Graphite and Colored Pencils - Oh My!

Over the past few months our art class has undertaken one project and began another. Our first project, drawing a bike (as seen below), went relatively well, with little personal agony on my side of things (ha-ha). This is due to the fact I have been drawing with graphite my entire life, and it is one of my favorite mediums. I personally like the way graphite handles, and how the finished products look as well. I find it amazing how, by using just one color, one can make a simple sketch come to life. With my drawing, I feel I could have made the highlights a little better, however I love how the final piece turned out. My drawing has many different tones and shades created by using several different graphite pencils, my favorite part being the middle of the wheel.

The second project, drawing a still life of a candy jar, has had a much different effect on me. Being that the only other time I've ever used colored pencils to do a detailed drawing was two years ago (In this same class), The medium took me a little by surprise. It is very different from graphite in the fact that it has one dark color, and you must blend other colors to achieve highlights and lowlights. This whole concept has boggled my mind and somewhat stressed me out - but I keep plugging along. To add to the confusion of drawing with colored pencils, Mrs. Kiick threw in having to draw a JAR of candy, which is a challenge in itself! However, I’m glad she gave us this challenge, as obviously, if I ever decided to go into the art field, I’m going to have to know how to use several different mediums, including colored pencils. (Sigh) On a different note, even though I keep pestering poor Mrs. Kiick with questions, I actually like my drawing a little bit. Its amazing the affects two different colors can have when blended.

Here are my two works. One is finished; the other is a work in project.