Still Life…

…With Color

Still Life: A review1. Make a light sketch using basic shapes.

2. Lightly draw the horizon line (e.g., table).

3. Determine your light source. 4. Begin shading (make the shadows farthest from the light source very dark. Leave the highlights white).

Still Life: A review5. Determine where the cast shadows would fall. (Hint: you can use a ruler to line up the light with the object.)

6. Create a dark value for the shadow (the cast shadow should be as wide as the vessel). Create a light value for the whole surface of the table: this creates contrast between the still-life scene and the background.

Still Life: A review7. Go back and make the dark shadows even darker ( the contrast makes the forms pop out). Make finishing touches, and you're done!

Using Chalk Pastels

Using Chalk Pastels

- Basic set of pastels to start out. You can blend colors to achieve other hues and values.

- Find the appropriate drawing paper. You need paper with enough “tooth” to grab the pastels. Pastel and charcoal paper work well, as well as canvas.

- Gather blending sticks to use for blending and a kneaded rubber eraser to remove pigment.

- Paper towel for cleaning pastels after you’re done

Supplies:

Using Chalk Pastels1. Plan your drawing. Make a light sketch with a pencil.

2. Work from dark to light. Start with the darkest color, filling in the parts of your drawing that are the darkest value (avoid using black at this stage). Then fill in all areas with the next darkest value and so on, layering and blending as you go. Add highlights.

Using Chalk Pastels3. Clear the pastel dust from your work frequently. Don't blow the dust off because you will inhale some of it, which will irritate your airway.

4. Keep your hands clean. Use wet wipes frequently or wear gloves to keep the pigment from depositing on your hands. You can muddy the colors of your drawing if you don't clean your hands, especially if you use your fingers to blend colors.

Using Chalk PastelsPastels are very dusty and the color, when brushed up against, can spread easily. Any oils from your hand can make smudges permanent, so try not to rest the heel of your hand on parts that you have already drawn on.

To keep your pastel color from smearing, use a small piece of paper under your drawing hand. This keeps your hand from spreading the pastel around your picture.

Using Chalk Pastels5. Clean off each pastel stick after you use it. Use a dry towel or paper towel to remove any other pigments it picked up from your drawing.

6. The final step in working with pastels is to balance and blend the colors and tones in the drawing. Carefully add color to unify the elements of the still life that have the same color. At this point of the drawing, you can add black to the darkest tones in the drawing in small bits for definition and final shadows. Only use black as the very last step, as you cannot remove it once it is added to the drawing.

Using Chalk Pastels7. Spray your drawing with a fixative when you're done so the pigment doesn't smear or fall off.

* If you choose not to fix it, place it between acid-free, transparent sheets to protect it. Many artists choose not to use fixatives because it changes the colors of the work.

Using Colored Pencils

Using Colored Pencils

Using Colored Pencils

Stippling - Stippling involves placing lots of tiny dots on your paper. The dots can be close together, far apart, or anywhere in between. Notice the difference between dots made when the pencil is sharp vs. when the pencil point is dull. Stippling is a great way to add some interesting texture to a drawing.

Using Colored Pencils

Hatching - Hatching involves drawing a series of parallel lines. These lines all go in the same direction. The lines can be close together, far apart, or any variation in between. The pencil is lifted from the paper after each line and then placed down again to create a new line.

Using Colored Pencils

Cross-hatching - Cross-hatching involves drawing a series of parallel lines (hatching) and then drawing another series of parallel lines going in another direction on top of the first set of lines. This is a great way to create shading in a drawing. You can create some interesting textures through cross-hatching.

Using Colored Pencils

Back and forth stroke - The back and forth stroke is probably the most common of all the colored pencil techniques. This is probably how you drew with crayons as a kid! Basically, you just put your pencil on the paper and draw in a continuous back and forth motion, without lifting your pencil off of the paper. This is a good way to fill different areas of your drawing with a lot of solid color.

Using Colored Pencils

Scumbling - Scumbling is another technique you probably used as a kid without even knowing that it had a name! Scumbling involves making continuous circular marks on your paper, without lifting your pencil. This is another good way to fill in different areas with lots of color.

It’s all about arranging! Does your artwork have:

A center of interest or focal point?

A variety of shapes, values, lines, and other elements?

Balance?

Value changes, overlapping, and other techniques that give the illusion of depth and space?

Unity of elements and subject matter?