z04 study of an infant's nose

Brenda Hoddinott

Z-04 ADVANCED: DRAWING ON THE MASTERS The more I research the primitive drawing materials of medieval artists, the more I sit in total awe and admiration of their drawings. This pen and ink project focuses on rendering the forms of an infant’s nose with the classical drawing techniques of contour crosshatching and chiaroscuro.

White gouache is applied over a darker value (the cream colored paper) to create the highlights, sepia colored ink produces the middle values, and dark brown ink creates the darkest values.

This lesson is divided into the following three sections:

CHIAROSCURO IN RENAISSANCE DRAWINGS: Chiaroscuro was introduced during the Renaissance, and as demonstrated in two drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, was highly effective for creating an illusion of depth and space.

DRAWING PAPER, PENS, AND MEDIA: I begin by discussing the medieval drawing materials that would have most likely been used in the rendering of this type of drawing during the fifteenth century. I then list the contemporary supplies I used to reproduce the medieval drawing style.

DRAWING WITH CHIAROSCURO: As you follow along with step-by-step instructions, your primary goal is to get a feel for working with pen and ink, while incorporating contour crosshatching techniques.

Suggested drawing supplies include 100% cotton paper, nibs and holders, black and burnt sienna inks, white gouache, paintbrush, and a few deep containers to hold water and mixed ink colors.

This lesson is recommended for artists with strong drawing skills, as well as home

schooling, academic and recreational fine art educators of advanced students.

7 PAGES – 9 ILLUSTRATIONS Published by Hoddinott Fine Art Publishers, Halifax, NS, Canada - 2006

Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott.

E-mail [email protected] Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

2

CHIAROSCURO IN RENAISSANCE DRAWINGS In simple terms and specific to drawing, Chiaroscuro refers to the technique of balancing contrasts of light and dark values, so as to create the illusion of a three dimensional reality on a flat surface. The drawing process often employs a method of applying a light value over a dark, such as using white chalk or gouache over colored paper. The word chiaroscuro is derived from the Italian words for light (chiaro) and dark (oscuro).

Chiaroscuro was introduced during the Renaissance, and was highly effective for creating an illusion of depth and space around the principal figures in a composition. Leonardo Da Vinci was renowned for his extraordinary drawing skills with chiaroscuro.

Leonardo’s drawing papers were various colors, depending on the materials used in their preparation. Hence, white highlights had to be applied with an independent medium, such as white gouache. Brown or sepia colored ink produced middle values, and dark brown or black ink created dark values. Examine the following two drawings and see if you can find the sections where white pigment is added.

Figure 04-01: Leonardo, da Vinci, Woman's Head. Pen and ink, and white pigment on paper. 11 by 7.5 inches.

Figure 04-02: Leonardo da Vinci. Lily (detail). Pen and ink, black chalk, and white pigment on paper, 12 by 7 inches,



3

DRAWING PAPER, PENS, AND MEDIA The more I research the primitive drawing materials and tools of medieval artists, the more I sit in total awe and admiration of their drawings. In this section, I begin by discussing the medieval drawing materials that would have most likely been used in the rendering of this type of drawing during the fifteenth century. I then list the contemporary supplies I used to reproduce the medieval drawing style.

Papers During the fifteenth century, paper became a popular drawing surface; diverse papers were handmade by breaking down or chopping up source materials such as plants, vegetable matter, rags, or sailcloth, into individual cellulose fibers. These fibers were mixed with water to form a soupy pulp, and were then scooped up with a wire screen set into a wooden mold. The pulp was leveled flat with a shake, and once the water had drained through the screen, an even deposit of matted fibers remained on the screen's surface.

This matted deposit was then turned out onto a heavy woolen cloth or felt. Another felt was placed on top of the thin sheet of pulp, and stacks of pulp sheets and felts were then pressed to extract as much of the moisture left in the pulp as possible. The sheets were then hung to dry. At this stage, the paper was still like blotting paper. To harden the surface of the sheet and prevent ink bleeding into the sheet, the paper was sized, or coated with a hard gelatin layer.

Pens Most of the old masters’ drawings with pen are rendered with a quill pen, an instrument made from the scraped and cut feathers of birds. Quills from the pinion feathers of the goose, swan, raven and crow were highly esteemed, producing responsive lines that glided across the textured surface of handmade papers. The goose quill was the most commonly used, and those of the raven or crow were considered to produce the finest and most delicate strokes. The quill is very flexible and versatile, resulting in free and lively drawings often characterized by sweeping, almost dancing flourishes and great variations in the width of the pen line. Media

The brown inks we associate today with old masters’ drawings were made by boiling or soaking wood soot in water to extract the soluble tars. This liquid was then filtered, resulting in a transparent and luminous ink, the exact tone of which depended on the kind of wood used. During the early fifteenth century, the term sepia actually referred to the brown tone of the masters’ drawings, rather than a genuine sepia ink composition, which was later made from the secretions of cuttlefish.

Black inks were made from fine particles of soot, charcoal, charred wood, or burnt lamp oil, which were added to water and then mixed with a binding agent, such as gum arabic. Gum arabic is the natural secretion of the acacia tree, and was used to improve the bonding properties of inks and paints, and help hold pigment particles in suspension.

Gouache, an opaque paint, was made by adding white pigment or chalk to a translucent water-based paint, along with a binding agent such as gum arabic. Gouache was added to the lightest sections of drawings (highlights) to emphasize mass and volume.



4

Drawing Supplies used for this Project At some point in the future, I may investigate the process of making authentic drawing papers, pens, and media; however, for this particular drawing, I used the following:

Arches 140 lb. hot pressed, 100% cotton, watercolor paper

Speedball, Number 20, General Purpose nibs and holders

Windsor and Newton, black and burnt sienna inks

Windsor and Newton, permanent white gouache

Number 2, round paintbrush

Three small deep containers to hold mixed ink colors (I used small shot glasses)

Large container of water for cleaning pens and brushes

Before you begin drawing the nose, practice a few different types of lines on a small piece of paper (as in this illustration). Metal nibs do not flow as smoothly across contemporary cotton paper as did the smoothly rounded quills of the masters. Hence, you need to work slowly and press gently with your pen.

Following are a few simple guidelines for drawing with a pen:

Dip the pen deep enough into the ink to fill the reservoir

Carefully wipe the underside of the nib in the side of the container to wipe off extra ink

As you work, wipe the tip frequently with a soft cloth that doesn’t shed fabric fibers

Check the tip each time you reload, in case you have a fabric fiber or hair attached to the tip of the nib (a stray hair can quickly ruin your drawing by forming a big blob instead of a line).

Draw as slowly and precisely as possible; speed comes with lots of practice

Clean nibs, holders, and brushes immediately after use with warm soapy water

A soft toothbrush works best for cleaning dried-on ink from a nib

Figure 04-03: Various styles of hatching and crosshatching lines rendered with pen and ink.



5

STEP 1

STEP 2

I pre-mixed the following three values of ink before I began this project, and then covered each with plastic wrap to keep them from evaporating until I was ready to draw (I tested each on paper to see the actual color):

Light: Begin with a small amount of water and slowly add small drops of burnt sienna ink until the color is similar to this sample. Test the mixture with a small paintbrush after adding each drop of ink.

Medium: Use the burnt sienna ink as it is from the bottle.

Dark: Mix drops of black into a small amount of burnt sienna ink, until you get a dark brown (almost black). Black is very powerful, so you need very little.

Figure 04-04: Three hues of ink - from the left: light, medium, and dark

DRAWING WITH CHIAROSCURO My primary project goal is to get a feel for working with pen and ink, while incorporating the hatching and crosshatching styles.

1) Use the light ink color to outline the shapes of the lower sections of the nose. I find ink to be an incredibly intimidating and tedious medium in that I know I can’t erase mistakes.

2) Add contour crosshatching to build up light values. Remember to leave the three highlight sections of the nose the color of the paper.

My contour lines are somewhat jerky as I very slowly establish proportions with the light ink color.



6

STEP 4

STEP 5

STEP 3

3) Use the medium ink color to add medium values. The light source is coming primarily from the upper right.

I’m gaining an increasing admiration for the students’ of the masters of the Renaissance; they no doubt spent many years practicing drawing before their lines flowed as smoothly as their teachers’.

4) Add the darkest values to the shadow sections with the dark ink color.

5) Use white gouache to paint the brightest sections, the highlights.

You may need to mix a tiny bit of water to the gouache to make it fluid enough to go on smoothly.

If you’re not happy with the results of your drawing, do this little project over again.

Sign your name, and add today’s date to the back of your drawing paper.

Try this same technique to draw another object (or small section of an object) from either a photo or life.



7

BRENDA HODDINOTT - BIOGRAPHY As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic artist, and illustrator, Brenda utilizes diverse art media including graphite, technical pen, colored pencil, chalk pastel, charcoal, conté crayon, and oil paints.

My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on the enjoyment aspects while gently introducing the technical and

academic. Hence, in creating a passion for the subject matter, the quest for knowledge also becomes enjoyable.

>Brenda Hoddinott<

Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Brenda grew up in the small town of Corner Brook. She developed strong technical competencies with a personal commitment to self directed learning, and the aid of assorted “Learn to Draw” books. During Brenda’s twenty-five year career as a self-educated civilian forensic artist, numerous criminal investigation departments have employed Brenda’s skills, including Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal police departments. In 1992, Brenda was honored with a commendation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and in 1994, she was awarded a Certificate of Membership from “Forensic Artists International”.

Her home-based art career included graphic design, and teaching recreational drawing and painting classes. As supervisor of her community’s recreational art department, Brenda hired and trained teachers, and designed curriculum for several children’s art programs. In 1998, Brenda chose to end her eighteen-year career as an art educator in order to devote more time to writing, drawing, painting, and developing her websites.

Drawspace http://www.drawspace.com incorporates her unique style and innovative approach to curriculum development. This site offers downloadable and printable drawing classes for students of all abilities from the age of eight through adult. Students of all ages, levels and abilities have praised the simple step-by-step instructional approach. This site is respected as a resource for fine art educators, home schooling programs, and educational facilities throughout the world.

LEARN-TO-DRAW BOOKS BY BRENDA HODDINOTT Drawing for Dummies: Wiley Publishing, Inc., New, York, NY, this 336 page book is

available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing People: Winner of the Alpha-Penguin Book of the Year Award 2004, Alpha - Pearson Education – Macmillan, Indianapolis, IN, this 360 page book is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally.

WEB RESOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/sargentatharvard/drawingglossary.html

www.clemusart.com/butkin/html/3804852.html

http://www.wga.hu/index1.html