Welcome Art 2 Students! This year we have a lot of exciting and challenging projects planned! Our first project, is to draw a White Wolf using a variety of pencils. Each have unique qualities that expand the limitations a simple, yet effective, graphite pencil offers. We will begin with Step 1.
Step 1- Draw a Contour Drawing of the picture.
Question: What is the next step?
A. Draw the wolf first?
B. Draw the background first?
Your immediate impulse would be to choose A, right? It is the Focal Point (Positive Space) so naturally you would start there. But stop and think about it. Let’s say you drew an amazing Wolf, flawless! Now you begin the process of Rendering the Foreground, Middleground, and then the Background (Negative Space). All of this must be carefully drawn around your White Wolf without blurring, smudging, altering, or erasing your White Wolf in the process. If you guessed B. Draw the Background first. You are correct!
But how do you create a Background that is predominately darker than the White Wolf without ruining the pure white of the paper that will be reserved for your Wolf?
Frisket Film can be used to mask your Wolf, protecting the purity of your white paper while you work on the Background.
Step 2- Cut a piece of Frisket Film and cover the Contour drawing of your Wolf. I use Artist Tape to keep it flat and still while I trace the Wolf. For tracing, I used one of my Sketch Pens to draw on the Frisket Paper.
Step 3- Carefully cut out image with an X-Acto Knife, peel off backing, and carefully attach the Frisket to your Contour drawing of your Wolf. Make sure there are no bubbles and the Frisket lays flat.
In White Wolf- Part 2, we will Render the Foreground, Middleground, and Background.