8 Weeks, Tuesdays, 1pm - 3pm.
This class is for anyone who wants to draw muted and colorful landscapes using dry media and watercolor, graphite pencil, colored pencils, charcoal and pastel pencils, including black and white. Various kinds of papers will be used, such as smooth and rough surfaced, tinted, and prepared. Students will draw or paint indoors or out, participate in group or individual work, share methods and techniques, etc. Color and composition will be emphasized, making this a good class for those who are interested in improving those skills, and working with their own photos, or plein air (outdoors) to produce more personally satisfying and expressive works.
Just in time for the Fall foliage season!
Directions: Dranesville Tavern is located on route 7 just east of the intersection with route 7100 (Fairfax County Parkway) at the intersection with Dranesville Manor Drive.
If you are coming from Reston or McLean, go west on rt. 7 to a left at the light at Dranesville Manor Drive. If you pass the tavern, you can make a u-turn at rt. 7100, taking the ramp from the right lane, but be careful - it comes up quickly and traffic will be at highway speed. A better idea might be to go to the next light at Dranesville Rd. to make the u-turn.
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Drawing Materials and Techniques
One of the great things about drawing is that so few materials are
required - a pencil and a piece of paper. Have you ever created a
doodle on that phone message pad?
Of course, a huge variety of drawing materials are available from the
art store to the drug store - from sanguine to neon. And new innovations are appearing all the
time - roller pens, gel pens, woodless pencils, markers, etc.
One of the most interesting aspects of having all these options is choosing the materials to use. This class will encourage you to try out different combinations, and explore the possibilities.
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Pencils and Pens
General/Mars or any good drawing pencils in #2 (medium hardness lead) and #6B (softer lead). Some art stores have a test pad next to the pencils and pens on which to try them out.
I like the General layout pencil (#555) because of the soft thick lead, which can produce a wide range of lines and shading effects.
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Use a gel pen or roller pen for a "pen and ink look", without the messy dip pen:
Roller pens
I have the Uniball Vision Exact Micro in black - it's great on Strathmore Bristol paper. We will use this pen as a substitute for a dip pen.
Koh-i-noor Woodless Colour Pencils
These pencils are a great way to add color to your drawing - made of solid colored wax lead, with a lacquer finish, they have a nice, weighty feel, and are long lasting.
I got my set of 24 at Aaron Brothers for about $15, which is very reasonable for quality pencils of this type. Their
web site has a 20% off printable coupon if you sign up for their email list.
Watercolor pencils - great for use with pencil and water-resistant roller pens.
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Marker Pens
You may also want to try some Prismacolor Markers for colorful illustrations. They have a beautiful range of colors, but they are relatively expensive, and my experience is that run out of ink a little too quickly.
Conte and General Pastel and Charcoal Pencils
If you want to do some pastel chalk, try getting some charcoal and pastel pencils - they are clean and allow for detailed work. Most pastels, charcoals and chalks
look great on Rives BFK paper (mentioned below).
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Papers
Almost any paper can be used for drawing - I learned to draw at age 6 on reams of telegraph sheets (inexpensive 5" X 8" cream colored 20lb paper).
Drawing on a colored or toned paper can save you time, and help set the mood for your work. Start with a colored paper that is halfway between the lightest and darkest values in you drawing. Pick a color that is close to the overall tone of the composition. Light creams, grays, and other neutrals are best.
Watercolor papers (Arches, Canson, Waterford, etc)
Colored papers (Strathmore and Sanford Mi-teintes pastel)
Truly fine
art quality papers include Rives BFK paper, available in cream and gray, which you can find locally at Plaza Art in Fairfax on Nutley St., along with a wide selection of other good paper.
Pads of smooth (Bristol) and vellum (slight tooth) white paper such as those from Strathmore
You can prepare your own papers at home by toning the surface with watercolor, acrylic paint, shellac, coffee stains, etc., to add texture, age, etc.
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Eraser and sharpener
Since all erasers abrade the paper surface, you might want to try a kneadable eraser, which is softer than your standard Pink Pearl. While the purist "never" erases, I'm not a purist!
I don't get good results with those small sharpeners, so if you
plan to do a lot of drawing, it might be a good idea to invest in an electric sharpener, and it really helps if it has the capability to accept a standard and larger size pencil diameter.
Clear Plastic Ruler and other drawing tools, such as curves and squares, if you wish to use them.
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Keeping a sketch book
A sketchbook is a good way to keep your sketches in one place. But if you haven't used one before, it's easier to start out with individual sheets of inexpensive paper for practice. The goal is to get comfortable holding a pencil and letting your hand and arm relax from that tight, writing grip.
Don't worry if your lines aren't perfectly straight and consistent - the idea is to arrange shapes on the paper so that the result has an overall balanced look. The more you practice, the more fun you will have!
