Negative Space and Background versus Foreground

    Learn to separate the drawing into different planes

    Overview

    Alternatively you may use the following website for this exercise.

    Remember to follow any rules of the site. 

    Recommended Settings: Nude and Both Genders

    Here you will practice bringing awareness to the ability of your mind and eye to perceive dimensionality and depth.

    For these pieces you may use your own figure references.

    Materials: Ink and Brush

    Alternative materials: Watercolor, charcoal stick, or whatever medium you have.

    aeroplane-aircraft-airplane-67807.jpg

    Brief Lecture on Planes during Setup

    Materials:

    • None

    Duration: 12 minutes

    • An explanation on perspective and space.
    • The utility of dividing the scene into a background, mid-ground, and foreground.
    • Discerning between the subject and the negative space.

     

    Setup:

    1. Prepare a still life setup, live model, or figure reference image during the lecture.
    2. It is recommended to use a setup (or image) with interesting but realistic light source(s).

     

    20160301_124123-2.jpg

    Negative Space Block-in

    Materials:

    • Ink
    • Brush
    • Paper (for wet media)
    • Water Container (filled with water)

    Alternative Materials:

    • Watercolor
    • Acrylic mixed w/ water
    • Oil
    • Charco al/graphite stick or block

    Duration: 25 minutes

    Look at the scene and discern the negative space. You will not be drawing anything except this space. That means that you do not outline or draw the figure, subject, or any object that is not in the negative space.

    You do not outline the negative space either. You draw it from the center of each space and fill it in as you would a block or shape.

    Negative Space Block-in: 15 min

    1. Take some time to observe the negative space.
    2. Fill in the negative space (do not outline)
    3. Do not draw a line anywhere, your are "coloring in the lines" without drawing or seeing them on your paper. 
    4. I will alert you when it is time to stop.

    Tips:

    • Notice the image on the left. The pole is not outlined, i did no draw a straight line for the pole. I filled in the negative space and it happened to make a pole that wasn't straight.

     

    IMG_0014_2.jpg

    Ink Gesture

    Materials:

    • Ink, Brush, Water, and Containers
    • (alternatively) Tone down acrylic paint with water
    • Pole, stick, and masking tape
    • Large Drawing Clipboard Setup at Eye-level
    • (optional) Human Model
    • 18 by 24 inch Bristol or Watercolor Paper
    • (alternatively) Whatever paper you have, be aware it may buckle

    Duration: 55 (25 and 35) minutes

    Using ink as the medium will train your percision and confidence.

    15 Stroke Gesture: 5 Gesture for 7 min/each

    1. Take an unreasonable length of time to look at the figure without drawing despite the time limit.
    2. Complete this exercise in only 15 Strokes. Consider it a complete stroke when you put down a line and manipulate it while its wet. Moving to another line would be a second stroke.
    3. I will alert you when it is time to stop.

    Long Gesture: 2 Gesture for 25 min

    1. Take an unreasonable length of time to look at the figure without drawing despite the time limit.
    2. Complete the gesture.
    3. I will alert you when it is time to stop.

     

    Submit for Critique

    If you did not use the same reference we did on the stream, submit your picture. Include your Twitch name if you do this exercise on a different day after the stream as critiques will be exchanged for !Kokos. If you used a stock photo from a DeviantArt page be kind enough to drop them a link of what you did! Follow their Stock Rules.

    Submit via Google Forms

     

    OR

    Submit in #drawing_lessons on Discord