graphite, putty & potatoes

The task:  using tone and texture, draw a potato

Everyone had their own potato to befriend which was placed on a piece of white paper.

As the morning progressed, we experimented with the graphite sticks, for example; 
using like a pencil
using the side to make broader marks
blending with fingers & kitchen towel 
creating dust to "paint" areas  

We also looked at using a putty rubber for lifting out sections and and eraser to clean areas.

Lastly, some of the group considered composition.  (This is when the magic corners come out.)

The results follow - brilliant work everyone!

Monica

I love the movement in Monica's drawing.  The soft, overlapping areas of the potato and its shadows and the expressive lines depicting the edges of the paper and table give the finished work a wonderful energy.

Christine

The tonal values in Christine's work cover the range of the graphite, from the darkest to the white of the paper, very nicely done.

Derrick

Sometimes I think documenting the work throughout the morning would be a good idea.  Then I could show when and how drawings become something much more than marks on a page.  This week, Derrick's work would be one of the first in line.  Lovely! 

Mike

Not quite resolved but definitely going in the right direction  Well done Mike! 

Me:  Demo

in addition...

"F" on a pencil means it can be sharpened to a fine point.
"2HB" is I think, an American way of grading pencils.