Neutral Ground "Blue Figure" Assignment

 MEDIA: CHARCOAL (Neutral Ground) Chalk, Eraser, Pencil


I found this assignment very difficult for me.  It was really hard for me to work with a neutral ground surface and creating the shown image by using an eraser.  Besides the difficulty, I liked the idea, media and concept involved in this assignment because it was something very new to me.  Using a neutral surface was done by spreading what a can say are shreds of pencil sharpeners on to a piece of paper and getting as much neutral ground as possible.  Without any contour lines, I was left with my eraser and my knowledge about light and dark values.  Our eraser in this assignment served as a very important tool because it acts like a pencil to create the light values that the assignment asks.  We are to create a drawing image of two blue figures and create the light values that are shown with our eraser.  Swiping the eraser against the neutral ground surface creates the light values depending on how hard your stroke is.  I went through erasing areas of the image that need their certain value to compliment the image.  The darker values that are left out are to be crosshatched to the particular value depending on how light or how dark.  After identifying the lighter values of the image, I began to cross hatch my way to finish line by darkening the dark values to bring out the image.  The chalk helped out with the light values giving them that extra touch of light to help us see the different light and dark values of the two figures. 

My thoughts on the surface contour on the subjects was noticing the different value changes on both of the figures.  The areas where shading takes place can be done and filled up by crosshatching.  The surface contour had many changing values and shading on the females legs and the head and upper body of the male.  This assignment really helped me increase my range in value by experimenting with the neutral ground and the eraser.  Creating the light value was really fun but controlling the amount of value came to be a biggest challenge in this assignment.  I can say I learned a lot more when in came to value changes and shading.  The chalk really did help me bring out all the lighter values making it visible to the audience as well as bring out the darker values to help create the whole image.