I had my online art class on my schedule today, and it was very informative and fun!

We were playing with the “setup” where you have your colored background (normally it’s a sheet) – I was using different sweatshirts: one was dark grey, one was a lighter but still dark green, and one was a salmon pink. And noticing the different tone contrasts with objects on the background, and trying to match those with your charcoal. This is tricky but a very necessary skill in order to move forward with the “tones and colors” course I am completing. (Below is a Tones Chart to compare the colors and match the right tone)

Next, we placed a lamp in different positions (directly in front, behind, to either side, etc) and noticed the shadows or highlights that appeared on the objects. This was very interesting to me because I can fully understand that light makes shadows (from being outside and seeing them or not based on the sun); BUT, being able to physically change it so quickly by altering the light source or position was a great hands-on way to comprehend the concept.

Lastly, we got to draw our props and give them the correct tones 🙂 I started off being very self-conscious of my drawing skills because I draw like a five-year-old with stick figures, and dogs that are just big ovals with little ones underneath 😮 I really took my time to get the proportions that we have been working on as well as the overall shape and connection between the objects.

Here is the reveal…