Using the same still life set up as the previous task, the objective this time was to use subtractive drawing techniques to pick out highlights and create form through tonal value shift.
I first tried to use some charcoal powder, but I struggled to get the powder to stay on the paper and make an even and dark tone. I then tried to use water to help lay it down, but it just didn’t seem to work for me. It went splodgy and I couldn’t get it to lay uniformly. I might try doing work with charcoal powder again another time, but decided to put it to one side for the rest of this task (picture 1)
I instead chose to use compressed charcoal to cover the A3 page (picture 2), and then used my fingers to rub and smooth it down on to the paper. (Picture 3)
I then started to work on the charcoal using an eraser. I also tried out an electric eraser for the brightest highlights. I have included a progress photograph to show the initial highlights I created (picture 4). It felt strange to try and bring out the objects without first drawing out an outline framework to work to. I think it made it harder to get accurate proportions as I didn’t have any guide lines to work with prior to lifting the charcoal.
The electric eraser (picture 5) was quite unwieldy. I think it will take a while to get used to the movement and speed in which the eraser can lift the charcoal. The nearly all but the brightest slim lines of the subtractive lift marks were created with the standard eraser.
I have since realised I approached this task in slightly the wrong way (now I’m rereading the exercise text to write up this task….whoops) as the idea was to lay down a midrange tone, use the eraser to do the highlights and add further tone to create the shadows. I actually made this task slightly harder for myself and went for the darkest tone as the base, and has to lift the charcoal in stages to bring about the mid tones and the highlights.
I’m actually pretty chuffed with being able to create the range of tones I have managed to achieve through lifting alone. I didn’t add any extra charcoal to help define the areas, it’s all done through lifting the charcoal from the page using the eraser.
Here is my finished piece.
I definitely need more practice with the electric eraser as the sharp highlights I tried to pick out look a bit wobbly.
I think it might have helped to have included a putty rubber on this task as well to help with detailing, but I have to say, I’m quite impressed with what I managed to achieve with the standard block eraser.
I think working on a larger scale helped with creating a more believable form, as it meant that I could still incorporate detailing despite the limitations of the eraser to create small intricate marks which would more traditionally be associated with creating detail.
I also like how it almost as an ethereal feel to it, a bit like what you might see if the main source of directional light was coming from a flickering candle. I think that’s probably a result of the marks being much softer than they would be if you were drawing the object and laying down tone rather than lifting it off.
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