3rd Level Bargue, Here I Come...

Yes, it is official. I was able to select a 3rd level Bargue this afternoon. The photo is of the 2nd level drawing in its final state.

The first level dealt with high contrast - dark shadows, very little halftone along the "bed bug" line and light areas. The second level dealt with a more complex arrangement of dark shadows, halftone areas and light areas. The transitions between these values require a great deal of work and patience. So, the third level Bargues have even more halftone areas and transitions, as well as, smaller areas of detail. This drawing has a large amount of halftone and soft light areas which are difficult to do with pencil. The less "stomping" that is used and the more that can be accomplished with just a pencil the greater the level of success. That is the new goal - just pencil work to produce very light values and smooth transitions. The drawing I will be copying is of a death mask taken from a young girl who drowned in the Siene River during the 1800's. I will get the copy tomorrow and take a photo of it for you. It will be a very good drawing from which to learn how to draw a portrait.

During the afternoon, we had our standard figure drawings. Here are the results . The constructs were drawn and then the soft, sketchy lines were sharpened with the short, straight articulation lines. Even though the short lines are straight they do result in a curved look to the figure. Straight lines are easier to move or correct than curved lines. Write that down - and use it .

On the still life, I have my supplies and have the first step completed : the campitura. The campitura is the toning of the white canvas with a mid-value hue.  I have always called this the imprimatura, but have been told that the white gesso layer is actually the imprimature. (Prima - meaning "first") A smooth, portrait grade canvas was used. It was covered with a thin raw umber and white mixture. The surface was tapped with a sponge to produce a slight textured surface. Now, I have to wait for Friday to begin the painting.

The objects are a loaf of bread, white pitcher, brown egg,  green pot and a tea cloth. Each represents a different texture while in the same hue (color family). The green pot is the complement. I have the shadow box established and the lighting set. A shadow box is used at the school for all still lifes. The drawing is done sight size on paper or the canvas. I have done sight-size before, so I can do it on the canvas. I will explain this in another post.

These are common things that you could find too and paint along with me!