Drawing: Blog 1
I chose the book, Art
of Drawing: The Complete Course because drawing’s been one of those things
that I’ve always wished I was good at but it’s always been a challenge for me.
I love to doodle but I’ve never been able to draw well, so I decided to take
the opportunity to learn something new. One of the first things the author,
David Sanmiguel says is that drawing is something that a person can learn but
they have to take it one step at a time.
The first thing I decided to focus on were the different mediums, tools and materials. I specifically focused on graphite sticks and flat graphite sticks. “Each tool and material gives specific and unique results that no other medium can duplicate,” (Sanmiguel 11). As I used the flat graphite sticks and the graphite stick I realized that the outcomes were different. The graphite sticks produced lines that looked more like something you could draw with a normal pencil although they were a bit darker. However, the flat graphite sticks had a different effect and they were able to cover more space because their tip was flat.
As I was testing the different flat graphite sticks I realized that they produced different lines at different angles. “Since graphite sticks are not covered in wood or plastic, their point configuration is not limited, which means you can draw a large variety of strokes,” (Sanmiguel 13). Different angles allow the artist to form different strokes that can
After I had tested the different flat graphite sticks I compared the way they looked and I realized that the different hardness’s, soft, medium and hard all had a different result. The soft one produced darker lines that didn’t have as much of a shade to them. The medium one produced somewhat of a lighter line and it had more of a shade. The hard one produced a light line that had a lot more shade to it. The different hardness’s have different effects on what the lines turn out to look like. I think that the way you can change how dark and shaded a line is with a different flat graphite stick is unique and fascinating because there are so many things that you can make. Have you ever used flat graphite sticks? And if you have what did you draw with them?
Sanmiguel, David. Art of Drawing: The Complete Course. Sterling Publisher, 2003.
That's very interesting, for I never thought about how different shapes of utensils would produce a different outcome. I have never used flat graphite sticks because I don't like drawing and I suck at it, but it sounds cool! Is there a particular utensil you prefer to draw?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't like using graphite sticks because they're difficult to erase. I prefer to use sketching pencils because they're easier to use.
DeleteI've never heard of graphite sticks before or used them. Your post showed what they do, but what are the sticks themselves?
ReplyDeleteGraphite sticks are basically just lead. They're like pencils without the wood covering the lead. They're mostly used to shade because they don't have anything cover the lead.
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