shading – Radio Blackbird Illustrations https://radioblackbirdillustrations.com Illustrating history – illuminating ideas Sun, 24 Dec 2023 22:01:30 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://radioblackbirdillustrations.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/cropped-cropped-Radio-Blackbird-Logo-1-32x32.jpeg shading – Radio Blackbird Illustrations https://radioblackbirdillustrations.com 32 32 Art classes https://radioblackbirdillustrations.com/2023/10/03/art-classes/ https://radioblackbirdillustrations.com/2023/10/03/art-classes/#respond Tue, 03 Oct 2023 17:56:00 +0000 https://radioblackbirdillustrations.com/?p=223 Sometimes, I’m just so darn good they can’t believe it… But I think the lighting in our art class studio of an evening is not the greatest, and it kind of helps me:

Plaster cast of an acanthus leave, photographed head-on and showing a dazzling array of leaves and shades.
Plaster cast of an acanthus leave
Sketch of the acanthus leaves, with the leaves outlined in fine pencil and with the top part shaded very gently.
My drawing in progress of said leave – bad photo light!
  • Teacher: Hm, I see. You started filling it in.
  • Me: Yeah, I put all the leaves’ outlines in [as she had suggested I do first].
  • Teacher: You smudged it.
  • Me: I what? Where?
  • Teacher: Right there, at the top. You smoothened it. On purpose.
  • Me: I don’t even own a tortillon. Never knew how to use the things.
  • Teacher: You did it with your finger, didn’t you?
  • Me: No, just verrrry gentle shading with an F and H pencil first…

Gentle reader, I acknowledge that I have a decent starting base, and that my powers of shading are coming back and it feels pretty darn good but… I also need to show this close-up that shows upon closer inspection and in harsher light, I am really just shading like anybody else with lots of lines, and clumsily too! Just as well this is a 7 year program 😊

Acanthus leave drawing and original
Close-up of the top of the acanthus leave, with some of the shading worked out already. The lines are quite visible here after all.

Curious to hear if you’re taking classes and what you’re learning! Share in the comments! I will share my progress here on the blog, stay tuned for more fun exchanges with my teachers!

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