Final sketches

Building up the student’s observation and sketching skills is beginning to show results.
Today they had to put together still life displays and beginning sketching on A3 paper. This pencil sketch will be their ‘good’ piece of artwork. The focus for this first session was to fill the page with the shapes of the objects using whisper lines (no erasers), then go over the permanent lines with talking lines. Some started to put in shadows.

The photos are NOT the finished artworks, they are a work in progress.

To get the results I ask the students questions about their work. They have to tell me how they can improve and what part needs work to make it stand out. The work they submit first is never the finished product; they always have to improve it, often going back many times (perseverance in the making).
I know it sounds harsh, but these students are now carefully looking at their work and not rushing to be finished first or thinking 'that’s good enough'. They want to make it better than their best.


The next session will focus on shadow and light, light lines and dark lines.