Course Summary

I reviewed all the course materials and made a mind map of the course concepts.

Here's a link to a PDF of the mind map.

Things I learned or figured out how to do:

• Line Quality matters.
• I underestimate dry time.
• Page placement techniques
• layout big shapes
• use FriXion pen.
• Draw things that move first
• shadows
• people
• Spontaneity vs. Accuracy
• Using leading edges technique works with other subjects.
• Use clock to measure angles.
• Analyze structure and design first to aid drawing.
• Setup really helps.
• Many building spaces are divided by thirds.
• I like using markers and learned to thin and blend and mix them and tested values.
• Difference between shade and cast shadow - value and color.

Concepts and tips to take forward:

• Resist detail.
• Time management.
• Stay alert to surroundings.
• Find midway points of basic shapes.
• Make angles steeper.
• Analyze structure and design first, then draw.
• Do a setup. Even a little helps. Fast then slow.
• Pay attention to drawing straight verticals and horizontals.
• Differentiate shade and shadow.
• Practice:
• lines and angles
• color mixing
• analyzing structure and design.

Jim

Epilogue

Epilogue

After class I continued to sketch buildings.

Marker first, then pen. From my own photo reference.

Course concepts used: abstracting shapes, using leading edges, using a basic unit of measure (the width of the first story of the central part of the building), and mapping shade and cast shadows.

Materials: Canson Mix Media 7x10 inch paper, Faber-Castell PITT Artist brush pens, Sailor Fude 55 degree fountain pen with Platinum Carbon Black ink, and Uni-Ball Signo #UM-153 white gel pen.

I did this sketch while waiting in a parking lot. This time I was testing watercolor in my new journal. The paper handles light washes really well and does not ball up or buckle or bleed through.

Course concepts used: measuring angles, using a basic unit of measure (in this sketch I compared the width of the right hand walll with three windows to the remainder of the house), using grey pens to map shade and cast shadows.

Materials: Ranger Dylusions Creative Journal 5x8 inches, Micron 02 pen, Faber-Castell PITT Artist Cold Grey III pen, Daniel Smith watercolors.

This is a very complicated building. My most challenging one yet with a crazy curved facade and lots of windows, shadows and reflections. Line first, then watercolor, and white gel pen.

Course concepts used: constructing volumes, allowing thicknesses and depths, using a basic unit of measurement (in this case I used the height of one story of the central clock tower), and leading edges.

Materials: Ranger Dylusions Creative Journal 5x8 inches, Kaweco Sport fountain pen with Platinum Carbon Black ink, Lucas watercolors, and Uni-ball Signo UM-153 white gel pen.

Basically there are two ways to draw, with care or with abandon. Usually I block things in, measure angles and relative sizes and strive for accuracy. Occasionally, however, I like to just dive right in, work quickly, and throw caution to the wind. What you lose in accuracy you gain in liveliness.

I like working with a watersoluble pen. The brown washes that you see were pulled off the line work with a waterbrush. It's a fast way to sketch and I like the look.

Course concepts used: blocking in basic shapes first, using leading edges, and mapping shade and cast shadows.

Materials: Ranger Dylusions Creative Journal 5x8 inches, Kuretake Zig Letter Pen CocoIro Extra Fine Sepia, Pentel medium round waterbrush, Uni-ball Signo UM-153 white gel pen.

This is the new rehab unit at Salem Hospital. I'm using different media today. I'm trying Neocolor II watersoluble crayons and a new ink in a dip pen, but instead of dipping into an ink bottle I'm storing the ink a small plastic eydrops bottle and putting a drop of ink on the nib as needed.

Course concepts used: blocking in basic shapes first, using a basic unit of measurement (in this case I used the width of the right hand brick wall), mapping shade and cast shadows, and simplify window reflections.

Materials: Ranger Dylusions Creative Journal 5x8 inches, Neocolor II watersoluble crayons, Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay Sepia India ink with a Tachikama pen holder and Speedball #512 nib, Pentel medium round waterbrush, Uni-ball Signo UM-153 white gel pen.

Jim

Lesson 4: Summary

Lesson 4: Summary

Concepts:

1. Mapping light and dark
2. Refining the dark side and adjusting the light side
3. Try different methods and workflows.

Observations:

• I discovered I really like markers (Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens) and prefer using them over pencils for value studies.
• I learned to look for and notice the value and color differences between shade and cast shadows.
• I did extensive testing to determine the values of the PITT pens and how to mix and blend them to get additional values and colors.
• I was surprised to see that my color perception and mixing is pretty good. There was very little difference between the two Lucca watercolor sketches - one where I applied local color first and then shadows and the other where I applied shadow color first and then local color.  The order of application didn't seem to matter much. 
• My angles and proportions are getting better the more i draw, but it still takes me a long time to draw accurately (upwards of an hour). 

To-Do:

 Continue to study color theory and practice color mixing.

 Continue to practice analyzing building structure and design.

 Try Neocolor II on location instead of watercolors or markers.

 Revisit all the course materials and concepts.

Jim

Lesson 4: Outdoor Exercise

Lesson 4: Outdoor Exercise

I sketched my own house for this exercise. Using markers I first sketched a value study. Then I did a full color version with markers.

In each version I first did a quick pencil layout and then worked with markers - light grey, middle grey, dark grey, and black for the value sketch and lightest colors to darkest colors in the color sketch.

I'm starting to feel more confident that I can get the colors and values I want using markers. They are very different from watercolor.

Materials: Canson Mix Media 7x10 inch paper, pencil, Faber-Castell PITT Artist brush pens, Micron Pigma 02 pen.

Before doing these I did a series of marker value tests in order to find out the values of the color markers.

I used an image editor to drop out the color. There aren't a lot of dark values right out of the pen.

So, in this next test I did grouped the markers by color and experimented with getting the dark values by mixing colors.

I experimented with ways to get additional colors and values by mixing colored markers. On the left I tried getting shades of colors by mixing color with greys. I discovered that if you lay down two layers of the same color, it is darker than just one layer. On the right I made additional values by double layering colors. At the top I mixed compliments - yellow and violet, orange and blue, red and green. At the bottom are experiments with blending two or three colors one on top of the other. On the far right I tried making a wash of color (light blue) without streaks. It's possible, but you have to work fast, scribbling back and forth wet into wet. I tried a single layer, two layers in different directions, and three layers in three directions.

Later I learned how to thin and blend markers. The trick is to gesso the paper first. The ink stays wet on the surface of the gesso so you can push it around, blend it, and even lift it off until it dries (several minutes or until you blow dry it which is what I did). This allows you to build up the color gradually and achieve subtle effects. You can also use a plastic palette, blend two colors on the palette, and then use a blending brush pen or waterbrush to transfer the color to the paper. The other trick I used was to use a white wax pencil as a resist. I drew in the areas I wanted to remain white. PITT pen ink beads up over the wax and even after it dries you can wipe it clean, back to white, with a tissue.

I did a sunset sketch to test my new knowledge of how to thin and blend colors.

Jim

Lesson 4: Indoor Exercise Part 2

Lesson 4: Indoor Exercise Part 2

I did two watercolor studies using different workflows. The first (on the left) I added the local color first and then did the shadows. In the second (on the right) I did the shadows first and then added the local color.

They turned out pretty similar. I was surprised. The light side of the buildings are a little bit lighter in the one on the right, but not much.

Materials: Canson Mix Media 7x10 inch paper, Micron 02 pen, Royal 1/4" dagger brush, and Daniel Smith watercolors.

Jim

Lesson 4: Indoor Exercise Part 1

Lesson 4: Indoor Exercise Part 1

I sketched two versions (for comparison) from a reference photo of a Tasmanian cottage - one in pencil and the other using markers.

I did the pencil sketch first. I used three different values of grey watercolor pencils and black. I was pleased with the result and then I tried the markers. Wow. I was able to work much faster and the result had a lot more punch because ink has much more contrast than pencil. Again I used three values of grey plus black. I started each drawing by laying down a mid tone grey in the shadow shapes, then a dark grey, then a light grey, and finally black paying attention to differentiating between shade with reflected light and darker cast shadows. I like how some shapes (like the chimneys for instance) are defined by their shadows. I didn't have to draw an outline around their edges.

Materials: Canson Mix Media paper, Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer watercolor pencils, Faber-Castell PITT Artist brush pens.

I also did another marker value sketch from a supplied photo reference of Manly Tower.

I first did a pencil sketch and then used markers to map the shadows. Finally, I added black.

Materials: Canson Mix Media 7x10 inch paper, Derwent Blue Grey watercolor pencil, Faber-Castell PITT Artist brush pens, and Micron 02 pen.

Jim

Lesson 4: Overview

This week we are adding color and value to our drawings.

Concepts:

1. Mapping light and dark
2. Refining the dark side and adjusting the light side
3. Try different methods and workflows.

We learned a three step process for doing value studies.

1. Map all the dark areas in a mid-tone grey.
2. Refine the dark side by adding a darker grey to all the areas of cast shadow.
3. Look at the local color and then apply this over the sketch as needed.

Indoor Exercises:

Part 1: Value Study. I did three drawings mapping light and dark from supplied photo references. The first was done with pencil. The second and third were done with markers.

Part 2: Color Study. I did two watercolor and ink drawings from the same photo reference. In the first one I added local color first and then added the shadows. For the second one I did the shadow areas first and then added local color.

Outdoor Exercise:

Our assignment was to sketch a simple building, to first do a value study to map the light and dark and then sketch the building in color. It was our choice whether to start with shadows or local color.

Jim