Charcoal studies

Still Life Value Study

We have been working on these for around 5 weeks

It is amazing how you view the pictures when you take

the time to sketch. I have never been taught this. 

Our next class was to learn measurement. Very confusing

but a necessity. When your placement on the canvas is right

and the values ALL is well. .

This is my value sketch of a man from an ART magazine. Our lesson consisted of finding a picture and doing a value sketch. Amazingly, I was able to draw the values and not think of him as a picture of a man. Below is the actual picture I used in the practice.

The next two are also value studies I did to learn.)

2-Value Studies

These are 2-value studies from my new found frind, my sketchbook. I have NEVER been able to draw a human being or any part of one. I had to break out of my comfort zone here. I viewed the subject as a black and white picutre. It is amazing what you see!

This is my second attempt. This is an interresting individual to me. When I first saw him I thought ok I am going to do a value study of him. This is also a 2-value study.



New Territory

I have had the opportunity to take a ten week class with a local artist Sara Beth Fair. It has been a very challenging and rewarding class. Sara Beth, to say the least, is incredibly knowledgeable about art, the masters who greatly influence her, God and knowing how to incorporate all her wisdom into a class which has changed my way of thinking. My way of viewing a piece of artwork has changed from this endeavour. I am on a new journey into finding my style (whatever that is) and it has become an adventure to me. I have been incorporating new knowledge obtained from her into my whole thought process. Yes brainwashed! I have been challenged to think differently and view the  creation surrounding us with a whole new outlook.
We have been practicing value studies for 5 weeks and yes I think I got "IT". Our next class was to take a master's painting and "measure" it with our paintbrush. After several tries at this, I believe I have figured it out. One classmate equated it to calculus--that did it for me. I have a math mental block so the comment gave me a block too. Too funny to think that math had anything to do with ART! See, a new lesson learned.
I am grateful to Sara Beth in giving me this process, as challenging as it is, will help me with my creativeness and hopefully a since of self esteem to know I CAN DO IT! I have always been able to create from given talents of our creator but now with a more sophisticated background.

The next few posts will be from my sketch book. Value studies from paintings that others have done.