drawing technique | Dr. Mary McNaughton and Drawing

Serial Imagery Based on the Theme of Relection

January 14, 2016 § 1 Comment

This still life drawing in pencil also speaks to the subject of reflection. Our big red tabby, Jake had to get in on the action and so I incorporated him into the composition.

Still Life in Pencil

January 14, 2016 § Leave a comment

This is a still life completed in pencil and was one of the first pieces in a series based upon the subject of reflection. Here, I inserted a small mirrored image of myself.

I’m re posting a color drawing I completed a few years ago of a cluster of peonies casting shadows in the garden. I love how the flowers get so loose just before coming apart and provide even more interesting shadow shapes.

Contour of Joe and Frankie

October 7, 2015 § 2 Comments

This is the contour for a drawing of our grandson Joe and his Boston Terrier Frankie. This is the stage where I get in all of the crucial information and provides the framework for the finished gradations. Taken into account is the light source, area of focus, and a true sense of form or what is three dimensional about my subject.

Shift in Focus

September 22, 2015 § Leave a comment

This is the last of the series of black and white pencil drawings of my friend Hazel based upon the theme of reflection. Here the focus and clarity shifts from the person to the reflection in the mirror. One can see how sparse the small room was in the nursing home. This stands in stark contrast to her environment at home where she had fine china, her grand piano, and a spacious and lovely setting. Yet she was gracious to the end, accepting what life handed her

Reflection

September 15, 2015 § Leave a comment

This is another drawing of Hazel; a dear friend. This was part of a series based upon the theme of the mirrored image. The focus shifted from the self to the mirror. It brings new meaning to subject of reflection as we ponder ourselves and our place in this world.

Hazel’s View

September 2, 2015 § 4 Comments

My dear departed friend and teacher Hazel looking out of the nursing home window. That little black dog from the home came and sat at her feet every day. He knew what kind of person he wanted to be around just the way I did.

Textural Techniques in Pen and Ink

July 9, 2015 § Leave a comment

A few examples of portraying texture with ink through hatching, stippling, and a scribble technique based on your own handwriting. I find these methods provide an energy and looseness to our drawings that allow us to become more free in our expression.

Gradated Pencil Drawing of Persephone

June 18, 2015 § Leave a comment

Here’s another vantage point of the gradated pencil drawing of Persephone

Pairing the Contour with the Finished Gradation

June 11, 2015 § Leave a comment

In understanding the power of the contour to provide the framework for your finished work, it always helps to pair both. In seeing the lights and darks of the line drawing to inform you of the light source, point of focus, the layout of the composition and reveal your personality alongside the gradation based on that contour, it helps to clarify things. Here is the side view of Persephone in contour and gradation.

Where Am I?