Foundation Drawing

Restored from the original mckoss.com, where these drawings were first published in 2003.

In the fall of 2003, Debbie and I enrolled in a beginning drawing class at the Seattle Academy of Fine Art (now Gage Academy of Art). The goal of the class is to teach how to draw realistically, using pencil (graphite) and charcoal. I’ve posted some of my drawings from this class below (I’ve also posted some of Debbie’s drawings).

My Drawings

Two pencil line drawings of a hand, side by side

Pencil line drawings of an open hand, palm and back — September 18, 2003 - pencil

This was our first homework; an exercise drawing hands. The main focus is on reproducing what we are seeing as a line drawing (as opposed to a fully shaded drawing).

A pencil sketch of an armchair with a cushion, and a newspaper and book on the floor — September 25, 2003 - pencil

This was not a class assignment - I was just doing some sketching at home while watching TV.

Six pencil studies of a nut, each shaded in a different style — September 28, 2003 - pencil

This assignment had us use different shading styles to render a nut. This is where we first learned about the 4 major shading levels in a curved object (highlight, body, shadow, and reflected light).

A shaded pencil drawing of a long striped gourd and a round gourd — October 5, 2003 - pencil

Two gourds.

A shaded pencil drawing of a folded, striped cloth — October 6, 2003 - pencil

We were given a small swatch of striped cloth. The interesting part of this exercise is to render the shading representing the contours of the cloth as well as the patterning on the cloth as well.

A shaded pencil drawing of a rock, a feather and a piece of wood — October 15, 2003 - pencil

Final drawing in pencil - rock (with embedded fossil), feather, and wood.

A charcoal sketch of a gourd, a box and a dark ball, below a row of six charcoal value swatches — October 22, 2003 - charcoal

First charcoal sketch. We’re now drawing on a much larger sheet of paper, and doing so on an easel, rather than in a small pad on a table top. The top part of the drawing is my attempt at render 6 unique values using willow (vine) and compressed charcoal.

A charcoal still life of a vase with a paintbrush, a striped cylinder, a lemon and a striped box — November 3, 2003 - charcoal

First full charcoal drawing. This drawing took about 9 hours of class time to complete.

A charcoal drawing of a pair of boots and a pear in a dark box — November 19, 2003 - Muddy Boots

This was our last drawing - another charcoal, but this time enclosed in a completely black box. The subject (of my drawing) was a pair of muddy black boots, and a pear.

Four charcoal drawings of the boots and pear pinned up on a board — Me, Sally, Ericka, and Steve

For comparison, see the range of drawings made by my classmates (me, Sally, Ericka, and Steve).

Debbie’s Drawings

Six pencil sketches of a shell from different angles — Sketches of a shell

A shaded pencil drawing of a nut — Shading drawing of a nut

A shaded pencil drawing of a long gourd and a round gourd — Two gourds

A pencil drawing of a feather, a rock and a piece of wood — Feather, rock (fossil), and wood

A charcoal sketch of a box, a gourd and a dark ball — First charcoal sketch

A charcoal drawing of a wooden duck decoy, a mug and an egg in a dark box — November 19, 2003 - Final Black Box Drawing

An Apple for the Teacher

Our Foundation I class each drew the same still life, an apple on a cloth with pencils, and framed the drawings together for our instructor, Margaret Davidson.