Turkish terra cotta pitcher - pencil in Moleskine sketchbook
One of the wonderful things about posting my drawing online is that the little pieces take on the same weight and significance as the big ones. This is one of my favorite drawings. It takes up about half a page in a 3.5 inch by 5.5 inch sketchbook. I did it one evening after a teacher explained a method of showing depth in a drawing when the lighting doesn’t do the job for you. The idea was that we assign the lightest values to the part of the object that is closest, while making things darker as they curve away. This is, by the way, exactly opposite of the way my next teacher encouraged us to view things. He said to make closer objects darker (take a look at a group of hills some time – the further ones will be lighter). One of the joys and frustrations of my haphazard arts education is contradictory instructions. Either that or the lack of a bridge explaining the purpose or use of opposing systems.
My teachers have been unanimous in one way – they all encourage large drawing instead of small. There are several reasons for this: larger drawings are more forgiving of mistakes, they encourage looser work, and they command a larger price on the market. Despite this advice I remain still loyal to my ever-present tiny sketchbooks. I would rather see the mistakes and know to correct them. And I’m not worried about selling my work (yet?). It is good for me to loosen up on larger pieces, but the portability of my sketchbooks outweigh that. And in what little time I have for art, it’s nice to work small so that I can complete what I’m working on more quickly.
I think what technique used to show depth (or shading, or texture) would depend on the subject and your artistic vision for the piece. In the case of the pitcher, I think you used the proper technique, the other would seem confusing to the eye. I also agree on the utility of the small sketchbook. The spontaneity that a small sketchbook carried in a bag can provide would generally outweigh the broader arguments for larger drawing. Kind of like the benefit of carrying a small point-and-shoot with you all the time when an SLR plus lenses and other equipment would be prohibitive. Don’t underestimate the practice you can get from those in-the-moment sketches or photos… especially if they’re just fun!
I obviously have no art education as I am drawn to small drawings and I love the idea of the light and dark. Sigh. I’ll just stick to needle and thread!
Mostly, it is just about the fun. I think I ought to try the other way the pitcher some time. Just to see how it would turn out.
But what about your painting class, aunt Spicy?