Sphere Drawings

This was a preliminary project to our first assignment. I drew these using graphite pencil and a medium texture paper.

The goal for these was to create consistent values with no lines, blotches, blemishes, or visible pencil strokes. Basically, it entailed me leaning in about 6 inches from the paper with my pencil just lightly grazing the surface of the paper....for hours. To get the dark values, it required me to continuously go over the area, building up the graphite SLOWLY.

For the value scale and the top circle, that is all it consisted of. Those are called "dry point" techniques. But for the bottom circle, I combined the dry point technique with a cloth blending technique. After building up values with the graphite, I took a paper towel and "smudged" so that the pores of the paper were also filled. This technique gave the sphere a much more smooth texture.

While the smudging technique was without doubt quicker, being able to successfully do both was a crucial learning experience for me. In the future, when I attempt to draw realistic and photographic material, I can more accurately depict textures. The smudging can help bring to life glossy eyes or flat metal surfaces, for example. And the dry point technique could help with the texture of skin or clay pot.

This next assignment is to create a photographic graphite drawing of my eye. Both techniques will be necessary throughout.