Charcoal Drawing

Use charcoal to create a high contrast drawing from your own photograph of a paper sculpture

High Contrast Charcoal Drawing

Objective: Use charcoal to render values that create the illusion of form

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Assignment: Charcoal Drawing of White Paper Sculpture

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Use black & white charcoal to render realistic values to create the illusion of form from a white paper sculpture

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Assignment

High contrast charcoal drawing of your white paper sculpture.

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Use black & white charcoal to render realistic values to create the illusion of form from a white paper sculpture

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Materials needed:

• White paper (for sculpture)
• Tape
• Camera/phone camera
• White & black charcoal
• Toned paper

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What is due?

• Value scale
• Practice drawing of curly paper
• Practice drawing of folded paper
• Final high contrast charcoal drawing (see expectations on next slides)

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Expectations

What is value?

• The lightness or darkness of tones or color
• It helps define form & create spatial illusions

What is form?

• A 3 Dimensional and enclosed space
• Forms have length, width, & depth

VS.

SHAPE

FORM

Directions

1. Create a paper sculpture
• Fold, bend, and manipulate white paper to create a sculpture
2. Photograph your sculpture
• Photograph interesting parts of your sculpture - have a friend hold a flashlight over your sculpture to create dramatic shadows. Zoom in on interesting parts.
3. Practice with charcoal pencils
• Make a value scale, gradient, and practice drawing a curly and folded paper example
4. Lightly sketch on toned paper
5. Add values with charcoal to toned paper
• Use your practice value scale to help identify areas of white, black, and greys
• Lightly begin to place in areas where you see the brightest whites and darkest blacks. Gradually blend and layer to intensify

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1. Create a paper sculpture

Fold, bend, and manipulate white paper to create a sculpture.

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Use a solid piece of white paper as a base.

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The simpler the better!

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When you are done, fold a piece of paper to stand up as a ‘background’

2. Photograph your sculpture

Photograph interesting parts of your sculpture. What you photograph will eventually be what you will be drawing.

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Make sure you capture a strong composition:

• Fill the ‘frame’ of your photo completely so there is minimal negative space
• Have a friend hold a flashlight over your sculpture to create dramatic shadows
• Zoom in on interesting parts
• Make sure there are no background distractions (use your white paper to block out the background)

• Try ‘noir’ or ‘black and white’ filter
• Adjust the contrast to see values better
• Zoom in so your sculpture touches all 4 sides
• Upload to canvas under ‘White Sculpture Photographs’

Sculpture

Photograph

Photograph Checklist:

• No background distractions
• Is clear
• Strong contrast
• Fills the space of the ‘frame’
• Is in black & white

Sculpture

Photographs

Student Example

1. Value Scale

(7 boxes)

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• Gradient

3. Practice with Charcoal Pencils

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At the top of your practice paper, lightly draw two rectangles for a value scale and gradient

Practice a curly paper and folded paper

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Identify light, medium & dark values

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Lightly begin adding whites by layering

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Remember to add the areas of shadows that the curl casts on the surface

4. Lightly sketch photograph on toned paper

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Use a pencil to lightly sketch the contours (no value) from your photograph onto your toned paper

• Fill your entire piece of paper
• To help keep your drawing in proportion, fold your photograph in half twice, then draw a simple grid on your toned paper

5. Add values with charcoal pencils

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Identify the areas of different values in your photograph to begin placing the on your toned paper

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• Lights (whites)
• Mediums (greys)
• Darks (blacks)

Drawing example

Student Examples

Student Examples

Student Examples

Student Examples