Drawing: Light & Shade (Graphite)

This class will focus on making the appearance of realistic form in drawings through depicting areas of light and shade. In developing this skill, through practice, you can add a satisfying, perhaps surprising degree of realism to your artwork.

In this class, we will work from direct observation of still life using a range of medium to soft graphite pencils. Our focus will be on understanding overall value relationships, and on overcoming the confusion that can result from considering different colors of objects in isolation. We will also discuss optional skill building exercises to do outside of class. Throughout the class we will repeat procedures, building or reinforcing patience, to help students begin to make this wonderful skill set their own.

This class may be useful for students who are exploring making art for fun or recreation, or for those with potential professional aspirations.

PREREQUISITE: In order to get the most out of the class students should have experience taking a beginning drawing class and some familiarity with the practices of proportional measuring and construction line drawing.

SUPPLIES: The following supplies or their equivalent are recommended for this class. If you have questions or concerns about purchasing supplies, please let us know prior to the class start.

NOTE: Bloomington Fine Art Supply, a local, independent art store located at 207 S. Rogers Street near the corner of 4^th and Rogers Streets, has a copy of this list and will put together a kit of all the class supplies for you to pick up in their store. They are offering a 15% discount on your purchase of supplies on this list. Bloomington Fine Art Supply’s website is bfasupply.com, their phone number is 812-369-4013, and their email is bfa.supply@gmail.com.

Required
- Graphite art pencils: 8B, 6B, 4B, 2B, HB – brands other than Faber Castell preferred
- 18”x24” Strathmore 400 Series drawing pad
- Kneaded eraser
- Pink eraser 
- Snap blade cutter (if you already have a sharp box cutter or utility knife that will work)
- Workable fixative 

Optional
- Mechanical pencil style eraser – Tombow Mono round or rectangular 
- Drawing board with clips and large rubber band approx. 20”x26” (This is useful for drawing at home. Drawing boards and clips will be available for use in class.)
- Sketchbook - 9”x12” suggested.
- Vinyl Eraser