Level 1: Week 4: Contours, Proportions, and Getting Real with Charcoal

As we wrapped up the 4-week Draw the Moment course, students dove in and got messy with charcoal! The emphasis throughout the evening was to measure accurate proportions while making 3-tone drawings--dark shadows, mid tones, highlights--with charcoal. Students drew on large-format paper from actual objects. VERY productive session!

Above left, sketchers enjoyed smudging, smearing, and drawing with charcoal. Above right is Liz's accurate charcoal drawing of a shell.

Before launching into drawing with charcoal, students took time to do several pencil studies. Above left are Tod's studies and his charcoal drawing. To the right are Shonti's studies of an apple, pumpkin, and charcoal rendered squash.

Liz's pencil study of a squash, above left, and her charcoal sketch to the right show a keen eye for proportions and ability to adapt her skills to different media.

Experimentation was the focus of the evening and everyone put together a number of superb drawings. Above left is charcoal drawing of an apple by Shonti, and to the right are charcoal sketches of a squash by Tod. This crew is going to be exciting to work with when we continue Level 2 classes this week!

Be sure to check out the wonderful student work in Brenda Berg's Mixed Media class at the Art Center. Here's the link to her blog: Click here

To view more pics of SCM Sketchers in action, click 'Read more' below