestpenlinesbycarefuluseofa000watercolorbrushandindiaink.Thesamebrushcanalsogiveyoutheheavy,soliddarkareasofthisstone
ink.Thesamebrushcanalsogiveyoutheheavy,soliddarkareasofthisstonebuilding.Ialwayskeepcoupleofsmallwatercolorbrusheshandywithmypens.
YourFavoriteThings
Oldbuildingsarealwaysfavoritenostalgicthemes,butdonotoverlookotherthings,suchasafavoriterock,fence,ortree.Suchanelementcouldholdamemorythatisdeartoyouandyoualone,oritcouldremindyouofsomefondincidentfromlongago.
Neveroverlookyourfavoritethingswhenlookingforsomethingtosketch.
Progress
AnancientChineseTaoistpoemstates“...allthingsalikedotheirworkandthenweseethemsubside....”Soitiswiththeruralstructuresthatstandinthewayoflanddevelopment.Soonerorlaterthewaymustbemadeforprogressandthe
landdevelopment.Soonerorlaterthewaymustbemadeforprogressandtheenduringoldremovedtomakeroomfortheoftentransientnew.Nowhereisthismoreapparentthanintheruralsuburbsoftwentyorthirtyyearsagothathavebecome“developed.”Thismeansthatstreetshavebeenpaved,homesbuilt,andshoppingcenterserected;andthatservicestationsandtrafficsignalshaveappearedoneveryprimecorner.Italsomeansmanyotherthings,whichcanonlyleadthinkingpeopletoquestiontherealqualityofallthisprogress.
Itissadtowatchaonceproudandusefulbarn,liketheoneshownhere,beingdemolished.Ifyouhappenonsuchadismembermentinprogress,youwillhaveaninterestingsubjecttosketch.
2:SubjectsfromOldEngravings
Mostpre-1900magazinesliberallyusedengravedillustrations.Manyofthesearesuperblittledrawingsthatrepresentsomeofthebestexamplesofengravingcraftsmanship.Suchfineexamplesoflineworkcanprovideyouwithendlessthemesfor
practiceifyoutakeasmalldetailinanengravingthatattractsyoureyeandenlargeonit.Additionally,engravingscanbeveryusefulasstudiesofhowtalentedprofessionalshandledjuxtapositionoflightanddark,howtheyledtheeyeintotheirdrawing,and—amostimportantthingtolearn—howthey“gotoutof”theirdrawing.Thislatterpointislearnedonlyafteragreatdealoftrialanderror.Justhowandwheretostopafteryouhavesurroundedyourcenterofinterestwithenoughdetailtoestablishthesettingisasimportantaconsiderationasthebasiccomposition.Someofthestudiesinthissectionwerebasedonsomepre-1890engravingsI
happenedupon.Asusual,Itooklibertieswithcompositionandcontentaftersomethingintheengravingscaughtmyeyeandgotmegoingonthesketch.
LondonRiverside
ThereproductionoftheengravingIusedasinspirationforthissketchwasmanytimessmallerthanmyinterpretation.IeliminatednumerousotherboatsandanumberoffigureswhenImademysketch.Iwasattractedbythemanydifferent
numberoffigureswhenImademysketch.Iwasattractedbythemanydifferenttexturescontainedinthescene—stucco,brick,smoothstoneinthebuildings,mud,water,roughwoodenpilingsandherringbarrels,aswellasthepaintedboats.
Whenbrowsingforinspiration,donotfeelobligatedtocopythesourcematerialfaithfully.Thatisnottheobjective.Rather,theprimaryfunctionofsuchsourcematerialistoprovideyouwithpracticesubjects.Itssecondpurposeistopointoutsurfacetreatmentsthatyoumightprofitablyworkintoyourownsubjects.
Thefulltonalrange—fromsolidblacktostarkwhitepaper—isusedhere.Thedarkportionswerebuiltupcarefullyaftertheunderlyingdetailwasestablishedinink.
TheOldCheshireCheese
ThisfamousLondonpubandrestaurantisjustafewyardsoffFleetStreet.Untilthemid-1970sithadbeenopentomenonlyandwasfrequentedbynewspaperwriters.Oneeveninginthe1960sDavidWard,anotedoperasinger,returnedfromanextendedstayinRomeandburstboisterouslyintothepubtogreetsomeofhismanyfriends.Iwasthereatthetimeandhadthepleasureofsharingapintofbittersandsomelightconversationwiththishuge,gregariousmanintheunimposing,historicmen’spub.
Wardtoldme,“Oh,thisisthenewOldCheshireCheese—originalburned,youknow—thefire...rebuiltimmediatelyafter.”
“Whatfire,WorldWarII?”
“Why,theGreatFire—1666,youknow—destroyedmostofLondon...”
Oldandnewarereallyquiterelative.
LaterIfoundan1890engravingofthedingylittlecourtonwhichtheOldCheshireCheesefronts.FleetStreetisjustunderthearch,indicatedbytheglareinthesketch.TheentrancetothepubisunderoneofthelargestlanternsIhaveeverseen.
Thelocationhadnotchangedintheseventy-oddyearsbetweenthetimeoftheengravingandmyvisit.Neitherhadtheancienttraditionbarringwomenfromthetinypubchanged.Thepublicantoldmethateventhequeenherselfwouldbedeniedentrance.Sincemyvisit,however,thistraditionhascrumbledalongwithmanycherishedrelicsofthepast.
Inspiteofmyfrequentadmonitiontoavoidoutlining,thissketchutilizesquitea
Inspiteofmyfrequentadmonitiontoavoidoutlining,thissketchutilizesquiteabitofit,asyoucanseeinthepartlycompleteddetails.However,notehowtheeffectoftheglarefromFleetStreetisenhancedbyomittingahardedgeonthewallsthatframethiswhitearea.Ahard-lineedgewouldbetotallyinappropriatehere.Outlinewasalsoavoidedonthebrightpartsofthetwoverticalrainpipes.
Asketchlikethiscallsforestablishmentofdetailsfirst,followedbyacarefulbuildupofthedarkshadesoverthesedetails.Alsonotehowrelativelyfewindividualbricksrequiredelineationtogetacrosstheideaofabrickwall.
Thematterof“gettingoutofasketch”frequentlyarises—justwhereandhowtostopafteryourcenterofinterestissurroundedwithadequatedetail.Thetopandrightsideofthissketchshowhowarchitecturaldetailssuchaswindowscanjustsortoffadeoutwithoutlookingatallincomplete.Theviewer’seyewillfillindetailsthatareobviousbyimplication,suchasthestepsthatmustexistatthelowerright.Thereisnoneedtoshowtheminthiscase.
FromAlbrechtDurer
AlbrechtDurerwasbornabouttwentyyearspriortoColumbus’sdiscoveryofAmericaandwasacknowledgedinhisowntimeasasupremetechnicianofwoodcutandengraving.Anyoneinterestedinfinelineartmuststudyhisworksandcarefullyexaminehistechniques.
BrowsethroughavolumeofDurer’sworksandyouwillfindcountlessdetails
BrowsethroughavolumeofDurer’sworksandyouwillfindcountlessdetailsthatcanactasinspirationforsmallstudies.Again,anythingthatpromptsyoutosketchislegitimatepracticematerial.Inacaselikethis,firsttrytoduplicatethelinetechnique.Thentrythesamedetailbuttreatitdifferently—yourway.StudyhowDurercreatedtheformsofvarioussurfaces,howhetreatedlightsanddarks,howhefrequentlystylizedhistreestofitintoandenhancehisbasiccomposition.
ThethreesketchesherearebasedondetailsfromthreedifferentworksbyDurer—SaintJerome,SaintEustace,andtheNativity.Theyarenotexactcopiesofhiswork;rather,theyrepresentpentechniquebasedonhistreatmentofthesurfacesandtexturesinvolved.HistreatmentoftreetrunkswasappliedtosomeofmyowncompositionsinChapter6:LandscapeSubjects.Examinethoselandscapes,eachofwhichillustratesadifferenttreatmentoftrees,andcomparetheeffectsproducedbyeachtreatment.
InhisNativityDurer’srenderingofthethatchedroofpost-and-beambuildingisalsoveryuseful.Notethattheartistdidnotoverdothethatchandthathegave
interesttothebuildingbyindicatingcrackedanderodedstuccowithbrickworkshowingthrough.Thesetechniquescanalsobeappliedtosuitablesubjectsinyourownsketches.
Takeasimple,smallpillow,tossitintoachair,anduseitasasketchsubject.YoucangetsomeideasonhowtodepictsuchasurfacefromthetwopillowsintheSaintJeromedetail.AlsonotehowDurertreatedthewornandchippededgeofthewindowsillinthesamesubject.
IstronglyrecommendcarefulandthoughtfulstudyofmasterworkssuchasDurer’s.Itdoesn’tmatterthathisworkisseldomseenexceptinmuseums.Lookatthemyriaddetails,bothforegroundandbackground,andyouwillbecertaintofindmanyinstructivetreatmentsthatyoucanapplytoyourownwork.AsIsaidinmypreviousbook,thissortofthing“becomesyourinventoryofingredientsfromwhichyouselectthoseyouneedtocreateyourownoriginalworks.”
AScratchboardBlizzard
Scratchboardwasanaturalforthisstudyforseveralreasons.Theconvenienceofbeingabletoputwhiteoverblackaswellasblackoverwhitewasjustwhatwasneededforthissnow-coveredbuildingfromaCivilWar-eramagazineillustration.Also,Iwantedtheabilitytosoftentheinklinesthatrepresentedtheshadinginthesnow.Ididthisbyscratchingacrosstheinkedshadinglines.Inthedetailstudy,whichshowspartofthesketchinearlystages,youcanseelinesinthesnowontheroofbeforeandafterscratching.
Forthosenotfamiliarwithscratchboard,itisaheavyclay-coatedpaper.Youpaintordrawtheinklinesontheclaycoating.Whentheinkisdryyoucanscratchthroughittomakewhitelines.Scratchboardtoolsareveryinexpensive(aboutadimeapiece)andcanscratchveryfinedetailsintheblack.SeethesmallillustrationinwhichIshowthetwopaintedareas,oneofthemwithmysignaturescratchedthroughinveryfinelines.
ThesmallerstudiesshowpartiallycompleteddetailstogiveyouabetterideaofhowIproceededonthissketch.Asusual,Ipaintedinthesolidblackareasafterdoingatightpencildrawing,butImadethepencillinesasfaintaspossibleonthescratchboard.ThenIputthelineworkinwithapen.Awordofcaution:Donotuseyourtechnicalorrapidograph-typepenonscratchboard—thecoatingcancausethepointtoclogsincethemoistinksoftensit.Also,itisnotagoodideatodomucherasingonthescratchboardaftertheinkhasbeenapplied.Thiscaneasilyremoveorlightentheinkinareasyoudonotwantaffected.
Afteryourinkworkisdone,youcanlendemphasistosomeelementswiththescratchboardtool,asIdidtothebranchesinthedetailstudybyscratchingawhitelineononesideoftheblacklines.Thisworkswellforriggingonshipsaswellasforbrancheswhenyouuseadark-linedsky.
ThelastthingIdidinthissketchwastoscratchinthesnowflakes.OnthisexerciseIfoundthatIhadoverdonethesnowflakes,soIwentbackinwithabrushandpaintedsomeofthemout.Scratchboardmakesitfuntogofromwhitetoblacktowhiteagain,bringingoutthepreciseeffectyouwant.
ThissketchwasbasedonanillustrationfromaCivilWar-eraengravingorwoodcut.Itshowedcannonandmeninablizzardwiththiswreckofabarnofftotheside.Ilikedthebarninthesnowwiththedarktreetrunksbehindit,soIeliminatedthemen,armaments,andotherelementsoftheoriginal.
PortugueseFisherman
3:AtmosphericEffectsasSubjects
“HowdoIshowthesky?”isaquestionmystudentssometimesask.Myanswerisalways,“Unlesstheskyisyoursubject,yourprincipalfocus,Irecommendyoudon’tsketchit.”Mostofmystudentsarenotprofessionalartists.Theyhaveacreativedrive,
whichattractsthemtoartforavarietyofpersonalreasons.Theyarefrequentlyworkingpeople.Theyarelookingforanavocation—anoutletthroughwhichtheycanachievewhateverlevelofproficiencytheirtimeanddedicationwillallow.Some,ofcourse,haveambitionsfarbeyondtheircapability.Othershaveaninherenttalentforthemedium.“Why,”Iaskthem,“takeonsomethingthatatbestisratherdifficulttocarryoff,evenforprofessionals?”Itellthem,“Inmostcases,theadditionofskyandcloudeffects,unlessyoudothemverydelicately,willtendtoclutteryoursketch.Achievingtherequireddelicacyoftouchtakespractice—lotsofpractice—andlotsofmistakes.”Thisisquiteachallengetotossatagroupofstudents.Someofthemreact
with,“Well,Iguessyouareright,”andtheyapplythemselvestootherthings.Afew,however,reactinapositivemannertomychallenge.Theythink,“Whatdoeshemean,Ican’tdoit!”WheneverItossthischallengeoutIknowthatlaterinthecourseIwillbeshownasketchortwoincorporatingskyandcloudtexture.Thispermitsagooddiscussionofthesubjectwiththestudentsthemselvestellingtheclasshowmanytimestheyhadtotrydifferentthingsbeforetheyachievedaneffectthatsatisfiedthem.
Workingwithatmosphericeffectscanbefunbutrequiresalotofpractice,trial,anderror.
Sundown
Thereisnoskytextureinthesesketches.Thedazzling,bright,colorfulskyisthereonlybyimplication,thebrightskyandbrightwatersurfaceimplyingduskbecauseofthestrongsilhouettes.Thisisoneformofatmosphericeffect.
Thisapproach—darksilhouetteagainstbrightsky—canbeparticularlyeffectivewithpalmtreesinatropicalscene.Windmillsalsomakeunusuallyattractive
withpalmtreesinatropicalscene.Windmillsalsomakeunusuallyattractivesilhouetteswhenproperlyhandled.Howaboutsomeofyourownsubjects?
Thesketchwiththehousewasdoneusingonlyapen;thepalmtreesweredrawnusingonlyabrush.ForthewindmillIusedpen,brush,andtheedgeofaman-madekitchensponge.Thespongeistheonlytoolthatwillcreatesuchlacyfoliagesilhouettes.
Evening
Thecenterofinterestinthissketchisthebanksofmultilayeredclouds.Thehillsandtreesaresubsidiaryelementsintheoverallsetting.Inthissketchsomeofthecloudsarehighenoughtocatchthelastglareofthesettingsun.Othercloudsareinshadowandappearasdarkersilhouettesagainstthesestillbrightclouds.
Thereisnothingtrickyaboutthepenworkinthissketch.Virtuallyallofthelinesarehorizontalexceptwherecross-hatchingwasusedtoestablishdarkertones.Acarefulpencildrawingofthetreeswasdonefirst.Thebackgroundwasthendoneinink,withthetreesdonelastsothatthebrightareasrepresentingthesunlighthittingthefoliagecouldretaintheirprominence.Examinethedetailstudytoseehowthewhiteareaswereleftforlatercompletionofthesetrees.
FoggyDay
Fogtendstomakeallobjectsappearasflatmonotonesilhouettes.Onlytheclosestobjectsshowanygradationoftoneduetodeepshadowsandsurfacesthatreceivenoreflectedlight.
Forthissketchthestructure,rocks,boats,andseagullshapeswerefirstsketchedinpencil.Thenthedensepatchesofwhitefogtowardthelowerleftforegroundwereindicatedinpencil.Therestwasamatterofusinghorizontalinkstrokesexclusively,emphasizingadeepshadedareahereandtheretogiveformtothe
closerrocksandtoshowalittleshadeunderthetwoplatformsonthewharfstructure.Thefinalstepwasaseriesofrapidhorizontalstrokesacrosstheentiresketch,blackandwhiteareas,tosuggestthegeneraloverallfog.
AlsolookatFogonCanneryRowinChapter4,SubjectsfromPhotographs,forothertreatmentsoffog.
Hazyglareinthemiddaysuncausesthesamevisualeffectasfog—distant
objectsbecomeflatmonotones.ThiseffectisusedinSunnyClearing(seepage98)togivetheimpressionofabrighthazysummerdayinaforest.
4:SubjectsfromPhotographs
Nowwecometothesecondmostplentifulsourceofsketchideas—photographs.Mypersonalphilosophyontheuseofphotographsassourcematerialislessconservativethanthatofsomeofmyartistfriends.Somewhohavemasteredamedium,suchasoilorwatercolor,holdthataphotographshouldbeusedasasourceonlyiftherealthingistotallyinaccessible,andthenonlyiftheartisthimselftookthatphotograph.Theseartistsdo,however,usephotographsforthestudyofdetailthatmightotherwisebeimpossibletodiscernortolearnmoreaboutthestructureofasubject.Thissecondpoint—usingphotographsforstudyingandclarifyingdetails—
representsanextremelyvalidcourseofaction.Seriousartistswhoareconfidentlycompetenthavenoneedforcopying.Theydoindeed,however,knowthevalueofstudyingasubjectfromallaspectsbeforetheycreatetheirowncompositionandtheirownrenditionofthatsubject.Asanexampleofthispoint,ArthurChargois,whowrotetheforewordtothis
book,recentlyshowedmehisveryeffectiveoilpaintingofaherdofzebrasgallopingacrossahot,dustyAfricanplain.Hetoldmethathehadfirstresearchedandstudiedallinformationhecouldobtain,includingillustrations,concerningthezebra.HelearnedthedifferencebetweenChapman’szebraandGrevy’szebra(theformerhasbroadstripeswithshadowstripesbetweenthemwhilethelatterhaslongearsandnumerousnarrowstripes).HefoundoutthatwhileinoneSouthAfricansubspeciesthestripesdonotextendtothelowerlimbs,theEastAfricanzebradoesindeedhavethelowerlimbsstripedandlackstheshadowstripes...
Enough!Thisisnotatreatiseonthezebra.Mypointisthatheisathoroughlyaccomplishedartistofexcellentmerit,havingbeenprofessorofartandheadofthecommercialartdepartmentofDuCretSchoolofArt.Hedidnotwanttoportrayjusttheideaofthezebraasastripedquadruped.Hewantedtoknowthathiszebrasweretruetolifeintheirconfiguration,coloration,andinthehabitatinwhichheportrayedthem.Hecaredaboutcreatingabeautifulpaintingthatwasalsotechnicallyaccurate.Hedidnotpainthisanimalsfromoneofhisreferencephotographs,yeteveryphotographhestudiedcontributedtohispainting.Thisistheproperuseofphotographsfortheaccomplishedartist.Thefirstpointintheinitialparagraphofthissectionconcernstheuseof
photographsformorethanjustreferenceaboutconfigurationorforclarificationofdetail.Itconcernsactuallysittingdownanddoingapaintingorasketchmoreorlesscomposedjustasthephotographiscomposed.Ifoneisgoingtosellhisorherworkasoriginalart,thenthelackofrespectexpressedbyaccomplishedartistsforthiskindofbehavioriswelljustified.However,aspiringstudentsofanyvisualartmediumshouldnothesitatetouseappropriatephotographsforpracticeorstudiesofcompositionifthephotographinspiresthem.Iholdthatanyinspirationforpracticeworkisvalidinspirationbecauseproficiencyinanymediumrequirespracticeandpracticeandthenmorepractice.Whatevergetsyougoingisgreat!Istatedabovethatmyviewontheuseofphotographsislessconservative
thansome.IguessIfeelthiswaybecause,althoughIhavesometimesstartedout
thansome.IguessIfeelthiswaybecause,althoughIhavesometimesstartedouttocopysomephotograph,Ialmostalwayshavefeltthatadifferentangleorelevation,oraconsiderablerearrangementofelements,wouldcreateacompositionmoresuitabletomygoals.Soinreality,formeanyway,aphotographreallyactsasageneralconceptforthecompositionthatrapidlytendstobecomemine.Ifeelthisisavaliduseofphotographsthatmaynothavebeentakenbytheartist.Suchlicense,however,requiresafairlygoodgraspoffundamentalperspectivedrawinginordertoaltertheviewpointfromthatwhichthephotographerused,especiallyifstructuresareinvolved.AsecondpointIwanttomakeisthatitisusuallyaparticulardetailinaphotographthatattractsmyattentionratherthanthetotalcomposition.Again,thephotographactsasacatalystratherthanasaready-madecomposition.Theavailabilityofphotographicworkislimitlessifyoureadnewspapersand
magazinesorhaveaccesstoalibrary.Inincreasingyourproficiencywiththepen,donothesitatetousethisalmostuniversalsourceofsubjectmatter.Istartedthischapterbyindicatingthatphotographyisthesecondmost
plentifulsourceofsketchideas.Themostplentifulandbestsource,ofcourse,willalwaysbetherealthing.
BelowtheMillpond
Thissketchwasbasedonaphotographthatwasprintedinamagazine.Thephotographshowedmuchmoreofthesurroundingforestonbothsidesofthemill.Ireallywantedthewatercascadingdownthesteppeddamtobethecenterofinterest,soIeliminatedquiteabitoftheforestandsimplifiedalotofthevisibledetailonthemillitself.
Iusedafinepentodothissketch,withgoodpencilguidelinesthatwerelatererased.Itookspecialcareinplacingthefewstrokesinthewhitewatercascade,sincetherewasarealpossibilityofoverdoingitandspoilingtheeffect.
GreyfriarsChurchyard,Edinburgh
ThiselaboratelycarvedmausoleumwaspartofaphotographinabookonScotland.Thephotographshowedmuchmoreoftheburialgroundandincludedagoodbitofthecitybeyond;Ichosetoignorethesedetails.
Theivy-coveredstoneworkofthisoneelementofthephotographattractedme.Youtooshouldlookforsomeelement,somedetail,whichyoucanabstractfromaphoto.Thisselectionprocessissimilartowhatyoumustdowhensketchingonlocationanywhere—youmustzeroinonasinglesubjectandeliminateallelse.Onlocation,ofcourse,youhavefullvisioninalldirectionssoselectingasinglesubjectisperhapsabitmorecomplicatedthanwhenlookingataphotograph.Still,aphotowillgenerallyshowmuchmorethanyouneedforasketch,thusofferingyouanopportunitytopracticebeingselective.
offeringyouanopportunitytopracticebeingselective.
Inthisphotographamassofintricatedetailwaspresentedtotheeye:thethousandsofivyleaves,theflutedcolumns,thehighreliefpanelsonthebaseofthemausoleum,thecarvedletteringanddraperybetweenthecolumns.Adequatesuggestionofsuchdetailisallthatisrequiredtoguidethementalprocessoftheviewertocompletethem.Donotattempttoincludetoomuchdetailinyoursketch.Afterall,youreallyareonlytryingtoputforthasuggestion.Youshouldnottrytoimpartthesamedetailthataphotographwould.
AbuSimbel
ThismagnificenttemplealongtheNilereceivedconsiderablepublicitysomeyearsagowhentheproposedAswanDamthreatenedtoinundateit.But,through
yearsagowhentheproposedAswanDamthreatenedtoinundateit.But,throughoneofthemostchallengingengineeringfeatsever,thehugecliffthathousedthetempleanditsgiganticseateddeitieswascutintosections,raised,andreassembledabovetheproposedwaterlevel.Thissketchcamefromoneofthemyriadphotographstakenatthattime.
Basicallythisisafour-tonesketch—solidblackdonewithabrush,twograytonesusingthepen,andfinallythewhitepaper.Lotsofdotsandsquiggles,aswellasirregularoutlinesrepresentingthechippedrock,wereusedtohelpindicatethetexture.Bytheway,justaseveryrulehasitsexception,myfrequentadmonitiontoavoidoutliningdoesnotholdhere.Thisisanoutlinesketchenhancedbythefourtonesmentionedabove.
Colt
Thisfuzzylittlefellowwassketchedfromasmallphotograph.IenlargeditbyfirstlayingagridofsquaresdrawnonanacetatesheetoverthephotographanddrawinglargersquaresonmypapersothatIhadaneasyreferenceforobtaininganenlargedoutline.
JustaswiththebearinTheOldTimers(seepage2),thefuzzytextureofthiscoltissuggestedprimarilybythebroken,fuzzyoutlinetreatment,whichisdonefirst.Afterdepictingthelips,eye,andnostril,Ibeganshowingtheshadows.ThenIputjustenoughtexturemarksonhisfaceandneck,takingcarenottomakethecoltlooktoodark.
Smallsquaresontranwparentoverlay.
Largersquaresonsketchpapertoenlargefromthephotograph.
PeopleintheNewspapers
Bothofthesesketcheswereenlargedfromnewspaperphotographs.Suchphotos
Bothofthesesketcheswereenlargedfromnewspaperphotographs.Suchphotosoftenhavehighcontrastandlackdetail.Thiscanbebeneficialifyouareusingthemassubjects,sinceyouhavetosimplifyphotographsandeliminatealotofdetailanywaywhenyousketchfromthem.
Thehornplayerwasaveryhigh-contrastreproduction—virtuallyjustsolidblacksandstarkwhites.Itwasanaturalfortreatmentwithabrushratherthanwithapen,sinceIwantedtousethistwo-toneapproachinmysketch.Theexclusionofdetailonthehornplayer’sfacehelpsgivetheimpressionofabrightspotlightfloodinghimwithlight.
Thissketchrequiredacarefulpenciloutlineofthehornandthencarefullyexecutedsmoothlineswiththebrush.Thefigurewasdonelooselyandquicklywiththebrushandink.Theoutlinesofthefigureandshadowshapesweredoneusinga000watercolorbrush;tofillinIuseda0brush.
ThetelephonelinemanandutilitypoleformedasimplebutinterestingV-shapedcomposition.InthiscaseIchosetodothesketchwithapen,althoughitwouldalsocomeoffwellasathree-tonesketchdonewithabrush—solidblack,hatchworkwiththebrushforgray,andsolidwhite.Whydon’tyoutrythatwiththiscomposition?Justabouteverythinginthissketchismerelysuggestedbyafewstrokes—lookatthelineman’sfaceandthewireshangingoutofthejunctionbox.Thisisanoutlinedrawingcreatedwithacontinuousback-and-forthsquigglelineformostofthedarktones.
FogonCanneryRow
Ididthislittlesketchabouttwoyearsago.ItshowsoneoftheoldbuildingsonCanneryRowinMonterey,California.Ihadbeenthereearlier,butIdidnosketchingonthattrip.Later,athome,IsawaphotographshowingfingersoffogcreepinginfromtheseaandgraspingoneofthebuildingsIhadseennotlongbefore.Thissketchillustratesmyattempttosuggestthatkindoffog.Iwasnottotallysatisfiedwiththeresult,butIkeptthesketchtoshowstudentsatleastonewayofattemptingtosketchfog.
WhenassemblingmaterialforthisbookIdecidedtoincludethissketchandtocarrytheexperimentastepfurther.Iwantedtoshowhowyoucanmovefromonetreatmenttoanotherinpursuitofanidea.Ire-createdaportionoftheoriginalsketchonscratchboardwiththeideaofcreatingabetterfogrepresentationthanIhadonordinarypaper.Mythoughtwastosoftentheedgesofthefogfingersbyusingscratchboardinsteadofpaper,scratchingintotheinkedareasaroundthefog.Ialsoeliminatedthedrawninklinesinthefog.Theresultwasjustmediocre,asyoucanseeinthesketchdated1980.ThenItriedscratchingoverthehighwoodenstructureatwatersideandachievedtheresultyouseeinthesamesketch.Itlooksfoggy.
TheeffectofthisscratchingledmetoimaginethatifIscratchedoverthewholesketchitwouldcertainlylookmorelikethefoghadmovedincompletely.SoIagainre-createdaportionofthesketchonapieceofscratchboardandscratchedalloverit.Theresultwasinteresting,asyoucanseeinthesmallestsketch.
Scratchboardisalotoffuntoworkwith.ComparethisuseofitwiththeScratchboardBlizzard(page34).Inthatsketchtheabilitytoalternateblackon
whiteandwhiteonblackwasalsousedtoachieveaneffectthatwouldberatherdifficultonplainpaper.
CanadaGoose
ThephotographIusedasamodelforthesketchofthisgoosewaslargeandhadenoughdetailtoshowthestructureofthefeathersonthebird’sback.Imadeacarefulpencilsketch,placingeachfeatheronthebirdandshowingthequillrunningdownthelengthofsomeofthelargerones.
Thefirstinkworkwasdoneasshownonthebird’sheadandbeakinthedetailsketch.ThenIdidtheneckandthefirstlayerofinkworkonthelargebackandwingfeathersasshownatA.Thesecondtimeoverthesefeathers,Iusedstrokesinthesamedirectionasthefirst.YoucanseethisatB.Thethirdtimeoverthesefeathers,Iplacedjustafewstrokesofcrosshatching,asshownatC.
Whenbuildingupdarktones,suchasontheheadandneckofthegoose,itisbesttofollowtheprinciplegenerallyusedwithwatercolors—proceedfromlighttodark.Therefore,Ifirstmadeasinglelayerofhatchingoverthegoose’sneck—thissetthelightesttoneinthisblackarea.ThenIusedcrosshatchingtobuildupthedarkertones,beingcarefultoleavesomeofthefirst,singlehatchworkforthehighlightthatrunsfromtheheadtothebody.Thedarkestareasontheneckwereachievedwiththreesuperimposedlayersofink.
Junco
ThesesketcheswerenotdonefromphotographsbutareincludedheretosupplementtheprecedingdiscussiononthemuchlargerCanadagoose.
Thelittlejunco,orsnowbird,isafrequentwintervisitoratourbirdfeeders.The
Thelittlejunco,orsnowbird,isafrequentwintervisitoratourbirdfeeders.Thebeak,undersides,andoutertailfeathersarewhite,whiletherestofthebirdisadarkslategraywithsomeofthewingfeathersandtailbeingevendarker.
Ididthelightcolorsinthissketchwithonelayeroffairlyloosehatching.Ididtheoverallgraywithtwolayersoftightercrosshatch.Thedarksreceivedathirdand,insomeplaces,afourthlayerofink.Theshapesofthedarkwingfeathersweredrawnfirstwiththeoverallgrayhatchingandcrosshatchingsuperimposedovertheselines,asyoucanseeinthepartiallycompleteddetail.
Theamountofdetailyouincludeinanysketchdependsonthesizeofthesketch.Thesmalleroneherethatshowsabluejayhasalmostnofinedetailinthewingandtailareasotherthansuggestionsofblackbarsandwhitefeathers.
BodiamCastle
ThesesketchesandthestonebarnsketchesthatfollowshowhowItreatrelativelysmoothstone—justafewindicationsofthecracksbetweenthestoneblocksonthesunlitsurface.Forcontrast,lookatthesketchcalledProgress(seepage26).Thissubjecthadrough,irregularstonesformingthebarnfoundationandrequiredmoretexturingtoindicatetheroughness.
ThesketchofBodiamCastlewasdonewithaHunt104point—averyfine,inexpensivereplaceablenib.Ididthesmalldetailusingamuchheavierfountainpenpointtoshowthevariouseffectsthatdifferentpointsizeshaveandtodemonstratehowaboldpenstrokecanalsoindicatetextureandshadeveryeffectively.
StoneBarn
Thisgreatstonebarn,reproducedhereinblackandwhite,wasdonetotestanewpenandbrowninkonroughoff-whitewatercolorpaper.Imadetheshadowedsideofthebarndarktoenhancetheimpressionofaverybrightsunnydaywiththeviewer’seyesconstrictedbythebrilliantglarefromthefrontofthebarn.
Asshowninthepartiallycompletedsketch(sketchA),Ifirstindicatedsomeofthestoneworkonboththesunnysideandtheshadysideofthebarn.ThenIbuiltupcrosshatchesovertheseindicationsontheshadyside.OnthesunnysideIsimplydarkenedsomeofthestoneshereandthere.
Isimplydarkenedsomeofthestoneshereandthere.
Ileftthewoodstandingandlyingunderthesmallroofontheleftuntextured(sketchB)untiltheshadewascompletedaroundit.ThenIcouldtelljusthowmuchtodarkenitwithhatchingwithoutlosingitinthesurroundingdarkarea.
ThePasture
Thissketchisacompositebasedononephotographthatshowedthehorseinapastureandanotherthatsuggestedthetreewiththeshrubberyatthebase.Thebankandwatercamefrommyimagination.
Theoriginalsketchwasdoneonarough140-poundoff-whitewatercolorpapercalledMorillaboard.Thispaper,usedwithWinsorandNewtonpeatbrownink,isoneofmyfavoritecombinations.Theverydarkbrowninkgivesanextremelyrichlooktosketchesontheslightlybuffpaper,whiletheroughtextureofthepaperitselflendsoverallinteresttothesketch.Trythiscombinationsometime.
AWordAboutPens
Itmaybebeneficialtostopamomentandlookatsomeofthemanyinkeffectsthatcanbeproducedwithdifferenttools.Thesubjectofhorseswillbeusedforthisdiscussion.
Thefullsketchshownherewasdoneusingatechnicalpen,aMars700,equippedwitha000point.Thisproducesa0.25-millimeterline.Forthoseofyounotfamiliarwiththenomenclature,thisisafairlyfineline.Whenproperlyused,itproduceslinessuchasyouseeinthehorse’sface.IuseditproperlyonthefacesinceIwantedtheviewer’sattentiontobedrawntothatarea—hencesomeofthegreatestcontrastsareontheface.Whenthepenisbarelytouchedtothepaper(improperuse),however,thelittlewire,whichcomesthroughthetubethatactuallyisthepoint,depositstheinkratherthanthetube.Whenrapidstrokesareused,thismakesaninterestingbrokenline,whichIusedtoshadethehorse’sneck,bodyandlegs.
SketchAwasdonewiththefinestpointIhave—aPelikanGraphosstyleS,whichmakesalineabout0.10millimeterwide.Notehowyoucanbuildupdarktonestowhateverdegreeyouneedwiththisdelicatetool.Whenyoureallywantdetailandareinthemoodtospendtimedevelopingit,anextremelyfinepointlikethisisjustthething.
ForsketchBIusedaPelikanGraphosround-pointletteringpen,witha0.5-millimeterpoint.Thereisnoflexibilitytothispoint,soitmakesalineofjustonethickness.
SketchCwastheproductofmyfavoritesketchingfountainpen,aPelikan120.Thishasinterchangeablepoints.TheoneIusedherewascalled“extrafine.”Whenyouapplypressuretothispenitdeliversawiderinkline.Iusedthis
Whenyouapplypressuretothispenitdeliversawiderinkline.IusedthisvariablelinewidthfeatureinsketchC.
Iuseda0watercolorbrushforsketchD;forsketchEIusedasquare-pointletteringpenthatmadealineaboutonesixteenthofaninchwide.ForthethinlineshereIusedthepenedgewise.
Noneofthesepens—nor,forthatmatter,anyoftheinfinitevarietyofothertoolsyoumightuse—ismorecorrectthananyother.Italldependsonwhatyourpurposeisandwhatyourtastetellsyouisrighttoservethatpurpose.
MaineHarbor
Thissketchrepresentsatremendousamountofsimplificationfromthephotographthatpromptedit.Ieliminatedliterallyhundredsofhousesonthebackgroundhillside,dozensofcraftintheharbor,dozensofpeople,andhalftheNewEnglandpopulationofgulls.
Myinterestwasfocusedonthestrongtensionbroughtonbytheperpendicularmastsandthehorizontalhullsofthetwoshipsthatformthecenterofinterest.IbelieveIevenexaggeratedtheheightofthemaststoenhancethisfeeling.
Thebeautifulorderlyclutterofriggingonthetwoshipsrequiredverycarefulhandling.Naturally,thefirststepwasaverytightpencildrawing.ThenIproceededbyinkingtherigging,whichallowedmetostartoverwithoutabandoningtoomanyhoursofdrawingifIdidnotachievetheeffectIwanted.Oneproblemwastoachievetheeffectofdimensionwiththefineweblikelinesofrigging.Ihadtomakeitvisuallyobviousthatsomeoftheselineswereclosertotheviewer,withotherspassingbehindthem.Thekeytothiswastostartwiththeclosestrigginganddepictthemthroughveryfinebrokenlines.ThenIdecidedwhatwasjustbehindtheselinesandverycarefullyindicatedthis,makingcertainthatIleftclearuninkedpaperonbothsidesoftheriggingthatwasclosertotheeye.Thisdoesnotlookunnaturalinthecompletedsketch,yetitdefinitelygivesthethree-dimensionaleffectIwanted.Look,forinstance,atthenearestboat,justtotherightofthedockwheretheratlinescomedownfromthetopofthemaststothesideoftheship.Thereisnodetailshownbehindtheselinesattheirlowerend.Theslightestdetail,evenadotortwo,wouldhavevisuallydestroyedtheeffect.Thesameholdstruewheretheprowofthewhiteshipliesinfrontofthedarkership.Inthiscaseitiswhatisleftoutofthesketchthattellsalotofthestory.
Birches
Anyonewhodoesmuchsketchinginpenandinkfeelsanoccasionalurgetotackleaclumpofbirches.SoitwaswithmeasIwasselectingmaterialforthisbook.IhadnobirchesthatIwantedtoinclude,soIdidthissketch.
Thissnowsceneallowsmetopointoutoncemorethatyoushouldalwaysbeonthelookoutforopportunitiestoeliminateoutlines.Inthiscase,exceptforacoupleofthebranches,therearenooutlinesatall.Itisonlyyourimaginationthatseesanedgeontheleft-handsidesofthetreeswherethesunlightstrikesthem.Iusedmorepenworktodefinetheright-handedgesofthetreessincetheywereinshadow,butstillthereisnooutlineperse.Stripedorspottedsubjectsalsoofferanopportunitytoeliminateoutlines.
Isn’tthereahillsidebehindthebirchesthatslopesdownwardtotheright?Again,itisonlyyourimaginationthatseesit,becauseitissimplysuggestedby
Again,itisonlyyourimaginationthatseesit,becauseitissimplysuggestedbytheweedsandbareshrubsthatappeartoshowjustoverthecrest.
Itookthesethreebirchesfromaphotographofagrovecontainingaboutfifteenvisibletrees.Iselectedthesefortheirinterestingshapesand“replanted”themintomyowngrouping.Iusedmyfinestpenpointtorenderthesebirches.
Elephant
Theinspirationforthissketchwasabeautifulphotographthatshowedagreatdealofthestructureofthewrinklesintheanimal.Itwasquiteobviousthatthephotographerwastheobjectoftheelephant’scuriosity.
Thiskindoftextureisnotdifficulttorender.Ifirstindicatedthepatternofwrinklesallovertheanimal,thenstartedbuildingupthedarkareasoverthese.Asthewrinklefeaturesbegantodisappearintothedarkareas,IreemphasizedthemasIwentalong.ThedarktoneswereamatterofpilingoncrosshatchesuntilIwassatisfied.
Kinkaku-JiTemple
ThistempleiscalledtheGoldenPavilioninJapan.ManyJapanesefeelitisthemoststrikingofthemanytemplesandshrinesthataboundinthatbeautifulcountry.
IvisitedKinkaku-JiandnumerousothershrinesinKyotoonatripthattookmemorethanathousandmilessouthwestfromTokyoandbackagain.
Thistempleisontheedgeofaman-madelakeconstructedmorethanathousandyearsago.Visitorsfollowapatharoundtheperimeterofthislakeandgetaviewofthetemplefromallangles.Theviewshownhereisoneofthetwomostpopularthataregenerallyseeninphotographs.
ThestronggeometricsymmetryofthisstructurerequiredcarefulandaccurateperspectivedrawingbeforeIstartedtoapplyink.Naturallyasymmetricsubjects
perspectivedrawingbeforeIstartedtoapplyink.Naturallyasymmetricsubjectsallowforallsortsofvariationinproportionandlinewithoutlookingunnatural.Thisdoesnotholdwithbuildingsandfaces,however.Herethestructureisprimarilybuiltupofseveralboxesorcubesofdifferentsizesandshapespiledontopofoneanother.Thisisillustratedbythedetailsketch.MyinitialpencilsketchlookedlikethisbeforeIbegantoplaceanddefinethedetails.
Frommypersonalexperience,thissketchcouldjustaseasilybeplacedinthenostalgiacategory.ImadealengthyvisittoJapanandsoakedupmuchofthecountry’sculturalcharm,asevidencedbytemples,shrines,andgardens.Theseaboundinallcitiesandsuburbanareas.IdonotknowifIwilleverbeabletoreturntoseemoreofJapan.ButIdidseeenoughthatIamabletoappreciatethebeautyofmanylocationsIdidnotseethroughphotographsanddescriptionsofthem.Icamebackwithenoughphotographs,sketches,andawealthofreferencematerialtokeepmebusyovertheyearsmakingsmallsketchesandvignettesofthemanythingsofincrediblebeautythatexistinJapan.Don’tyouhavememoriesyoucanrenewbysketchingthemnow?
Thevignetteoftheprettygirlalsocamefromaphotograph.
MiyukiGate
EarlyintheseventeenthcenturytheImperialVillaatKatsura(nearKyoto,Japan)wascreated.TheMiyukiGatepicturedherewasbuiltin1658atthevilla.
IdidnotvisitKatsuraVillawhenIwasinJapan,butIwasgivenabeautifullywrittenandillustratedguidebookbyafriendthere.Thesesketchesarebasedonphotographsfromthatguidebook.
SomuchofthebeautyofthingsJapaneseisbasedonbothsymmetryandasymmetry.Thisgateissymmetrical,justasKinkaku-Jiontheprecedingpagesisbasicallysymmetrical.However,asymmetricalspacecanbesubdividedasymmetricallywithtaste—thisisthebasisofallgooddesign.Asanexampleofsuchsubdivisionofspace,IhavesketchedthepatternofShinWalk,oneofseveralcut-stonepathwaysegmentsontheKatsuragrounds.Theprincipleof
graceful,interestingdivisionofspaceisseennotonlyinfabric,rug,andwallpaperdesignsbutinallwell-composedvisualartworks.Anygoodpaintingordrawingstartsasanabstractdivisionofthespacewiththeartist’sinitialconsiderationoftheproperplacementandrelationshipofthecompositionalelements.
Thebasicdesignofanywell-composedpainting—thatis,howthespaceisdivided—wouldprovideagoodcompositionalbase,regardlessofthesubjectmatterofthatpainting.
HighCountry
ThephotographIusedheredepictedabeautifullakesomewhereintheArizonaWhiteMountainarea.Thesuccessivebanksoftreesstretchingoffintothedistanceledmetodothissketch.Iwantedanexampletoshowmyclasseshowtone(andtexture)alternationscanbeusedtoindicatesuccessivemassesof
tone(andtexture)alternationscanbeusedtoindicatesuccessivemassesoffoliage—toseparatethesemassesandgettheeffectofvaryingdistances.Mypointinthissketchwastoexaggeratethetonedifferencessomewhat,startingfromthelight,thenshadow,areasofgrassonthefarsideofthelake.Indicationsofsomedarkerunderbrushappearinfrontofalineofverylighttrees,whichinturnareframedbythemostdistantlineoffairlydarktrees.Startingwiththelightwater,andthedark-reflectedshoreinthiswater,Isimplymadeasuccessionofalternatinglightsanddarkstoobtaintheimpressionofobjectsinfrontofotherobjects.
Imovedtheelkinfromanotherphotograph.
CathedralRock,Sedona
NextonlytotheEiffelTower,CathedralRock,nearSedona,Arizona,isoneofthemostfrequentlypaintedandphotographedandthereforemostrecognizedshapes.
SedonaislocatedbetweenFlagstaffonthehighplateauandPhoenixatdesertlevel.Itgetsneithertheseverewintersoftheonenortheovenlikesummerheatoftheother.Itistomeoneofthemostbeautifulplacesinourcountry.AfterseveralvisitstoSedona’sRedRockCountry,thishasbecomeoneofmyfavoritesketchsubjects.
CathedralRockwasafamiliarbackdropforWesternmoviesmadeinthe1930sand1940s.Theclassicviewistheoneshownhere,closetoashallowfordinOakCreek.
Inthissketchandtheonethatfollows,economyofinkwasvital.Everydotandlinehadtoworkformebecausetherewassomuchtosuggestonthesmallpieceofwhitepaper.Afewwell-placedrowsofdotsestablishthattherockmassesarestratifiedhorizontally.Lessregularlittleclumpsofdotsanddashessuggestthescrubgrowththatsparselycoverstheslopes.Thencarefulshadowindication,
scrubgrowththatsparselycoverstheslopes.Thencarefulshadowindication,followedbyaonce-overtostrengthenanylostfeatures,andIwasfinishedwiththesketch.
NearSedona
Asintheprevioussketch,thereissomuchillusiontocreateherethatnotadotoralinecouldbewasted.Inadditiontothehorizontalrockstrataindicatedbydots,thescrubgrowthisalsoindicatedbyclumpylittledotsandshortdashes.Bysketchingthesehorizontallyinsomeplacesandtiltinguptotheleftorrightinothers,Iincorporatedtheideaofthehillycontourofthelandleadinguptothebackgroundmountains.
Inthissketchthecenterofinterestistheforeground—thefencelineandthereddirtroadway.Thethinwireofthefenceinthissketchcouldeasilyhavedisappearedintotheotherinkwork.TopreventthisIleftwhitespaceabovethewires(thisismostapparentwherethewirescrossadarkfeature)andmadesurethewirelineandthelinesrepresentingthesparsegrassdidnottoucheachother.Noticethisonthebottomwireonthefencewherethetallergrassbladescrossinfrontofit.
Iestablishedthemainrutsoftheroadwayfirst,thenputthehorizontalshadowlinesoverthem.Finally,Iaddedthedotsandsquigglesindicatingpebbles.
JoshuaTree
ThereissolittlelifeinthedesertsofourSouthwestthatwhatistherereallystandsout.Thisallowsanappreciationoftheindividualbeautyofplants,forinstance,whichmightbelosttotheeyeifthisplantlifeexistedincrowdedprofusionasitdoesinthetropicsoreveninpartofthedensegrowthofour
forestedareas.
TheJosuatreeisonlyoneofthemanyspeciesofdesertplantlife,anditpresentsauniquechallengetotheartist.Thissketchisoneapproachtothatchallenge.
TheJoshuatree’sleavesgrowinporcupinefashioninclumpsattheendsofbranches.Inordertoshowthis,Iindicatedeachclumpofleaveswithlinesaimedinthedirectionofthegrowth.Someoftheclumpsareinprofileandsomefacetheviewerhead-on.Thehead-onclumpsareindicatedbylineworkthatradiatesfromthecenteroftheclumpinalldirections.Oncethebasiclineworkanddirectionsoftheseclumpswereestablished,IdidthetrunkandthenwentovertodarkenhereandtheretogetthedefinitionIwantedforeachclump.Finally,Iputtheshadowsonthetrunkandbranches.
YuccaPlant
Hereisoneofthedesertbeauties—theyucca.Itisfamiliarasagardenplanttohomeownersallacrossthecountrybecauseofitstoleranceforcoldweather.TherearemanyyuccaplantsinmyMichiganneighborhood.
Theprimarychallengewiththissketchwasthespinyballofleaves.Asyoucanseeintheauxiliarysketch,Istartedbydefiningtheoutlineofthisball.ThenIestablishedafewoftheleavesinthecenterinfulloutline.Thiscentralcoreofleavesincludedthosecomingstraightoutatthereaderaswellassomethat
leavesincludedthosecomingstraightoutatthereaderaswellassomethatradiatedinotherdirectionsasIprogressedawayfromthecenter.AtthesametimeIoutlinedjustafewoftheleavesthatformedthebootbelowtheball.Theremainderofthelowerportionofthesketchwascreatedbymakingthedarktoneswithlinesthatshowedthedirectioninwhichthefoliagegrew.
SaguaroCactus
ThissymbolofArizona,thetall,deeplyribbedsaguaro,isactuallyatree.Theoutlineofthistreeissimpleenough;creatingtheribbedeffectrequiredonlymytechnicalpen,aseriesofverticallinestostartwith,andsomepatience.
Aftergettingmypenciloutlinedown,Isharpenedthepencilanddrewaseriesoflinesaboutonesixteenthofaninchapartonthesaguaro.ThenIinkedabrokenlineontheseguidelines—asyoucanseeintheauxiliarysketch.Ithendrewthe
lineontheseguidelines—asyoucanseeintheauxiliarysketch.Ithendrewthelittlehatchmarksliketeethonacomb,touchingonesideofthebrokenlinesandbeingcertaintoleaveapurewhiteareabetweenthemandtheadjacentline.Thispatterncreatedtheflutedorribbedimpression.Whenthiswasfinished,thelastthingIdidwastohatchovertheareasIwantedshadedinordertohelpachievethefeelingofroundnessinthecactus.
Panfish
Thebluegillandcrappiesketchesshownherearebasedonnumerousphotographs(allIcouldfindinthelocallibrary)andotherillustrationsofbothpanfish.IstudiedthemostaccuratedetailsIcouldfindofthestructureandshapeofthesetwofish.Iwantedtoshowmystudentswhatahighlyaccuratelineportrayalinvolved.
Beforestartingtoink,Idrewtheentirefishclearlyinpencil—everyfacialfeature,agridforthescalepattern,everylightspotinthedarkfinsandtail,everyribinthefins,andthelaterallightstripe.
IndrawingthescalesIfollowedagridpattern,whichIfirstdrewlightlyinpencil,asshownintheauxiliarysketchofthecrappie.
ForeachfishIstartedwiththehead,asshownbythepartiallyfinishedcrappie,makingsureIdefinedeveryfeatureinink.AtthisstageIerasedthepencillinesintheheadareatoeliminatetheclutterandtoallowmetoseebetterforthenextstep—thatofaddingthescalesintheheadareaandbuildingupthedarktones.Ibroughttheheadtoabout90-percentcompletionbeforeImovedoverandstartedonthescales.
IninkingthescalepatternImadeafirstpassovertheentirebody,prettymuchasyouseeoneachoftheauxiliarysketches.WiththebluegillImadesurethedarkfingerlikepatternwasestablishedandeachlightscaleindicated,notintheirfinaltonesbutapproximatelyasyouseeintheunfinisheddetails.ThenIerasedthepencilguidelinesfromthescaleareaandproceededtodevelopwhatIfeltwouldbethefinaldarkvaluesoneachscale.Noticethatthecrappiehasthreescaletonesandthebluegilljusttwo.
ThenImovedtothefinandtailareaswherethelightanddarkpatternswerestillcarefullyoutlinedinpencil.Whenthesefeaturesweredevelopedtotheextentshowninthedetailsketches,thepencillineswereerasedandthefinaltonesestablishedandbalanced.
IdidthebluegillsketchfirstanddecidedwhenIstartedthecrappietotryfora
IdidthebluegillsketchfirstanddecidedwhenIstartedthecrappietotryforamoreroundedimpressionbyincorporatingthebrighthighlightbetweentheheadandthedorsalfin.
Bleached
Thisisanexampleofanothercharacteristicelementofthesouthwesterndesert.Thedriedcowskullsketchstartedasanoutlinedrawing,asyouseeintheauxiliarydetail.Ifirstlocatedthemajordarkareas,cracks,andlargerholesintheoutline.ThenIstartedtoindicatetheformoftheskullthroughhatchmarkswithwhichImoldedthesurface—curvingthemappropriatelytoindicateconcaveorconvexsurfacesandmakingthemstraightforflatsurfaces.ThenIplacedthefinedots,orstippling,toputthefinishingtouchesonthemoresubtle
placedthefinedots,orstippling,toputthefinishingtouchesonthemoresubtlesurfaceindications.Ifinishedupwiththelargerdotsthatindicatesmallholesintheboneandthehorns.
5:SubjectsfromLife
Whetherstrollingthroughyourbackyardorsight-seeingthousandsofmilesfromhome,youwillfindcountlesssubjects—somepanoramic,someinsignificant—thatarenaturalsforyoursketchingrepertoire.ThissectioncontainssomeofthesubjectsIhavesketchedfromlife.They
mayprovidesomehelpforyoushouldyourtravelsnearorfargiveyoutheurgetosketchsomethingthathasaparticularappealforyou.Donotunderestimatetheproblemsofsketchingafeatherysprigofgrass.The
matteroforganizingthesketchsothatthespaceonyourpaperisusedinapleasingmanneristhesameforsuchasimplesubjectasitisforariverwithamillionrocksinview.Everysubjectyouselecttosketchmustbesimplifiedandsomeportionofitcomposedonyourpaperbeforeyoucanbegintodraworpaintit.Thisisthepointatwhich,consciouslyorunconsciously,youdecidehowtoorganizethatspaceonyourpaper.
MilkweedPods
Hardbrownmilkweedpodsspillingtheirloadsofseedsintotheairareasuresignthatsummerisgone.Thesepodsarefavoritesindriedflowerarrangements.Theinterestingtextureoftheshellandthesilkysoftnessoftheseedsmakethemagoodsubjectforsketching.Thepodsoftengroupthemselvesinbeautifulclustersontheircurvedandtwistedstemsandgiveyoumanyexcellentready-madecompositions.
Ifirstorganizedthiscompositionbyselectingtwostalksofopenedmilkweedpods.ThenIlightlydrewthestalkpatternandroughlyindicatedthepods.ForthenextstepImoreorlessoutlinedthewholesketchinink,placingafewseedshereandthere.IhadtoknowwheretheseedsandtheirwhitefuzzweretobesothatIcoulddevelopthedarkshellaroundthewhitesthatIwantedtohighlight.Afterputtinginthelittlegroupsofhatchmarkstoindicatetheroughnessofthe
Afterputtinginthelittlegroupsofhatchmarkstoindicatetheroughnessoftheshell,Ihatchedoverthewholeshelltodarkenitandtherebyemphasizethewhiteseedfuzz.
FieldGrass
WhenIsketchedthissimplelittlesprigofgrass,Ifirstmadeafewindicationsofthestemstructurewiththepencil,pinpointingthewaythelittlebranchesradiatedingroupsfromthestem.ThenIputinthearrangementoftheleaves.Iproceededwiththeinkworkbyfirstdoingthosefeaturesthatwereinfront,thatis,closertomyeye.Imadesurethatanyfeaturethatpassedbehinddidnot
is,closertomyeye.Imadesurethatanyfeaturethatpassedbehinddidnottouchthefeatureinfront.Withaveryfine,delicatesubjectsuchasthis,theillusionofdepthwouldhavebeenlostifalltheelementscrisscrossedandtouchedoneanother.Leavingthatlittlespacewhereonethingpassesbehindsomethingelsemakesitquiteobvioustotheeyewhichofthefeaturesisinfront.Thesewhitespacesarenotapparentthroughacasuallookatthissketch.Inanyevent,theillusionisalwayseffective.
HemlockandJackPine
Hereareadditionalitemsfromlifethatdonotrequirevacationtripstosee—justatriptoyourbackyard.
Ahemlocksprigisagoodlifesubjectbecauseitappearssocomplexasyoulookatitwithpencilinhandandwhitepaperbeforeyou.Aswithanysubject,simplificationtobasicshapeandstructureshouldbeyourstartingpoint.Ifirstputsomepencillinesdowntorepresentthevisiblebranchlets,thendrewlightlinesshowingtheenvelopecreatedbytheneedles.OnlythendidIstartdrawingindividualneedles—thoseIcouldseefully.Thefirsttimeover,thewholesketchlookedliketheunfinishedportiontotheright,withjustthebranchletsandafewneedlesshowing.AfterthisIflesheditoutbydrawingneedlesbehindthese.
Thejackpineconewaslessfussy.FirstIestablishedthebasicoutlineoftheconeandtheendsofthevisibleopenparts.ThenItookthepartsoneatatime,asyouseeinthepartlyfinishedsketch,andbroughtthemtocompletiononebyone.
AFavoriteTree
ForyearsIdrovetoworkeachmorningalongfivemilesofruralroad.Severaltreesalongthewaycontinuallycaughtmyattention—theybecamefavoritetrees,sotospeak.Theirshape,thewaytheystoodbythemselves—whateveritwas,IfeltpleasureeverytimeIsawthemregardlessoftheseason.
Thetreesketchedhererepresentsoneofthesefavorites.Itstoodquitealonesothatthesmallbranchesgrowingfromthetrunkcreatedtheirownleafymassesinspringtime,partiallyblockingoutthetrunk.Itriedtocapturethatfeeling—notbysittingatthesideoftheroadandsketching,butbyusingthoseyearsofmentalnotestodothesketchinmystudio.
Ifirstsketchedthetrunkandbasicplacementoftheleafmassesandbranchesinpencil.ThenIstartedtodevelopthecrownshapewithlittlecirclesandpartialcircles.Iworkedfromthetopofthetreedown,doingafoliagemassfirst,thenthebranchindication,andonlythenputtinginaportionofthetrunk.AsthelaststepIwentovereachofthefoliagemassestoplacesomelargercirclesandsmallerdotshereandtheretobreakupthemonotony.AtthispointIalsomadesureIaddedleafindicationsattheedgesofthemassestogetthatlooseleafyeffect.
Chalet316
Ihaveseveralfavoriteplacesintheworld.OneofthemisGatlinburg,Tennessee,whereourverygoodfriendshaveabeautifulchalet.MywifeandIspentaweektherewiththemonespring,duringwhichtimeImadeseveralon-locationsketches.Keepinmindhoweasyitistotakeyourfountainpen,pencil,andsomebristolboard(orevenlargeindexcards)withyouonyourvacations—youcancapturelittleessencesofamemorabletripinsketchesthatmaymeanfarmoretoyouovertheyearsthanfullydetailedphotographs.
Chalet316hereis,asareallchaletsinthatarea,builtonahillside.ThesketchthatshowsjustpartofthebuildingwasdonewhileIperchedcomfortablyonthefenderofmycar,shirtoff,gettingsomesunshine.Aswithallstructures,theproportionmustbeestablishedproperlybeforebeginningtoinkthetextures.Ididthissketchinloosemanner,notaimingforadetailedarchitectural-likerenderingbutratheranicelittlereminderofamemorableplace.
renderingbutratheranicelittlereminderofamemorableplace.
Iinkedthebuildingfirst,thenIdidtheleaves,fence,porchrailing,andbackgroundtreessothatIcouldbetterseewhattooveremphasizeandwhattounderemphasizeinordertokeepthebuildingasthecenterofinterest.
FromthePorch
Ontheopposite,downhillsideofChalet316isaporchthatoverlooksthevalleyinwhichGatlinburgwasbuilt.Therearemanytreesonthissideofthechalet,withpartofonethatisclosetotheporchbeingshownhere.
Whatattractedmetothissubjectwerethecurveinthetrunk,theknotholes,andthefine-patterned,deeplyruttedbark.Iusedmytechnicalpenonthissketch(000point),barelytouchingittothepaperinsomeplacestogetthefinestlineIcould.
Whendoingasketchlikethis,exerciserestraint.Itissoeasytotrytoincludesomuchthatthefeelinggetslostinclutter.
RockyRiver
NearGatlinburgthereisapicnicareacalledTheChimneys.Itrunsalongonebankofabeautifulrock-filledriver.Thisstretchofriverhasbeenthesubjectofanumberofmysketchesandpaintings.Iamnotaloneinusingthisvariedand
anumberofmysketchesandpaintings.Iamnotaloneinusingthisvariedandbeautifulsubject.
IsatonalargerockintheriverwhileIdidthissketchdirectlyinink,skippingtheusualpreliminarypencillayout.Myfirststepwastolocatetherocksinoutline.ThenIcompletedthedarkareasofthewaterandindicatedwherethelittlecascadesandthewhitewaterwere.ThenIbegantodeveloptherocks,usingpenstrokesthatshowedthesurfaceplanesoftherocks.Lastly,Ididthebackgroundforestandtheoverallhatchingtodarkensomeoftherocks.
SeedsandFlowers
Yourownbackyardcanproduceatremendousvarietyofsubjectsforpracticesketches.Ididtheselittlevignettesfromitemsonhandwithinfiftyfeetofmybackpatio.Youmaynotbesatisfiedwiththeresultsthefirstfewtimesyousketchsimplelittlethingslikethese.Youwillprobablytrytoshowtoomuchdetailatfirst.Keepatit—itispleasanttospendafewminutesonalittlesketch,perhapsofacoupleofacorns,thentryafewdifferentwaystoshowthesametextures.
Gargoyle
Thissketchwasstartedasaclassroomdemonstrationindrawingfromtherealthing.Ilaterfinisheditathome.Thesubjectwasalittleplasterstatueofagargoylethatwasaboutfiveinchestall.Istartedwithaquickpencildrawingdonepriortotheclassandmovedimmediatelyintocreatingtheformandsurfacetextureswiththepen.Thiswasdonerapidlyandloosely,primarilyasanexerciseinestablishingacomplex,roundedformthroughuseofshadows.Thepitsandthescaleindicationswereaddedathomelater.
ThislittlestatueisoneofahalfdozenIbroughtbackfromatriptoParis.Whatsouvenirsdoyouhavethatwouldmakegoodsketchsubjects?
WoodSprite
Thissketchisofanothersouvenir—onebroughtbackfromGermanybyfriends.Itisafacecarvedintoabranchofwood,withthenatural,uncarvedwoodportionsactingasthehatandhair.Ihaveoftensaidthatwoodisoneofthebesttrulynaturalmaterialsforthepenartisttodepictbecauseitsgrain,bark,cracks,andfoldsareeasilyshowninarealisticmanner.Itgivesmegreatsatisfactiontocreatetheillusionoftexturessuchasthis.
ThefirstthingIdidwastodrawtheoveralloutlineandfacialfeatures,thenIconcentratedonthewoodgraintexturearoundandoverthesefeatures.
EarlySpringShrub
Ifyoutakethetimetolook,yourgardencanprovideyouwithmoreelaboratesubjectmatterthanseeds.TherearetwothingsIlikeaboutthissketchofalittleshrubasitappearedearlyinspring—first,thebeautifullytwistedbranchesand,second,theinterestingshapeandarrangementofthenegativespaces(the“holes”betweenthebranches).Theauxiliarysketchshowsthesenegativespacesemphasizedratherthanthebranches.Onecantakesuchanorganizationofspacefromnatureandcreateacompositionofanysubjectmatterbasedonit.Thisonesuggestsafloralarrangementtome.
Asusual,Idrewthistreecarefullyinpencilbeforestartingwithink.Havingselectedmylightsources(fromtheright)IknewwherethebrighthighlightswouldbeandcarefullyleftthemuninkedasIwentalong.NoticethatIbasedthemethodofshowingthetrunkandbranchesonAlbrechtDurer’streatmentoftreetrunks,shownearlier(seepage32).
DownedTree
Anexpansionprogramatanearbycommunitycollegerequiredthatsomesizabletreesberemoved.Beforebeingcutintosmallerpieces,anumberofthesegiantswereleftlyingaboutforsometimeafterbeingfelled.Ononeofourcustomarywalks(mywife,dog,andIfrequentlyusedtowalkthegrounds)itoccurredtomethatthepatternsofroughbarkonthedownedtreetrunkswouldmakeagoodtextureforstudentexercises.SoafteracoupleofmentalnotesIdidthislittlesketchtoindicateamethodofhandlingthebark.
Tomakeamorecompletecomposition,bothphilosophicallyandvisually,Iaddedtherottedstumpthatwaslongdeadtoindicatethefateofalltrees,whethertheirendisbroughtaboutbymanornature.Lifedoesnottotallysuccumbtodeath,however,soIaddedtheyoungsaplingatthelefttobringthisthoughtofnewlifeintothesketch.
Iachievedthetextureonthetrunkbymakingaonce-overseriesofirregularlongitudinallines,dots,andsquiggles;thenIaddedsomesmall“combs”bydrawingaseriesofshorthatchmarks.Afinaloverallcrosshatchingproducedtheshadedareas.TheverylastthingIdidwastotonedowntheupperedgesofthe
shadedareas.TheverylastthingIdidwastotonedowntheupperedgesofthedeadstumpclosesttotheviewer.Ihadlefttheseedgesplainwhite,astheyareinthepartiallyfinishedsketch,soIcoulddetermineattheendhowmuchtotonethemtobarelyputthembackintothepicture.
MushroomsandBoatMoorings
Thesetwosimplesketches,basedonobjectsfromlife,weredoneforsomenotepaperIhadprintedformywife.Tipsonhowtohandleyoursketch,choosepaper,andsoon,toprepareyourownnotepaperorgreetingcardsforaprinterarecoveredinmyearlierbook,PenandInkTechniques,pages38and39.
Forthesesketches,Ifirstdrewthemainfeaturesofthewoodenpilingsinink,thenIcrosshatchedoverthemtocompletethedarkareas.ThelastthingIdidwastoputthelittledotsandmarksoverallthepilingstogivethemapittedlook.
Themushroomsarebasicallyanoutlinesketchwiththedarkfeaturesbuiltupbyoverlayingstrokesinthesamedirectionratherthanusingcrosshatches(exceptforthestems).
6:LandscapeSubjects
Trees,withallthevariousspecies,shapes,varieties,sizes,andvariationsoffoliage,areoneofthemostvariableelementsofnature.Thisistotheartist’sadvantage.Whendrawingorpaintingtrees,youhavethewidestlatitudeimaginabletofitthiselementtoyourcompositionalneedswithoutlosingrealism.Alandscapesketchcanhaveoneortwotreeformsasthecenterofinterest
andlittleornothingelse.Oritcanhavethirty-twovisibletreeformsplusnumeroussmallshrubs.ThislatterisatreecountfromthesketchSunnyClearing(page98)inthissection,whiletheformerdescribesthesketchBirchesinChapter4.Eachofthesesketchesisproperlycalledalandscape.Thechallengeofcreatingsuccessfullandscapesketchesliesinrealistic
handlingoffoliage.Icannotsaythatsuchrealistichandlingalwaysrequiresonetoignoreindividualleavesandconcentrateonshowingonlythemassesofleaves,althoughthisisgenerallyagoodruletofollow.Asanexceptiontothisrule,seeFavoriteTree(page83)inChapter5.Inthisexampleonlyindividualleavesareindicated,yetinthiscaseitworks.Still,Iwouldnotwanttorepresenttreesthiswayingeneralsinceitwouldgetmonotonousbothtoexecuteandtolookat.
Althoughtherearenohardandfasttabusintreatingthematteroflandscapesandlandscapeelements,IwilldescribeinthischapterafewthingsIdothatseemtobeeffective.
AroundtheLake
Thissketchofapathcurvingaroundalakeisbasedonasketchbyanotherartistinwhichalargecountrybuildingwasthemainsubject.Toshowmystudentsyetanotherwaytodrawtrees,Itookoneedgeofthatsketchandmadethetreeandforegroundpathacenterofinterest,addingsomedetailtothebackground.
Earlier,inChapter4,SubjectsfromPhotographs,IusedthesketchHighCountrytoillustratethealternationoflightanddarkvaluesincreatingsuccessivelyrecedinglayersofgrowth.Youcanseethesameprincipleisappliedhere.
AuxiliarysketchesA,B,andCindicatehowIprogressedfromtheinitialpencilsketchandthefirsttoneofthefarthesttrees(A)throughdevelopmentofthedarklittletreetrunksandtheprominenttrees(B)tocompletionoftheshrubberyat
littletreetrunksandtheprominenttrees(B)tocompletionoftheshrubberyatthebaseofthesetrees(C).
Inthisinstancethetreefoliageisdonetotallywithhatchmarksandcrosshatchestoindicatetheleafmasses.Theshrubberyandlowergrowthatthebaseofthistreelineisdoneprimarilywithstipple(dots),whicharebuiltuptoasolidblackatthebottom(C),againstwhichthelightergrassiscontrasted.
FoliageStepbyStep
Moreoftenthannot,mylandscapesketchescontaindeciduoustreesthatIwanttorepresentinarealisticmanner.ThistakessomeinitialplanningfollowedbyasuccessionofstepsthatIhavefoundproducetheeffectIwant.
Theillustrativesketchherecontainstwobasicparts:theclumpofthreetreesintheforegroundandtreesandshrubberyinthebackground.Takingthebackgroundfirst,theauxiliarysketch(A)showshoweverythingwascarefullyoutlinedininkbeforethemostdistanttreesandthedarkareaundertheshrubs(B)werestarted.Nextthedarkareawascompleted(C),andthenthefarthesttreesmodulatedalittleintone,theundergrowthshrubberytrunkshatchedtotonethemdownalittleandtheshrubberyleafindicationsadded(D).
Ifollowsixbasicstepswhensketchingleafyfoliage.FirstImakeatightpencildrawingoutliningthelightanddarkleafmassesandthevisibletrunksandmainbranches(E).ThenIoutlinethesefeaturesinink(F)andproceedtoinkinthedarkfoliage(G).Atthispoint,whentheinkisdry,Ieraseallthepencillines.BeforebringingthedarkfoliagetoitsfinalvalueIdarkenthetrunkandmainbranches,whichwillappearasdarksilhouettesthroughtheholesinfoliage,andIshowtheshadowonthelighttrunks(H).NowIbringthedarkfoliagetoitsfinalvalueandaddthelittlebitsofadditionaldarktones(I).Finally,Itouchup
thedarksidesofthetrunks,addthesmallbranches,andloosenupthefoliagebyshowingsomesingleleaves,bothlightanddark,justoutsideofthemainleafmasses(J).
SunnyClearing
ThisisanimaginaryscenethroughwhichIwantedtoaccomplishtwoprimarygoals.Onewastogettheeffectofaveryhazysummerdaywithbrilliantsunlight.Theotherwastoenhancethiseffectbymakingitseemasiftheviewerwereemergingfromathick,darkforest.Iwantedtoshowthecontrastofdarktoverybright.
Haze,likefog,tendstoobliteratedetail,makingdistantobjectsappearasflatmonotones.ThefarthesttreeswerethefirstthingsIinked,asyoucanseeinthedetailsketch.ThenIcompletedthefoliageclumpsandstartedonthetreetrunks.ThesetreetrunksaredoneinthestyleofAlbrechtDurer(seeChapter2),withrelativelysmoothbutundulatingbark.Inextcompletedthewater,thenstartedthegrassyareasintheforeground.
Myfirstintentionwastohavethetriangularpieceoflandtotherightofthewaterfallbathedinsunlight,withthedarkshadowedstripbehindit.However,thisdominated,andtheeffectIwantedwiththebrilliantlysunnyclearingtoward
thisdominated,andtheeffectIwantedwiththebrilliantlysunnyclearingtowardthebackgroundwasalmostlost.Ithenputthistriangularareabackintotheshade,leavingjustthelittlepatchofsunlightatthebaseofthenearesttreeacrossthestreamasbrightrelieffortheforeground.
Thedistant,brightlylitclearinggavemeanexcellentopportunitytoshowundergrowthandweedsstronglysilhouettedagainstit.
Brook
ThisforestscenediffersinseveralwaysfromthesketchSunnyClearinginthischapter(page98).First,thehazeillusionisnotused—thebackgroundshowsdetailratherthancreatingaflatmonotone.Second,thetreetrunksaretexturedto
representtheroughbarkyouwouldfindonanoak,elm,orhickoryratherthanthesmootherbarkofabeech.
ThesequenceofstepsIfollowedherewasaboutthesameasthosedescribedforSunnyClearing:first,atightpencilsketch,theninkingofthebackground.Ifinddoingthebackgroundfirstagoodidea.Itimprovesmyjudgmentofjusthowdarkandhowlighttomakethetrunksandleafmassesinthenearertrees.
WithandWithoutFoliage
Tosketchrealistictrees,youshouldfirstsketcharealisticstructureoftrunkandbranchesinpencil.Youshouldthenplacethemassesoffoliageonthisstructurewheretheywilldoyourcompositionthemostgoodandinanatural-lookingmanner,dependingonwhichbranchescometowardtheviewerandwhichrecedeontheothersideofthetree.Youhaveconsiderablelatitudewithtrees,sincetheylacktheprecisesymmetryoffacesandbuildings.
EvergreenTypes
Evergreensarebestdepictedbyastrokethatistotallydifferentfromtheonethatisappropriatefordeciduousortropicaltrees.Thechallengeistosuggesttheneedlesbysketchingclumpsorbydistributingthemmoreorlessuniformly,dependingonthenatureofthetree.Shortchoppylinesinthecorrectdirectionwilldothejob.
Thecloserthetreeorshrubtotheviewer,themoredetailthatmustbeshownand,therefore,themorecarefullythepencildrawingmustbeexecuted.Thetwoauxiliarysketcheshereshowhowthefoliageinthesecases,whichIwantedtoremainwhite,wasfirstoutlined,withthedarktonescarefullyaddedaroundthisoutline.
BirdandFencePost
Theoriginalofthisminilandscape,shownhereinblackandwhite,wasanexperimentIdidwithanewbrowninkonscratchboard.Iwantedtotesttheink’sbehaviorwhenthescratchboardtoolcutthroughthesoliddarkareas.
ink’sbehaviorwhenthescratchboardtoolcutthroughthesoliddarkareas.Sometimestheinkwillchipoffinflakesratherthanallowingthescratchboardtooltocutfinelinesintheink.
Inthiscasetheinkworkedverywell.Finelyincisedlinesinthebird’shead,underparts,andwingtipscontributetothefeatheryfeeling.Thiswouldhavebeenimpossibletoachievewithouttheabilitytoscratchthroughtheinktoobtainwhitemarksontheblackareas.Theleftsideofthenearfencepostwasalsotexturedbyscratchingthroughthesoliddarkink.
7:YourPointofDeparture
Fromthispointonitisalluptoyou.InthisbookIsharewithyousomeofthepentechniquesthatIfinduseful.Itismyhopethatyouwillalsofindthemusefulaspointsofdepartureforyourownefforts.Manysubjectsinthisbookwillservewellaspracticepiecesinanymedium—ink,watercolor,oil,oracrylic—althoughmyemphasisherehasbeenonpenandink.Asanartist,youbelongtoaselectgroupofveryhighlyself-
motivatedindividuals.Ihopethatmythoughtsgiveyourmotivationsomeadditionaldirectionsforinquiry.Ihopethatyouwillnowlookforsubjectmatterthatwasalwaystherebutwhichyoumayhaveoverlooked.Whatshallyousketch?Istilldon’tknow,butperhapsnowyou
cananswerthatquestionmoreeasilyforyourself.
Bibliography
Borgman,Harry.DrawinginInk.NewYork:Watson-Guptill,1977.Guptill, Arthur L. Rendering in Pen and Ink. New York: Watson-Guptill,1976.
Lohan, Frank. Pen and Ink Techniques. Chicago: ContemporaryBooks,1978.
Norling,Ernest.PerspectiveDrawing.Tustin,CA:WalterFosterArtBooks.
Pitz,HenryC. InkDrawingTechniques.NewYork:Watson-Guptill,1957.
———.HowtoDrawTrees.NewYork:Watson-Guptill,1972.Sloane,Eric.AnAgeofBarns.NewYork:Funk&Wagnalls,1967.
Note:EricSloanehaswrittenandillustratedanumberofbooksonAmericana.Hispensketchesinanyofthemareworthyofstudy.