Final Still Life Drawing

Final Still Life Drawing:

Essential Question: What are the necessary skills to create a convincing still life drawing?

Purpose:

• To create a still-life drawing that demonstrates understanding of angles & ellipses in perspective, along with using a chosen and conscious mark-making technique to describe form;

• To understand value by creating a good range of values between black & white to help make the objects appear 3D;

• To demonstrate quality craftsmanship and good composition skills in a drawing.

Artists Studied: Henry Moore, Giorgio Morandi, Vincent van Gogh, Winslow Homer, John Whalley

Reflection:

I would describe the marks I used to show value in my drawing as parallel lines that are either close together to show dark values or spaced apart to show light values. I was inspired to use this hatching technique from the work of Winslow Homer; specifically his works titled “A Fisher Girl on the Beach” and “The Boat Builders”. I find hatching to be the easiest style to work with in order to create different value changes because I can place the lines far apart to start and then draw more lines in if I need to create a darker value. This way I can start my entire drawing fairly light and then add more parallel lines to the places that need to be darker in order to create a wide range of values.

Looking at my pre-instructional drawing compared to my final still life drawing, it is evident that I have learned many things about drawing as a result of this unit! First of all, I have clearly gotten better at drawing placement of objects and making sure those objects look realistic. Before this unit, I had no idea how to approach the basic layout of making a still life drawing, so I was simply drawing what I saw without checking if it looked realistic. However, I learned that by lightly sketching what I see first and then constantly readjusting it by using reference lines and by paying attention to pos/neg space, I can create a much more accurate rough sketch of the placement of the objects. Also, in this unit I have learned that there are many different ways to portray value in a drawing that don’t involve smudging with pencil. In my pre-instructional drawing, I didn’t know how else to portray a blending of values other than smudging, but now I know there are MANY different ways to do so; even though I chose hatching in my final project, I could have also used the techniques of cross-hatching, stippling, or even controlled doodling! Finally, I have learned that creating a still life drawing is a process that requires going back and constantly readjusting the shading, which means that you can’t go too dark too quick: if you do, there will not be a realistic range of values. I did not know this when completing my pre-instructional drawing, and it shows: my lime on the bottom-left corner is extremely dark, even though I knew there were darker things I needed to shade in later. However, in my final drawing, there is a much more realistic range of values, with the darkest parts reserved for the shadows on the background.

Pre-Instructional Still Life Drawing:

Anyone can draw a still life drawing, but it takes many skills to draw a convincing one. I believe the four most important skills to have in order to draw a convincing still life drawing are: 1) the ability to accept that the first draft is not going to be great 2) the ability to accurately draw different shapes such as cylinders and blocks 3) the skill to use reference lines by holding out a ruler, extending one arm out fully and closing one eye in order to accurately position objects in relation to one another 4) the knowledge of a few different styles of shading and how to create a RANGE of values using those techniques in order to create a realistic final product.

First of all, you need the ability to accept that the first draft is not going to be great because otherwise, you’ll never get started. The first draft of a still life is simply a sketch of what you are observing, with less-than-stellar proportions. This first draft will be improved upon using other skills, but if you don’t have the ability to accept that the first draft will not be perfect, then you won’t be able to draw anything at all.

Secondly, you need the ability to accurately draw different shapes such as cylinders and blocks in order to make the still life drawing more realistic. You have to know that the top edges of the box are not parallel to the bottom edges of the box when drawing, because even if they are when you look at the box two dimensional, that’s not how it actually looks when positioned in a three dimensional way. You also need to know that cylinders need to be rounded at the edges; harsh points do NOT look realistic. This knowledge is key to creating an accurate still life drawing because even if the positioning is perfect, the drawing will STILL not look realistic if the objects are unrealistically shaped.

Thirdly, you need the skill to use reference lines by using a ruler. Reference lines are key when creating the second, third, fourth, fifth drafts and onwards of the still life, as they are vital to the positioning of the objects on the page. It’s important to know that your eyes may be tricking you into seeing objects in a certain way – reference lines eliminate this confusion and allow for the more accurate placing and positioning of objects.

Finally, you need the knowledge of a few different styles of shading and how to create a RANGE of values because it’s not enough to merely have good positioning knowledge. Objects in a still life could be shaped and positioned PERFECTLY, and yet the drawing could be ruined by a three dimensional object that looks flat or if objects seem to blend together due to being the same shade. Knowledge of different styles of shading – including hatching, cross hatching, stippling, and controlled doodling – as well as how to draw many different values using these techniques is the only way to ensure that the final product of a still life looks realistic.

"The Boat Builders" – Pencil on Paper – Winslow Homer

The artist who drew in the most similar style to how I drew my final still life drawing is Winslow Homer. Above is an example of his use of hatching, which is the same style that I used in my project. I decided to go with hatching in my final project because I believe that I have the most control in terms of controlling value by using hatching. As I mentioned in my reflection, I like hatching because I can place the lines far apart to start and then draw more lines in if I need to create a darker value. This way I can start my drawing light and then add more parallel lines to the places that need to be darker in order to create a realistic and wide range of values.