05 January - Contour drawing with shading - 5th

Objectives:

-to introduce value and create value scale

-to introduce techniques of shading, hatching, crosshatching, and stippling

-to apply these techniques to create the illusion of depth in a work of art

materials:

pencil, or pencils of varying hardness

white drawing paper(two 8” by 11” per student)

rulers

paper towels for smudging blank value scale worksheet

procedure:

-introduce lesson

-discuss definition and purpose of Value / Tone

A very important element in, especially drawings and paintings, is value (or tone). In this context, value means light and dark. Sometimes referred to by the Italian word “chiaroscuro” (literally “light/dark”), value is often described visually by a scale with varying shades of gray arranged between black and white. But remember that colors have values also—what would you call a light value of red?

When the artist is working a flat, two-dimensional surface, as in drawing and painting, in order to create three-dimensional, rounded or projecting objects, he or she must rely on illusion alone (more on 2-D and 3-D later). In other words, the 2-D artist must learn to “fake it.” A circle is rendered into a ball by using smooth, TRANSITIONAL values, gently moving from dark to light, whereas a box needs ABRUPT value changes to show that the light is different around its corners, top, and the side facing the viewer.

BROKEN values are what cause us to see texture in a drawing, painting or print. Looking closely at a rendering of crumpled paper, you can see many little abrupt changes in value which, when you move back from the artwork, blend to become the subject matter. Generally, lighter values appear to be “closer” to the viewer, and darker values tend to “recede” from the viewer. All of these characteristics of value help the artistcreate illusions of space in two-dimensional works of art.

-students complete value scale

-demonstrate techniques of shading, hatching, and crosshatching

-students practice these techniques on worksheet

-students create mountain hatching study as seen below:

1.draw rectangle on paper with ruler

2. draw contour lines of 3 mountains

3. shade sky with lightly hatched lines, not too close together

4. hatch most distant mountain slightly darker and more closely spaced than sky

5. hatch the remaining 2 mountains, with the lines getting darker and closer together.

-discuss how you have created the illusion of depth, and how objects in the distance become lighter, while objects closer to the viewer appear darker.

– If you have time, demonstrate how to use contour hatching to create dimension in rounded shapes as pictured below:

– students practice this technique

– wrap up and cleanup