Starting from Zero - Art Tutoring and Exhibition for a Group of Students

Author: Liu Zhuang
Editor-in-Chief: Zuo Hanzhong et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-07-01
Features:
Excerpt: Technical Knowledge You Must Know (Part of Sketching)
Tools and Usage:
Pencils: The tone is soft and rich. Pencils of different hardness have different tones. Generally, for objects with solid color, light, hard texture, and smooth surface, use a harder pencil. Conversely, use a softer pencil. When depicting a solid color, choose three pencils with a hardness gap of one level. The harder one is used for the bright areas, the softer one for the dark areas, and the medium one for the mid-tones. Pencils are smooth, soft, fast in operation, and the influence of pressure on tone is significant. They are easy to modify and are the best tool for sketching.
Charcoal: The tone is deep, with fewer hardness varieties and a smaller range of tone variation compared to pencils. It is hard and rough, with greater running resistance and is not easy to modify. It is suitable for expressive methods with strong tonal contrast and generalization of layers. In combined techniques, it can produce special effects when used with other tools.
Charcoal Sticks: The texture is brittle and loose, with a soft and smooth tone, allowing for quick large-area painting. It is suitable for the preparation stage of large tones and can produce special effects when used with other tools.
Erasers: Ordinary white erasers can be used for general modifications of the picture. They are not easy to erase completely, and for this reason, they can be used to remove part of the color layer. After being slightly thinned, they can be used to draw faint lines in certain areas. Plastic erasers can completely remove the color layer, with a sharp edge for wiping. They are suitable for shaping light areas and producing sharp and bright effects. After being slightly thinned, they can be used to lightly rub dark areas to create a semi-transparent dark effect. The characteristics of kneaded erasers are that they can be molded into any shape, with a vague edge for wiping. They can be used to adhere and remove part of the color layer.
Other Auxiliary Tools: Hands, paper, and cloth can all be used to wipe and smear the picture, creating a hazy and ethereal special effect. They can be used appropriately for dark tones but should not be overused. For bright and high-keyed images, these auxiliary tools and methods should be used less or not at all.
Pencil Grip Techniques: The basic principle of coordination between hands and pencils is: when drawing long lines, hold the pencil higher to grip it sideways for greater flexibility, using the shoulder joint to move the arm. When drawing medium-long lines, use the elbow joint to guide the wrist. When drawing short lines, hold the pencil lower to grip it straight for greater flexibility, using the wrist joint to move the hand. The coordination between hands, pencils, and paper should ensure that the hand clearly controls the pencil position. When drawing lines with the same sense, the pencil position should remain unchanged. For example, when drawing side lines with a straight grip, the pencil must be flat against the paper. If the pencil position is unstable, the effect will be unstable. At the same time, changes in hand pressure can bring rich tonal variations. When you feel comfortable, you can appreciate the joy brought by the sense of touch.
Characteristics of Side Grip and Straight Grip:
Side grip is a more common method, with the advantage of a large range of movement and relaxed pencil strokes, making it suitable for drawing straight lines. The weakness is poor flexibility when drawing curves and low accuracy when drawing short lines, and the tip is prone to breaking when increasing pressure.
The advantage of straight grip is increasingly recognized today. The great advantage is the ability to significantly increase pressure, making it suitable for both straight and curved lines, with strong flexibility and high suitability for depicting complex details.
Combined Techniques:
Combined techniques refer to the mixed use of multiple tools and materials, with the following characteristics: For example, first use charcoal to draw the dark tones, then add soft pencils, use a mix of charcoal and pencils for the middle layers, and use hard pencils for the bright areas. This method can increase the range of tonal variations in the picture and effectively solve the problem of overly gray pencil tones. For example, use charcoal sticks to draw the base layer, charcoal to draw the dark structure, and then mainly use pencils to complete it. This can simultaneously reflect the looseness and fluidity of charcoal sticks, the mottled and deep tones of charcoal, and the lightness, softness, and fineness of pencils. This method can increase the richness of texture and surface variations in the picture. Combined techniques can also use ink, white chalk, and even certain color materials. Various rough or smooth papers can also be used. Combined techniques are both an ancient technique and a highly modern one, waiting for us to recognize and develop further through practice.
Characteristics of is static and has a single solid color, with an artistic re-creation by the sculptor. As a basic training for sketching, is relatively easy for beginners to master due to these characteristics. generally starts with geometric solids and gradually progresses to face, head, bust, and full-body sculptures. The methods correspondingly become easier, starting with accurate plane shapes and gradually progressing to structural analysis, high-key expression, mid-tone expression, and full-factor expression. The goals of ability development also unfold in terms of observation skills, analytical skills, in-depth shaping skills, and spatial overall grasp skills, gradually accumulating to a comprehensive improvement in combined expression skills.
Lighting in : Light is necessary to present the form but not the essence of the form. The quality of lighting will determine the completeness of the presentation of the form's essence. Overly scattered light sources will disrupt the integrity of the form, while overly strong light sources will weaken the richness of the form, both of which are not conducive to effective observation and expression. Moderate-intensity side-top or front-top light, combined with slightly weaker ambient reflection light, will help present the essence of the form.
Geometric and Anatomical Structures: Since Cézanne proposed that natural objects could be reduced to spherical, conical, and cylindrical shapes, nature in the eyes of artists has had a dual identity: one is its natural form—its anatomical form; the other is the form derived from the artist's rational abstraction—the geometric form. Cézanne and other post-impressionist artists realized that artists should not be satisfied with merely copying nature but should retain their freedom to independently observe the world. Compared to the classical principle of "representation," Cézanne undoubtedly proposed a revolutionary slogan. The concept of "geometric structure" in modern sketching teaching originates from this. So, how can these two ways of understanding be applied in ? First, one should not be satisfied with only seeing the natural form but should learn to abstract the natural form using geometric solids. For example: consider the hair of David as a hemisphere, the facial area as a rectangular prism, the neck as a cylindrical prism, and the chest as a wedge. In this way, we first achieve the maximum possible abstraction and understanding of the large form structure. On this basis, we further abstract medium-sized forms within the large forms, such as abstracting David's hair into several medium-sized blocks. The significance of this process lies in cultivating the awareness of "focusing on the big picture and observing holistically." At the same time, it deepens the understanding of "volume" and "surface" and the third dimension, cultivating a spatial awareness of "focusing on three dimensions." The second way of understanding involves gradually moving closer to and delving into anatomical structures on this basis. The focus is on observing the specific structure of the object in depth, even "studying" its anatomical structure. The goal is to combine anatomical knowledge to see the inner layer through the surface, to see the bones through the skin. The significance of this process lies in cultivating keen observation skills and in-depth shaping and expressive abilities. These two ways of understanding are not contradictory but complementary, giving our image thinking two sharp antennae—one reaching for a macroscopic abstract understanding of the natural prototype and the other for a microscopic concrete perception of the natural prototype.
The "Generalization" Issue in : The modeling of the is not a natural form of life but has been generalized by the sculptor. Therefore, I advocate cultivating the ability to generalize and abstract during the process of , and the final result should strive to approach the true form of the object rather than some other form "generalized" by us. In other words, during the process of the task, train your generalization ability, and in the result, strive to approach the modeling of the master sculptor, and in this process, savor the charm of the master's generalized modeling.