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Local color simply means the color that nature - or man - has given to an object: a red apple, a beige curtain, a green tree, a white boat, or a black cat. When drawing with tonal media, such as pencils and charcoal, you must be able to transpose this local color into some shade or tone of black, gray, or white.
For example, if you were to draw a red apple with charcoal, it would appear as a dark gray compared to the much lighter gray of, say, a green apple. There would be lights and shadows correspondingly lighter and darker on the middle tone of each. The shadows on a red cube would be deeper than the shadows on a yellow cube, etc. (Fig. A). Using a Middle Tone: When transposing local color to a tone, the best procedure would be to first apply an over-all middle tone - a light, middle, or dark gray. After you establish this middle tone over the area, you can work in the deeper shadows. Finally, you can remove lights from the middle tone with a kneaded rubber eraser. |
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Values and Tones:
When translating local color to black and white, you have the entire value scale at your disposal. That is, you have all the tones ranging from white at one end through the grays to black at the other. If you use tones from all the ranges of this spectrum - white, some grays, and black - your drawing will be in full contrast. If your drawing contains only those tones at one end of the tonal scale - for example, tones ranging from white through a medium gray - then your drawing is said to be done in a high key. The value key is "high" if your tones are on the white end; its "low" if your tones are grouped at the black end. An entire drawing rendered in just two or three adjacent tones is called a drawing in close tones. Tonal Arrangement: It's important to arrange the tones in your picture to create a well balanced and pleasing composition. Good composition depends on more than a good grouping of objects according to their size and shape. You must also distribute light and dark in a pleasing manner. Their distribution will have a direct effect on the reaction of the viewer; stirring them to a frenzy or lulling them into quietude. You must arrange your tones with the reaction of the viewer in mind. |
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Rendering Texture:
When drawing you must consider the texture of an object as well as its local color. Texture can give vitality and reality to your work. A word of caution: don't use so much texture that it becomes a "gimmick." Let's say that texture is like the spice in food. The correct amount will make food delectable; too much of it will spoil the flavor. Avoid having all the elements of your drawing in the same texture - all rough or all smooth. To avoid monotony you must arrange certain passages with slick surfaces to play against the rough areas. The contrast created by such a juxtaposition will make the smooth areas seem smoother, while emphasizing the roughness of the neighboring ones. |
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Tactile and Visual Textures:
Tactile textures (those you can physically feel) must be transposed into visual textures. Visual textures are introduced into a drawing to strengthen the realistic effect of its elements: the slick surface of porcelain, the sheen of metal, the roughness of plaster, or softness of cloth. By making tactile sensations into visual ones, the beholder of your drawing can participate in the sensual pleasure created by your judicious placement of various textures. |
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See you next time! |