This course is an exploration of two-dimensional media and design. You will learn to use a variety of drawing and painting materials, discover aesthetic qualities that make drawing and painting interesting, and see how God has given you and others the ability to use artistic skills and ideas to learn, record, express, worship, appreciate and communicate visually.
In pen and ink drawing all you really have to work with are lines and dots. No shading, no color variations, just lines of various lengths, widths, directions and sizes. Check out some examples of pen and ink work by CAJ students and others.
Charcoal is one of the oldest art mediums, a drawing material made from burnt wood. Charcoal comes in a variety of forms. Vine charcoal is made from pieces of grape vine or willow which have been burnt to a precise degree of hardness. Vine charcoal has no binding agent and is soft and powdery. It blends and erases easily. Compressed charcoal is powdered charcoal which has been mixed with a binder and formed into sticks. It is harder and generally darker than vine charcoal, works better for precise detail and is not easily erased. Charcoal pencils are compressed charcoal in pencil form. Powdered charcoal is useful for toning large areas of a surface. Charcoal drawing tips:
Charcoal smears easily. Try to avoid resting your hand on the page while drawing, or tape your paper to a vertical surface while you draw to avoid smudging.
Use workable fixatives as you go. This will avoid smudging to your image while also allowing you to continue drawing.
Charcoal drawings need to be fixed when finished. Spray with fixative or hair spray to keep the charcoal in its place.
Check out some charcoal portraits by famous artists and art students: