Sketch
For this project, you will create a large landscape drawing. The best way to do this is to do a plein air painting (or drawing), where you sit outside and create an artwork based on what you see in front of you. However, this may not be possible for everyone because of the weather or the inability to stay in one spot long enough to finish an artwork. So, if you have the time and the weather is nice, go out and do a plein air pastel drawing. Otherwise, take pictures of different landscapes to work from.
- This drawing will be larger than the others you have done so far. You will work on a full 18" x24" piece of tinted pastel paper. Using a large surface will encourage you to draw large and use sweeping marks. You will also work on creating effects like shadows, reflections, and implied forms (fields of grass, trees full of leaves, etc.).
- Once you have your subject, start by lightly sketching and blocking in the various parts of your composition. Next, lay in any large areas of color like the sky, a field, or a body of water. Make sure to blend as you go. If you are happy with the large blocks of color, you could go in and spray some fixative so that they stay put. Just remember that the fixative needs time to dry before you start working again. (You are not required to use fixative at this step.)
- Now you can start layering colors and creating shadows. Remember to use colors like blue or complementary pairs before using black to make shadows. Black will dull the other colors and make your image look flat. Using other dark colors layered on top of one another gives depth and dimension to your shadow. Continue layering colors until you think you are finished.
- The last step is to add detail work. Use the corner of the pastel to create hard lines and to draw in details like ripples in water or leaves in trees. Take your time and observe as many details as you can. When you are finished, submit an image of your artwork to your teacher.
Remember: Either spray your finished piece when you are done or tape a piece of wax paper (or butcher paper) over top of it to protect it from smudging. This will also protect the other things it may come into contact with. Only spray fixative outside or in a well-ventilated area. Always follow the instructions on the can. Be safe!
The rubric below outlines the expectations for this project and will be used to score your finished piece.
| Advanced | Proficient | Needs Work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composition | |||
| The composition is an original landscape that is balanced and well-thought out. It has also been modified in a creative way to make it more visually interesting. | The composition is an original landscape that is balanced and well-thought out. No modifications were made to the original composition. |
The composition is either not original or is not balanced. | |
| Use of Soft Pastel | |||
| Artist used pastels in an advanced manner with realistic gradients and smooth blending. There are no erasure lines, and colors are layered to create depth.
Artist uses a broad value range and includes very light lights (white) and very dark darks (almost black). Artist used a broad range of methods to lay down pigment. Artist created texture within the composition, and the composition is unified. |
Artist used pastels proficiently and with some layering of pigment. There are very few erasure lines, and the gradients transition relatively smoothly, but some areas may need to be blended better.
Artwork has a range of values but may not have any areas of stark contrast. Artist uses a few different methods of application to create textures, but the majority of their artwork consists of one main method. The artwork contains very little texture. |
Artist does not use the media proficiently. There are visible erasure lines and little to no blending in the artwork.
The artwork does not include a wide range of values, or the shadows do not correspond with the light source. Artist uses only 1-2 methods of application, or they used several, but they are not integrated well and cause the artwork to look chaotic and messy. |
|
| Use of Elements and Principles | |||
| Artist utilized the other elements and principles with a high level of skill that adds visual interest and creativity to their artwork. | Artist utilized the other elements and principles proficiently. | Artist did not use the other elements and principles correctly. | |
| Creative Problem Solving | |||
| A high level of creative problem-solving skills is present in the artwork. Artist goes above and beyond the requirements of the assignment. | Very little creative problem-solving is present. All requirements are met, but the artist does not go above and beyond. | No creative problem-solving skills are present. | |
| Completion | |||
| The artwork is completed with a high level of detail and value ranges. | The artwork is complete, but there is little detail or minimal value ranges present. | The artwork is incomplete or rushed. There is very little detail in the artwork. | |
