Back Shading

I am trying to get my students to understand what back shading is (well, at least that's what I call it. Is there another official word for it?)

So while this is not EXACTLY what they were to do for their assignment, it's close. 

This a drawing of flowers in pencil with red ball point pen back shading.

Their project was to draw flowers shaded (and back shaded) on a painted watercolor surface. It was my first attempt at this assignment, but I'd say it was successful!

Rain Rain Rain

I took my sketchbook along to a show I did a few weeks back and had time to create this little ditty. 

4x7" watercolor, stamp and ink

Quick Flower Drawing

Things have been a little crazy around here. I was traveling for 2 weeks, and then I thought I had a week off before work started up again, but I was wrong. 

It ended up only being one day, so I have been on the go since July 26th. 

Last week was staff development, which went really well and the students start back tomorrow, so there's not really any slowing down for me for a while. 

I finally sat down to draw for the first time in a long time and was inspired by my last post with Danny Gregory's video. 

I grabbed a calligraphy pen, jar of ink, and a small jar of water and sat down on my couch and watched Bones while I drew the flowers on my mantle. 

The flowers came first, but then the background was too empty and I was too lazy to fill it all in completely with flowers (which was my original goal). So as I sat debated about what to do.

I knew it needed something...maybe color. Nope, too lazy to get up and get anything else.

So how about a pattern? Sure. But the line quality of the flowers are so organic and interesting that anything black would have made it too busy and made the flowers disappear. 

The lighter the better....so I ended up just using my dirty water to make thick stripes for a more interesting composition. 

I am happy with it as my first attempt at drawing in a long while.