70
LIGHT AND DARK
SOFT PENCILS
Our first concern in this series of drawings is
to create the fundamental form of the head,
neck and shoulders if the light is coming from
a fixed position on one side of the figure. In
our example the light is coming from a fixed
position on the left side. Once the
fundamental form is established, you can
concentrate on modelling the form through
observation of how the shadows are cast and
how they fall over the form. The figure here
has the appearance of being constructed out
of pure light.
TONAL DRAWING USING GRAPHITE OR
VERY SOFT PENCIL
This is a tonal portrait drawing based in
observation and it is done using a very soft
pencil - 8b.
The first concerns of this drawing are to
create a sense of the fundamental form by
observing the nature of the effects of light.
You will notice there is a very strong direct
light that plays over the surface of the subject.
Step1/establish the basic form of the head by
drawing an ovoid or an egg shape. Draw two
lines for the neck, and then two arced lines for
the shoulders. This will give you the basic
outline for the form of the head. You can now
initially place the basic areas of shadow in on
one side of the head leaving the other side in
the light. But you need to put some shadow
on the outside of the head so as to pick up the
edge of the form on the light side of the face.
Notice the free sketched way in which the
tone has been placed down at this point in the
drawing.
Part One – THE PENCIL
The light source picks out the fundamental
form of the portrait.The light becomes more distinct on how it
plays across the surface of the form.More tonal detail that brings out the
character and more personal details1.2.3.