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Week 8 - Beginning our adventures in ink!
Micron Pens
Patterning & Design
Patterning & Design
When we return to class in November, ALL students will begin working in pen. Several students already have their pens, but many do not. While these are not required (regular ball-point pen or ultra-fine sharpie are decent substitutes) I highly recommend students use the Micron pen or similar brand. The key is that the ink is both waterproof and archival. Many store brands are only water-resistant, and will bleed if students choose to ink wash or watercolor their designs.
Here is a basic set of 6 sizes on Amazon for under $12: click here
Patterning & Design
Patterning & Design
Patterning & Design
Here is an example of my Scream-for-Ice Cream demo. It started with a simple line drawing of a basic swirled ice cream cone. Each swirl was a shape that was further segmented to allow for many different areas of design.
Since my theme was ice cream, many of my sections are filled with flavor patterns. Font is another great way to add an extra flair to your design!
Think cool coloring books, but the big-kid adult kind. Meditative coloring comes to mind when I think of these patterns.
Week 6 - completing the betta fish
I am proud of how diligent everyone has been to their shading & layers!
Everyone's styles are so different. And I love all of them for different reasons. I hope students are proud of their work...some are more vibrant, some are more detailed, some are more colorful, some more illustrative, some are more unique....but all of them are amazing! I'll be posting pictures of their finished work next week if they let me.
So stay tuned on that part.
Now, I need a little help. Some of the kids like it...but Mrs. Erin isn't sure!! Should I keep the background feel of the pencil strokes and adapt the fish to match? I tend to have several small demos going at once, especially when students are working individually. Students let me know!
Colored pencil Simple color blending - cardinal
Start by using basic shapes (circle, oval, rectangle, and triangle) and draw the basic shapes of the bird.
Use these basic shapes as the guidelines to drawing the bird in.
Add a basic branch for the bird to sit on. Avoid putting in too much detail or too many feathers.
Next lay a light base coat of color. The colors used here were:
- Yellow-orange
- Orange
- Red-orange
- Red
- Mahogany
Remember to make several passes of color while pressing lightly instead of pressing hard from the beginning.
The two erased areas above the bird demonstrate the ability to erase when multiple layers are used vs. single firm layer of color.
Which one is which?
I will let the colors blend into each other.
As I begin to press more firmly I make sure that my lines are going in the correct direction to match the bird.
Otherwise things look more 2-dimensional and less realistic.
Several layers have been applied, letting the colors move into each other. I begin to outline some of the feathers and add detail pencil strokes to hint at heathers.
Brown has been added to the pencil list, along with blue and black for the face only.
I've zoomed in a bit to show the layering and the pencil strokes.
Here was a fun alternative! After the initial base coats of color, the layers were added using alternative sets of hatchmarks, pressing firmly as the layers increased.
The urge to blend softly was hard to overcome.
But this thing is awesome!
Give it a go! And bring in the examples so I can see when you are through.
:)
Week 5 - colored pencil shading & layers demo
We start with a basic line drawing. Dragging the eraser across the outline helps to lighten them and help to avoid blurring with the colored pencil.
Now I start to layer base layers of red...
...and blue (Crayola Sky Blue) ...
Now a layer of a red-blue (Crayola Light Blue) in the shadow areas of the fish.
Start to add the secret colors in places. In this case, I started adding red-orange to the sunny sides of the fins.
week 4 - Betta fish blending and scales
Base coats are done, on to the realism & details!
Previously, students applied light base coats of pure color over the entire fish (red & blue only, no grays or browns). No black was to be used - I try to avoid that pigment when possible.
In class this week students began to apply layers of warmer colors to the tops of the fish, and cooler colors to the bottoms of the fish & fins. By applying lighter warmer colors to the light side of our object, with cooler darker colors on the darker side, the fish is given more of a life-like appearance - no longer flat on the page. "Add sun to the light side and add night to the dark side" - yellow for the sun and blue or purple for the night.
For example: the red sphere has red-orange where the light hits the object and blue/violet where the sphere rounds into the shadow. The same concept is applied to all colors.
Students also learned about laying in the details of the fish (eyes, scales, fins), using colors that are already on the fish. By using harmonizing colors, the scale texture that is drawn in blends with the body color and does not draw too much attention - this helps to prevent the chain link fence patterns that happen when scales are drawn.
Check out the Crayola colored pencil color wheel! You will see the name of some colors within the wheel. The second page is a nice little tips & techniques worksheet on blending and shading. You will notice it is all about layers - layers, layers, layers! Download your copy below.
Week 2 - Pressure & color wheels
Pencil Grip & pressure
One of the biggest things that we covered this week in class is our pencil grip. Most people shade with the same grip as they write, often with way too hard a pressure. We discussed how holding our pencil in different positions helps soften lines and increase blending.
In regards to colored pencils and shading:
IT IS BETTER TO MAKE MANY LAYERS USING A LIGHT PRESSURE than to MAKE A FEW LAYERS WITH FIRM PRESSURE.
This helps prevent pencil lines showing up and paper wrinkling.
Color Wheel
During class we were able to get our color wheels measured out and drawn, and began coloring in the base coats of colors for several of the rings. This color wheel lets us compare what colors look like when white is added, when the complimentary color is added, and what happens when tan, brown or black is used to lower the intensity of a color. We did not finish this in class. We will finish our lesson on it next week and will move on once we return from Fall break, even if students are not finished yet. Many things can be finished at a student's own pace at home.
Week 1 - intro to the year & supplies
Starting with the basics - colored pencils & sketchbooks
Drawing class works in many different dry mediums. We start the year in colored pencil, allowing us to work on everyone's pressure & grip, as well as go over basic color theory. We will move switch mediums monthly. Towards the end of the year, students will be able to pick the medium of their choice for each new lesson. I will be teaching and demonstrating with Crayola 24-ct colored pencils. This way, everyone learns to master shading with the basic pencils, similar to what people have at home. When they upgrade, whether on their own or through gifts, they see the step-up in quality. They don't have to experience stepping down in quality when they work on their own.