The Mystery of Mary
Scratchboard
8" x 10"
The isolation shown in this piece of work draws the eye toward the focal point which is the statue. The birds help balance out both sides of this scratchboard. This is called symmetry; this allows the viewer to look at the entire picture rather than just the center of interest. How I did this piece was by using an exacto knife to help scrape away the black surface which reveals the white beneath. As shown in the first photograph, I drew an outline of my picture then transferred the contour drawing to the scratchboard with white chalk. This contour drawing gives me guidance as to where I should scratch to keep the proportions correct.
A Shadowy Silhouette
Drawing, Pencil
8.5" x 11"
This is also another form of isolation. The bare background emphasizes the dark statue. This also shows the center of interest. Because the head is looking down, it draws the viewers eye downward also. For this reason, I drew small trees to capture the viewers attention. The trees slim limbs gently urge the viewer to look up towards the dark branch which brings the eye around back toward the statue. This is called visual movement which captures the viewers eye to circle around the entire drawing. Though there is not much excitement of the statue because of its dark shading, the branches at the top of the page show negative spaces which points toward the statue and gives it a more inviting quality. I used in this piece, simple materials such as leaded pencils, 2B, 4B, and 6B; and a kneaded eraser that easily lifts pencil, giving it a lighter color.
