Pencil, crayon and charcoal, ideal for paintings
by Tissa Hewavitharane
Pencils, crayons and charcoal are easy to work with partly because of
the multitude of colours and tones available. They also have a great
variety of strength. Pencils have a range from delicacy of F (a
draughtsman's pencils) to the heaviness of all or even E.
Charcoal and carbon come in great big thick pieces or fine sticks.
Crayons and carbon also come in great big pieces or fine sticks. Crayons
can be hard, soft or waxy and some are even water soluble.
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Edgar Degas |
The fluidity and the best results of your drawing will depend on the
paper you use.
A fine hard pencil will ripple and jump over a heavily textured
surface, but will produce a fine line on a smooth paper. You have to
choose both pencil and paper according to the final painting you want to
create.
Shape
When you have decided on the pencil you want, try to get the right
shape. Make experiments by holding the pencil on its point or side or at
a slant. Each position creates a different mark. To emphasise thin lines
use the point, but to get a broader stroke, you can use an eraser or
putty rubber.
There are various drawing paper to give different effects and
techniques in pencil drawing as well as crayon.
Working on cartridge drawing paper the flow of the pencil and the
broadness will show the effects of shading without much effort.
Any drawing done on sketchbook paper using a 2B pencil gives a
pattern and a texture of the whole drawing. To strengthen its strokes
perhaps it would be necessary to use a 48 or a 6B pencil.
The drawing done of Diana Edgar Degas on crayon observe the hat's
shadow across and Degas' face almost suggests a reluctance to portray
his own image.The hat has been used here to convey a sense of
self-possession. The shape of the hat in this picture is balanced by the
line of the chin and the head. The shape of the mouth forms a vital part
of the structure of this image.
Observant
The picture has been built with strong textures that create the
appearance of looking observant. The facial expression is not lost
because the dark tones provides a strong focal point. Sri Lanka has been
proud of producing creative artists who work in different mediums. One
of the greatest of them was none other than Sarashwathi Rockwood who was
reputed for her work in pastel crayon and charcoal.
A black and white charcoal drawing of Mudliyar A.C.G.S. Amarasekera
is hung permanently in the National Art Gallery, Colombo. She was very
fond of nature and the environment. She produced a calendar for 2011
titled 'Trees' in black and white charcoal sketches of various trees in
Sri Lanka.
I interviewed her before she passed away a few months ago. The
portrait done by crayon on Edgar Degas shows light and colour. You don't
always have to do a perfectly finished drawing, and it can be exciting
just to concentrate on light. Manipulating light and understanding
colour are important. The strength of colour gives the painting a secret
quality. |