It is arguable that one of the most frustrating subjects to draw is fabric, especially when you are a beginning artist. Students in my Art II class were asked to use two different techniques to go about drawing a still life of black and white fabric. The combination of dark and light fabric under a spotlight challenges students to find the difference in values depending on where light is hitting each piece of fabric. Students struggle with how to add darker values on a lighter fabric and lighter values on a darker fabric.
The second technique students used to draw the still life was a subtractive drawing process. Students began by covering their paper in charcoal which created their middle gray value.Using an eraser, added in their lightest values. Students then went back in with the charcoal to bring out the darker values. |