Chalks and Pastels Colored chalks and pastels don't really come into the classification of drawing media proper, nevertheless the whites are good to use with charcoal, conte and carbon on grey or tinted papers. The black pastel can be used...
Drawing boards must be used, at least in the studio. They should be light and not too thick. Half Imperial size is the most convenient. Don't use a makeshift board if you
can help it. Buy the best drawing board you can afford and look after it. Do...
Tone Tone is the degree of light or dark on, or of, any object or space. You can see the tone of anything much better if you half close your eyes and squint at it. As I mentioned before, your eyes see too much. Therefore, to see the amount of tone ava...
In the Victorian era a sweet, sentimental subject received the accolade. An honest painting of something really seen and experienced would be by-passed or condemned. A good example of this was with the movement known as Impressionism. Th...
For this exercise a sheet of paper, not more than 15 in. x 11 in. (Quarter Imperial) stained with a light umber wash of oil color is recommended. (This can be done by adding a little umber to some linseed oil and wiping it over the paper with a piec...
Framing a watercolor will obviously be different from framing an oil. For instance, it is usual to put drawings and watercolors under glass for protection. An oil can be left exposed, so long as it is given a coat of varnish. This does not keep...
It is not easy to frame your own watercolors. For one thing, unless you are an expert carpenter, you not only have the labor of cutting the molding, but you have to cut the glass and the mount as well. Instead, it is better to go to a competent fram...
Being able to create effects of light and shadow is tremendously important in drawing. Even if you never attempt to draw and shade folds of fabric (which is a challenge, trust me), you still need to be able to make simple effects that will sugg...
Many people think of the pencil as the one and only drawing tool. The poor eraser gets pushed aside as something that only gets used after you've made a mistake. But that's a wrong approach to take - your eraser can do a lot more than just cover up...