Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Teapots

This week, I'm finishing up a 15-week college drawing class focused entirely on black and white medium. I'm a returning student. And, even though I went to college years ago and graduated with the more practical marketing/business degree, this past year my creative side got the best of me and I decided to return to the college classroom to work on my drawing skills.


Even though I am always creating and drawing and have taken workshops here and there, I've often felt that I've never "officially learned to draw from the experts". I guess the fact that I work on a college campus gave me the added 'oomph' to step back into the classroom.

Interestingly, just last week, I read another artist's blog and could really appreciate her discussion about it never being too late or you being too old to pursue your artistic talents.


Throughout the course, we worked with pencil, conte crayon, charcoal, ink wash, bamboo sticks dipped in ink, charcoal dust, and oil sticks. For the final project, students were to choose a theme and create four drawings using the same application. I chose subtractive chalk and my theme was teapots.

To create a subtractive chalk drawing, the artist covers the entire page with charcoal - making sure it is mushed and smudged into the page so that the white paper no longer exists. Then, from observation (and with really messy charcoal-blackened hands), you begin to erase out the picture - adding and erasing charcoal - until you have pushed and worked the drawing to your satisfaction.

Although the class has been lots of fun and I've learned plenty, I cannot tell you how starved I am to work with color again!

5 comments:

  1. I like especially the second and last sketches. We make our own teas from fresh herbs. Have you ever heard of http://suzannebuchanan.blogspot.com/ I think you'd like her work.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like the last one for the detail, but the second one with the metal tea kettle is fantastic. It really looks shiny! I think that would be difficult with charcoal. You've done incredible work in these classes. Bravo!
    Jacqui

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow Cheryl! This is a tremendous amount of work and took much concentration!The course sounds like a great course which would have heightened so much awareness in an artist.

    I love your theme! Really love how you displayed the many values in your pieces.The way you engraved the word Tea in the last painting is wonderful. Congratulations on creating such a great series of work! I understand your thirst for color now! I would be lost without color for long as well. Cheers!
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  4. Puts my stick people to shame! I admire your work.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Cheryl,
    Thanks for visiting my blog. Your chalk drawings are wonderful! Very interesting technique.

    ~Donna

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your feedback~