<b>EXERCISE 4</b>
Not a great scan (darker than the original) nor a good quality paper.
So, I hope you are still able to offer some comments. I've had no previous instruction on drawing with graphite, so this effort is based entirely on what I've learned from you so far.
I've adjusted this, Maggie, and it's probably still darker than the original, but I can see everything clearly. And that includes the texture of your paper, which wasn't ideal for representing smooth, waxy petals.
MAGGIE_First-lily.jpg
So, bearing that in mind... If you haven't yet watched the video, it might answer questions for you:
SHADE A LOVELY LILY
I feel you had a good idea of the three-dimensional shapes as you shaded this, which means it was living in your mind as a real Lily. That's good! It leads to drawing with understanding instead of copying.
In a few places, you relied on line to separate petals. Just so you know for future reference, we see edges because of tonal differences and, as I'm fond of saying, nothing in life has a line around it. Line is a purely man-made device and completely unnatural. Instead, look for ways that cast shadows or reflected light can help you to display edges and junctions between two parts. Decide on a lighting direction (draw an arrow in the margin as a reference if it helps) and stick to it, although you don't need to be deadly accurate. I've had a quick go to show you how shadows help, and remove much of the need for outline.
Your shading of the petals, with their subtle highlights, describes their form very well. But if you'd increased the intensity of your cast shadows, you would not have needed to use line. Also, consider contrast, too. Not just contrast between values, but between
textures. In this case, if you'd drawn the anthers with hard internal details, they would have emphasised the softness of the petals and
both would have benefited.
For example, you've drawn the big 10 o'clock petal casting its shadow on the 8 o'clock petal below it. That cast shadow helps to visually divide the two, but if you'd made it as dark as the line, the line would have disappeared - and it would no longer be needed.
On the other hand, you've made good use of outline for the 1 o'clock petal. There, the line represents the thickness of the petal, and its lost-and-found appearance looks realistic.
This exercise was based on the need to work dark to light, because that cuts out guesswork.
Did you begin with the dark triangle in the throat of the Lily? Decide where the darkest value in the drawing will be. That'll be the little triangle I just mentioned. We're trying to avoid guesswork - we know that triangle is in the depths of the flower and will receive the least light. So we can confidently decide that it is both dark and featureless. Pick up your 2B and fill it in - the darker, the better. Don't worry if it's too dark - that can be fixed later with Blu-Tack or a kneadable eraser.
Now we'll work on the big 10 o'clock petal - in sections! Only drawing what we know! First take your 2B or HB and begin to tease that triangle out and up the petal towards the highlight. As you approach the highlight, feather the lines to white. We don't yet know what value the highlight should be because we have nothing to compare it to.
When the lower half of the petal is complete (working around the stamens - don't touch those, they're an "unknown"), begin again at the top of the petal and draw back towards the highlight. You can use the values of the completed base as a guide to values required - and taking the white of the paper into account too. Start right at the tip and gently tease your drawing back to the highlight.
You should now have a completed petal with a pristine white highlight. I protect the white of my paper at all costs because it's the only white we have. And drawing dark to light naturally protects the white.
Now you can start on another petal, using the completed one as a reference. Should it be darker? Lighter? You can decide that with confidence because you have a reference to work with. Don't start light - see the finished petal in your mind and draw what you understand - and that means NOT copying the reference. That's there for detail and positioning only. This Lily is YOUR Lily, there's no reason at all why it should look like mine.
