Foundational Forms (Charcoal)

This is a gallery of work from the first project in Graphic Design/Photography 1, Visual Balance. With this assignment, students are introduced to Adobe IllustratorFoundational Forms (Charcoal) introduces students to the core building blocks of observational drawing through the study of simple geometric solids—cone, cylinder, sphere, and cube. Working from a direct still-life setup, students focus on understanding light, shadow, and form rather than surface detail, using charcoal to build strong value contrast and a clear sense of three-dimensional space.

This project emphasizes careful observation, controlled shading, and confident mark-making. Students explore how light behaves across curved and flat surfaces, developing smooth gradations, crisp edges, and believable cast shadows. By limiting the subject matter to basic forms, the drawings highlight the essential skills required for all representational art: accurate proportions, value relationships, and spatial awareness. The resulting works demonstrate how even the simplest objects can become visually powerful when rendered with precision, patience, and thoughtful use of charcoal. and are asked to create two 5"x5" compositions using provided shapes that achieve Balance through Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity.