Mass Drawing Technique -FINISHED [Archive]

Classical Vince

11-24-2003, 07:27 AM

I thought I would share my latest work and offer to show you the process that I use to draw. I use mass drawing; its a technique that I was fortunate enough to have naturally - for better or worse we are friends. ;)

Mass drawing is the creation of an image through the development of tonal masses (shapes); starting with a vague and light structure, details are slowly put into focus. It can be compared to slowly developing a photo in a darkroom. The image starts out blurry with few edges then the shapes and tones are refined to come into focus. Lines are not used with mass drawing.

Mass drawing is either additive or subtractive. An example of additive being charcoal and chalk and one of subtractive being where you cover the paper entirely with charcoal and use an eraser to make an image. I will be using the first, an additive method.

The surface I am working on is a medium toned Canson paper; the rougher side is preferable. With charcoal and chalk I am allowed to make major adjustments pretty far into the drawing and still be able to hide my tracks.

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Here is the first stage using only charcoal. It may be hard to see but I am using a light hand here. I am only concerned with large shapes and some of the more darker areas. I am not concerned at all about whether the shape is exactly right - the paper is durable and I can keep adjusting this stage for a long time. I am paying attention to negative shapes.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/24-Nov-2003/25528-Monkey1.jpg

This is a second stage. I started adding whites...there arent too many super whites in the setup but my eyes could be wrong. I wont worry about it now because like I said I can change things. I added chalk and refined some of the charcoal. The middle tone of the paper is used a lot - it may not come into play until I have established some of the other larger tonal masses.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/24-Nov-2003/25528-Monkey2.jpg

All through this first part of the process I am squinting and only building in where there are strengths in light and dark. The first masses may be off but I can adjust it later. Gee I hope I dont screw up my first WIP. ;) lol.

artmom

11-24-2003, 08:38 AM

Vince, this is interesting. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

Lyn

Zarathustra

11-24-2003, 09:16 AM

Hi Vince. When I first started teaching myself to draw, I sort of came up with the blurry to refined technique by self-discovery, and it worked really well.
I look forward to following these steps!

llis

11-24-2003, 09:21 AM

Vince: How far will you take this mass drawing WIP... will the finished work be a drawing or will you take this into another medium, say pastel, as a under painting..... or is this a study for a painting in another medium altogether?

Wonderful either way... just wondering if this technique is part of your portfolio of finished works and if so, do you label this as a charcoal drawing.

It's interesting to me to see how other artists begin a work. Your mass drawing technique is much like that of plein air oil painter, Larry Seiler. He wipes in the masses using lights and darks and then begins to refine.

Classical Vince

11-24-2003, 09:45 AM

Hey Z. You know, that self-taught method of yours translates well to paint. Thats why we focus on it at the atelier.

I dont like the uploaded images; they are pixelated bad. Here is more at another step. I dont make a big fuss about much yet. Most of this is just establishing a "key". Like in music, a key can be transposed.

Classical Vince

11-24-2003, 09:51 AM

Hi Illis. This will be a finished drawing but it could also be considered a preliminary drawing for an oil painting. I have a few grisailles to do so I'll see how this turns out. I havent decided what level of finish I will put on this.

Yes, this will be part of my portfolio. I have heard this techinique is very similar to painting and I hope it will act as a springboard for my skills with using oils.

Another progress shot.

Classical Vince

11-24-2003, 09:55 AM

Still working at it. Damn, gotta go to work soon; hope to do more when I get home.

Craig Houghton

11-24-2003, 11:06 AM

Vince! I'm thrilled! I've really been hoping you would do a WIP. Did I mention that I'm thrilled to see this? I am. It looks like it's coming along great, and you're taking lots of photos.

I'll be following along, and I'll be attempting the same thing myself.

Great thread!

Craig

Classical Vince

11-24-2003, 03:43 PM

Hi Craig! Im so glad I could keep your attention...we'll see how this thing goes. I have been known to scrap it and start again and Im not afraid to if I dont like where its going. This is going ok but now I have start getting disciplined about building the right tones.

Heres another step. Im not liking the key of everything but Im trusting that it will all come together. Sometimes areas of interest find themselves and I need to stop with the details at this point and develop some of the background tones.

btw - when I view my uploads at home they look pixelated but when I view it at work its all fine. Hmmm.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/24-Nov-2003/25528-Monkey6.jpg

beauty

11-24-2003, 04:38 PM

Fantastic! I can't wait to see the finished piece but the WIP is really interesting.. I'm glad you took the time to do this.

Oh and I love the subject of your piece.. I won't even complain that it isn't a naked dude :)

Classical Vince

11-25-2003, 05:41 AM

Hi Beauty! Thanks a lot of for the post!

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OK, not much more progress. The rest of the shots will probably not be all that exciting to look at so I may start spacing them out. The changes from here on out will be refinements and adjustments of whats already been established. Besides tonal refinements, the edges need to be varied with sharpening and softening as well as lost and foundness wherever the opportunity arises.

Sometimes I have to see my drawing completely out of its surroundings and away from the subject in order to get a good objective look at how its reading.

I dont think I will be overly concerned with all the wooley texture; it will be inferred but not a focus of interest. I toned down the face and felt a little better about the key I was mentioning earlier. Our left side of his nose area was a lost edge and I was reading it all too dark.

I removed the button on his chest for now. It looked a little off center IRL and Im not quite sure if I liked it there. Its a darker tone so I can always put it back later. Notice the area is pretty clear of charcoal now and I had that thing darn-dark. The paper holds up well with the tools which is why I like this medium combo so much.

I am not happy with the setup in the forground. It'll work but I should have thought a little more simply. I may leave that area for last and decide if I am going to change the set up at the end. Probably taking a break on this till this weekend - yeah right, I'll probably be at it again tomorrow night after class. ;)

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/25-Nov-2003/25528-Monkey7.jpg

about mass drawing...

In the first thread you may have read me mention that mass drawing was my friend for better or for worse. Let me tell you why.

Mass drawing does nothing for an artists sense of volume. Only line sketching can provide that. These are studies in light, shade and values. Without attention to form and a study of perspective you cant expect much from the process.

In preperation for this piece I did life drawings to study the simple form of the monkey. They helped me understand a lot about the subject before attempting this.

ArtistNamePending

11-25-2003, 08:11 AM

Mass drawing is a brilliant technique if you are like me and are poor at getting proportions correct in large drawings. I use the side of the pastel stick and rapidly block in 'weights' or area of tone and come back later to find edges. Its a really useful technique in life drawing classes where it is usually encouraged to draw large (I hate drawing large). One and two minute poses look cool and well proportioned using mass drawing techniques.

AMP

Classical Vince

11-27-2003, 01:42 AM

Hey there Artist. Yeah, its a great technique for drawing large - I usually draw larger than this. Im going to give it a try soon with a live figure - thanks for the tip. Post some of your work in the new forum if you get a chance.

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Finished a little bit more.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/27-Nov-2003/25528-Monkey8.jpg

Craig Houghton

11-29-2003, 09:28 AM

Originally posted by Classical Vince
Hey there Artist. Yeah, its a great technique for drawing large - I usually draw larger than this. Im going to give it a try soon with a live figure - thanks for the tip. Post some of your work in the new forum if you get a chance.

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Finished a little bit more.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/27-Nov-2003/25528-Monkey8.jpg

With each progress, especially the last, I see a product that many would be tempted to look at and call 'finished.' In particular, the face is amazing. How do you know when you've finished an area? Is there something you look for specifically?

-Craig

Classical Vince

11-29-2003, 10:39 PM

Hi Craig! I like a certain level of detail and polish in my drawings but its a thin line between overworking a drawing and knowing when to leave it be. I think specifically I do look for a good variety in edges and a value range that works.

The face was a center of interest so I jumped ahead with details but probably wont touch it again until the accents.
Here's a bit more.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/29-Nov-2003/25528-Monkey12.jpg

Zarathustra

11-30-2003, 03:35 AM

Hi Vince,

Is this a childhood toy? The poor fella looks neglected and in need of a hug. ;)

I think you've done excellent work with this drawing. I find it hard to render tones and detail on paper where charcoal and chalk break up so much on the texture of the paper, so you have my admiration.

crumbedbrains

11-30-2003, 05:41 AM

G'day Vince,
This is great work!
Only just found this forum and I like it very much.
I use similar techniques whilst using pastels but I was just wondering (and this might sound like a stupid question) when you say "chalk" do you actually mean chalk? . . I mean some folks have called pastels "chalk". I guess your using like a teachers chalk???
Cheers
Crumby

Classical Vince

12-01-2003, 05:30 AM

Hi Gavin. Yep, thats my monkey! I got it earlier this year after being in storage for about 25yrs...if you think he needs to be picked up then the drawing was sucessful in that respect. thanks.

I am a convert...I used to hate the paper texture but have grown to use it in my drawings. Its not so bad really.

Hey there Crumby, glad you found us here! When I say chalk I actually mean a Generals white charcoal. Its a very dense chalk, kind of waxy a bit. Definitely not teachers chalk. It is never mixed with the charcoal btw.

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Hand surgery. The darn hand was giving me ills; the reason it was underdeveloped compared to a lot of other areas; needs to be toned down now. Ok, now Im itching to get this thing done. lol.

I worked on bringing up a texture in the soles of the shoes and continued finding more detail in the bag.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Dec-2003/25528-Monkey14.jpg

Just for fun heres a version from early in the process.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Dec-2003/25528-Monkey4.jpg

Craig Houghton

12-01-2003, 08:36 AM

Wow Vince! That looks terrific. I can't believe how well you handled/are handling the wooly texture.

I also can't get over how much similar in appearance this process is to a camera coming slowly into focus.

Looks great!
Craig

maineart

12-01-2003, 03:22 PM

This is wonderful. You've really taken care not to overmodel the light with too much chalk. It's easy to get carried away with dabbing in highlights all over the place.

Also - wonderful step-by-step here. I recommend this to all who'd like to see this 3-value system employed with great success.

Biki

12-01-2003, 05:15 PM

Just wonderful Vince.

This process reminded me of an oil workshop i did.

The teacher, Rene Bolten, set up still lifes for us - using mirrors.

We were not to paint the set up, but the reflection instead.

So first he had glass with a black cloth behind - so all you could see were light & dark shapes.

Next he turned a light on the set up - so we could see a little more.

And finally, he replaced the glass with a mirror, so we could not even see any detail until the last day.

He was teaching us this same process here that you're doing.

Pretty cool huh?

Classical Vince

12-01-2003, 07:52 PM

Thanks Craig! I have grown to really enjoy the whole process. I cant imagine drawing any other way!

Hi MaineArt, thanks for the recognition. It means a lot coming from such a talented artist as yourself. Thanks again.

Hi Biki! Appreciate the kind post and I have a bit of info for you and anyone else interested in trying this process.

As part of our class supplies we are to purchase custom cut 1/8" acrylic sheets in a smoke gray (#5 @ 3"X8"). What we do is layer them 4-5 thick (depending on the lighting situation) and use them to view our subjects through.

At first 5 layers will wash out all the middle values and what you are left to view is just the darkest and lightest value in a vague pattern. You draw what you see then remove a layer and keep working.

What this does is break down the tones into value patterns allowing you to ignore details easier. As you remove a layer the details become more and more clear and the pattern is further refined.

It was an excellent training tool; I no longer use the plastic except when my instructor calls me a ding-dong and makes me look for something I have missed. lol.

We find the plastic locally at a shop but there are some online retailers (acrylic sheeting) although I have not ordered from any of them. Feel free to ask me any questions on the process ;)

Classical Vince

12-01-2003, 11:15 PM

My studio space at home is a little small; I dont get the long distance views that I do at school...12ft+. As a result, the drawing looks better up close. This is an error but I am keeping it this way.

When viewed from far away, the face actually looks frightened. Here is a smaller view that might give you an idea of what I mean.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Dec-2003/25528-Monkey14small.jpg

So from far away the monkey looks scared but if you get nice and close he looks friendly. I wanted the feeling of needing to pick him up so this is a bonus. :)

Of course, if I bring this drawing into class my instructor will be the first to point out the intended viewing distance is a mistake. ;)

Biki

12-02-2003, 02:02 PM

Vince - may i ask yet another dumb question?

Where would you buy those acrylic sheets?

art store? - hardware store?

i just did a search in OZ pages, but can only find big manufacturing supplies.

Classical Vince

12-03-2003, 03:57 PM

Hi Biki! Never a dumb question! Here is an online retailer (US), Modern Plastics (http://www.modernplastics.com/); you have to look for plastic fabricators that allow retail sales. The shop I visit sells a lot of extruded plastic products for industrial uses as well and allows walk-in custom orders.

I'll post a pic of mine so you'll know what to look for. You may want to do some of your own research here is a search (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Australia+acrylic+sheet+custom&btnG=Google+Search) that might help out.

Good luck! They simplify tones and help quite a bit at first and are fairly cheap ($5bucks).

Classical Vince

12-04-2003, 02:13 AM

Hi Biki! Heres what they look like ;)

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/04-Dec-2003/25528-Acrylic.JPG

Classical Vince

12-05-2003, 11:09 AM

Latest installment ;) Balanced out the hand tones and cleaned up a lot of the paper and upper-bkgrnd. Still need to decide on what Im going to do with the foreground. :confused:

You may notice hue changes between the posts; I am experimenting with correcting my dig-cam - it stinks at capturing this tone of blue.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/05-Dec-2003/25528-Monkey15.jpg

Olan

12-05-2003, 12:13 PM

One should be able to find acrylic glass at their local glass companys; the people you call when you have a broken piece of glass in your window. They may even give you some scrap pieces.
Vince your drawing is amazing.

Classical Vince

12-06-2003, 04:27 AM

Hey thanks Olan. Great idea btw...shoulda-thoughta that. ;)

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Finshed! Of course I will probably continue to do touching up here and there.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/06-Dec-2003/25528-MonkeyFinal2.jpg

artmom

12-08-2003, 06:41 AM

Vince, this is absolutely fascinating! I even got up and walked away from the monitor and from about 5 to 6 feet the monkey does in fact look frightened and as I moved toward him, he began smiling! Absolute magic.

Thank you so much for sharing this in a WIP, also.

The planes of the crumpled bag are amazing, too. Just pure pleasure to view this!:D

Lyn

loop

12-08-2003, 09:24 AM

I've been watching this Vince, and have to tell you it turned out super, I like how you have the paper tooth covered in certain areas and very apperant in others

Craig Houghton

12-08-2003, 11:42 AM

Vince, I never would have thought that I could find pleasure in staring at a drawing of a stuffed monkey. It appears I can. Thanks for doing this WIP. It's been informative and entirely inspirational.

damn good work Vince!

:clap:

-Craig

p.s. I love the near monkey/far monkey expression change -- it works well, and I wouldn't be surprised if the actual monkey works like that too.

jawarriner

12-08-2003, 06:51 PM

Hey there Vince -
Great drawing as always.

Now about the monkey - things are getting to weird - I had the same monkey.

Hummmmmm
----Jen

Classical Vince

12-08-2003, 07:32 PM

Hi Artmom! I am so glad you enjoyed the piece! After I made the post about the scared monkey I thought...oh no! I hope I dont have nightmares ;) As always, thank you for your encouragement!

Hi Loop! Thanks a lot for following along. The paper shows less texture in the middle tones since less pigment is used on those areas. The texture in the darker areas helps to add a little atmosphere that I like. Thanks for the post!

Classical Vince

12-08-2003, 07:47 PM

Craig, Thanks a lot for all your support - the WIP was a little nerve-wracking! ;) LOL! Im glad you enjoyed the piece. The near/far views was a nice surprise - sometimes you cant plan everything about a work. Thanks again Craig!

Jen! omg - I was hoping someone else would recognize this little monkey but I NEVER would have guessed it to be YOU! ;) LOL. I hope he brought back a lot of memories! :)

elances

12-09-2003, 03:08 AM

Hey Vince!

I've been offline for a while, so I missed a lot of your steps as you posted them. This is absolutely wonderful!

I'm envious not only of your wonderful drawing talent, but also because of the monkey! I wanted one of those as a child, but I never got one!!!:mad: ;)

Great work as always, and a wonderful WIP thread. I have heard the advice to squint, but never anything about using tinted acrylic sheets. I suppose you could also use sunglasses when viewing a subject, and you would get a similar effect. Or those of us with faulty vision could start off without our spectacles and put them on afterward (I've been meaning to try this myself).

Warmest regards always,
Erick

pampe

12-09-2003, 11:16 AM

fabulous

Thanks for the WIP and all the tips!!

Pam

Classical Vince

12-15-2003, 10:11 PM

Sorry bout that Erick and Pam! Dont want to leave ya hanging on the end of the thread like that ;)

Erick - Dont be envious, it cost me a year of tuition to learn this technique. ;) You were deprived of a monkey?! Do your parents have any idea that you still need to talk about this? I say, get it out in the open now...and there's still time for Christmas! ;)

Thanks Pam, I was waaay nervous about this whole thing but I am glad that I did it.

yogi

12-25-2003, 02:27 AM

Oh, wow! You have my monkey! I grew up with that monkey....loving every minute with him. I used to make my Dad read "Curious George" books while I held my monkey. You can make him eat the banana or suck his thumb because his arms bend easily to his mouth. My monkey disappeared one day....a tragic remembrance. It is so good to see this drawing and see him again!

Just had a thought...... :eek: Are you the monkey-napper from so long ago?! Are you demanding ransom? :eek:

Biki

12-26-2003, 04:39 AM

Hey Vince

I tried to draw my Teddy yesterday, and failed dismally ( sob)

But hey, I will keep trying.:rolleyes:

In the meantime - my dog got jealous of Teddy - started growling & acting up like ted was a rival or something - she even tried to chew at him. You should have seen the look on her face when I snached Ted up for a cuddle.!!:D

You inspire me.:angel:

biki

arlene

12-26-2003, 10:40 AM

hey vince I thought I had commented on this...sigh...it turned out wonderfully and i think this belongs in the library.

Alan Cross

12-26-2003, 07:53 PM

Great finsh Vince, I enjoyed your wip....
Alan :)

Classical Vince

12-26-2003, 11:28 PM

Originally posted by yogi
Oh, wow! You have my monkey!...Just had a thought...... :eek: Are you the monkey-napper from so long ago?! Are you demanding ransom? :eek:

Yes. I have him - and its about time you showed up! I want a full 500lb roll of Canson MiTiennes paper and a case of Generals chacoal pencils or he's toast! lol ;)

Hi Biki! Aw, you make me smile! :) If yogi doesnt follow through with the ransom I'll send your doggie a new toy ;)

Hi Arlene! Thanks for the post! I am honored to have a thread in the forum library!

Thanks Alan! I noticed you were gettingmedal awards daily awhile back (great job!) and I think your headed for that Classical Badge real soon! Thanks again.

Alan Cross

12-26-2003, 11:34 PM

Originally posted by Classical Vince

Thanks Alan! I noticed you were gettingmedal awards daily awhile back (great job!) and I think your headed for that Classical Badge real soon! Thanks again.

Thanks Vince lol it was in a lull after my show and with xmas coming it was hard to keep painting more fun here!! I like the masters to learn from but I have no real intrest in painting that way.....but I love to look. I am always amazed at what they did...
Alan :)