Drawing Tone (Module 4, Chpt 2)

Introduction

Developing on pictures drawn for the first chapter, this chapter involved adding tones to observational drawings. It has been a useful exercise in getting down to business with the pencil, always something I tend to shy away from. In truth though, maximum fun was had working on these images. 

I took three images from the last post, editing one for closer detail, and worked on these; then added a new observational and tonal drawing.

Drawing 1: Detail of Apple Blossom

I returned to the first drawing I made of apple blossom and reduced the area to be worked on. I made a new observational drawing.

Then working around the page, starting with lower left, I started to add tone:

Drawing 2: Working on a more complex tonal image

I returned to the busier drawing of apple blossom and worked this into a tonal drawing. Starting as before in the lower left area of the picture and working my way around the page:

Although these two drawing were in some way quite complex I felt I was able to grasp the use of tone to clarify the image

Drawing 3: Returning to the tree roots from Tollymore forest park

This was altogether a more challenging drawing to work from as it relied much more on the use of tone to give depth and texture to the image:

Starting in the lower part of the observational drawing and trying to be very conscious of where the light hits the roots and also getting the circumference of the roots:

Drawing 4: Two types of seaweed

Every week I walk along the beach at Brancaster on the north Norfolk coast. It's a marvellous and unpolluted part of the country. I picked up lots of things I thought might be interested in drawing on the last visit.

I decided on drawing some seaweed. Although plant based like the first two images, this was however a complete challenge. I made a quick still life photo:

Converted and printed it in grey scale:

Made an observational drawing:

For some reason I found this a really tough tonal drawing to do. It was hard to make sense of the two seaweeds and hard to make the two clearly identifiable as two separate plants:

As you wrote in the notes, drawing is an exhausting task demanding total concentration and it took a great many breaks to complete these pictures.