Professor Mark Wethli – Spring 2020
Very good
Very good but values in upper left corner and in the semi-circle shape should be darker.
Could be much darker overall. Even the lightest values are a shade darker and the darkest values near black
Very good in the lower left but the rest of the values are more similar to that. I suspect you were worried about over-working the hatching but you’re a long way from that.
Like the other pencil drawing, your strokes in this one should be much gentler and more tempered. These would be great for the ink drawing but the pencil drawing requires a more refined technique. That can still be accomplished here as described in my notes for the other pencil drawing. The light grey values here are darker still. Once again, compare them to the white of the paper. There’s no value in the reference that approaches the whiteness of the border.
Very good, but the large dark shape to the upper left is much darker. Like your other ink drawing, the freer stroke in the values doesn’t extend to the forms themselves; shapes could be tidied up, even as the hatching strokes remain freer. See the examples I sent a week ago for an example.
As noted in my email to the class, these strokes are too forceful and untempered. The texture here should be built gradually from many layers of strokes, each lightly applied and “neutralizing” the grain in one another. This can be improved by using a very sharp point to draw into the space and gaps between the darkest strokes, to even the texture.
Very good so far, but the darks need to be much darker–many more layers of scribbling. The white stripe on the lower left is a middle-grey, not white. Even with this expressionist technique you can define the edges of shapes more accurately. The hatching might be free but the forms should have as much definition as they do in the reference image.
Dark values are fine and the light values are fine (actually, could be a little darker) but the mid-tones (which dominate this section) all need to be darker. That sliver of light in the top center needs to stand out more, as it does in the reference, by having all the other values get darker.
The better of the two of this image, but the midtobe in the lower right quadrant and lower half in general needs to be darker. The tonal shifts in the lower half of this image should be almost imperceptible; you’re bringing them out too much.
Great configuration but same as above–your mid-tones (which dominate this section) are much too light. Yours are hardly darker than the paper, when almost all of them should be a middle-dark grey. Only a couple of spots that I would describe as a lighter mid-tone. Especially true of those shapes in the lower right, which are much darker.
Better value range than the pencil version. Only that lower right shape needs to be darker. The shape at the center right edge also needs to be darker. That section is better in the pencil version.
Very good. The nature of that leaf shape poking in from the bottom edge could be more accurate in terms of its curvature, but values are very good.
It might be a glare in the photo, but the upper quarter is too light in value. If it’s the photo could you shoot it again? Also that slightly lighter area at the left center isn’t nearly that much lighter than its surroundings–it should be an almost imperceptible lightening of that dark value, not a sea change. The texture of this drawing is mottled. It would be better by very subtly filling in the lighter splotches with a super sharp pencil.
Very good. The stripe on the upper right is much darker (not nearly as light as the others), and so is that triangular shape along the bottom edge.
Very good as well, but the lighter values in the stripes aren’t this white. Compare them to the value of the paper; none of them and no part of them is that white.
Right half is great, but the lighter stripes aren’t nearly that light. Yours approach the lightness of the paper when they should be mid-dark greys, not light greys. Left half is categorically too light; good value relationships but the whole passage is in a darker key. Only a shade lighter than the right half; not to this degree.
Good. Your lightest values could be a shade or two darker, and that sideways V-shaped highlight on the upper left isn’t nearly that light. It’s a barely perceptible difference from the dark shape it’s part of.
Very good drawing, but same notes as the pencil one.
Very good. Terrific abstract drawing.
Fairly good, and a wonderful abstract drawing in and of itself, but except for your darkest areas (near black) all of your tones need to be darker by a few shades, especially in the upper half and that dark shape at the bottom that goes off the lower right corner. Even the lightest value, about a quarter up from the bottom and toward the right, should be darker.
This is good so far, but there’s more value contrast in play–especially where that large curved shape in the lower half overlaps the shapes in the upper half. It also shades toward dark much more toward the right. Except for the lightest areas, all others could be darker.
Better than the ink version in terms of value but it too should be categorically darker. Also, the texture of this drawing lacks the refinement we’re after. As shown in my demo, you need to combine strokes from all angles–these are dominantly left to right–as well as a more tempered and gentle stroke, to achieve a high resolution surface.
Better than the ink version but still under-developed. All values except for the darkest ones and the lightest ones should be darker. Note that the triangular shape on the lower right is the same value as most of the lower half, but separated from those similar values by the dark patch; its the dark patch that makes it look lighter due to simultaneous contrast, but you need to see past that by making wider comparisons.
This process was an emotional roller coaster for me. I think the most difficult part for me was definitely the pen drawings. I was finding that that with pencil it was far easier to vary the intensity of the line weight. Additionally the wider expanses of similar toned (light gray) areas I struggled with making a consistent tone. I think my biggest worry was not leaving enough space for the highlights and lighter areas in my pen drawings, as I was afraid that they would darker too quickly.
My suggestions here are the same as I mentioned in my email. In the process you could tighten up the resolution by hatching lightly from many angles rather than just two, as suggested in the demo.
The hatching in the pen drawings is fine, but as before, these need to be several shades darker overall.
Very good
Very good. The middle grey to the lower left could be a shade darker, but this is good.
Good, but the mid-tones in the right half should be altogether darker. Try hatching at a slightly different angle as well to avoid that mottled look. The upper right corner is significantly darker; although this might be glare–I notice the dark areas on the left also get lighter along the top, when they should be the same as the other darks on that side. The lower white stripe, especially as it approaches the left edge is also darker–not nearly the value of the paper as it is here.