End of a class exercise

Hello, Naima.

Say, nice job on how well you've approximated your volumes and tones of the human anatomy. I think that you've got some promise, fella, but I feel that your tones could a bit more loosening up to do. How would you like to do some 5 minutes of 30 second still life warm-ups from life, using only really simpler, really geometric forms lit against your desk lamp?

If you focus on that approach to gesturing out your lights and shadows, then they will become more solid, but more fluid, but more lively. For more details, please look into one of our drawing books on rendering lights and shadows. Good luck to you.

Naima,

I think you are off to a solid start. But I feel you need to work on the variety of line quality of your edges. They are all near the same thickness and tone.

A good exercise is to get someone to call out

Width of line calls out

Thicker

Thinner

Pressure of line calls out

Harder

Softer

Edge of line calls out

Rounder

Sharper

-----Make a continual line focusing on these qualities when someone calls out. You change the line quality while consistently keeping the other two of the three aspects of your current line qualtiy.

If you don't have someone to help, just set up a timer and get an app to scramble the 6-line qualities and change your style according to the scrambler.

This will also help you with your shading too, mainly because you will understand the pressure and grain of your marks needed to make that object look more 3D.

Warning! If you have never done this before, it is rather mentally tiring. Take time and short stints of doing this before working up to a full five-minute exercise.

I hope this helps.

All the best,

JCML Fine Art