6/7 Beautiful Bones - 2018/19

What a great time of year to look at the human skeletal form with a drawing of a skeleton. Students in 6/7 studied the human skeleton and we talked about Michelangelo's ratio of the human figure eight heads tall. A life size plastic model of a skeleton was on display in the art room to observe both the proportions as well as the shadows and chiaroscuro in a 3D form. Chiaroscuro is the drawing method which creates the illusion of a three-dimensional form on a two-dimensional surface. This technique was introduced by Italian Renaissance artists, Rembrandt is the most well-known artist who worked with this technique. Students began with a small photograph of just a part of the skeleton. They enlarged the image using the grid method. Value study was practiced with a drawing exercise to achieve gradated tones and value using an ebony pencil before applying value to their skeleton drawing. While the process of measuring, drawing and shading was very meticulous, the background allowed students to be more expressive and free-form. The six watercolor techniques learned last year were reviewed and applied to their watercolor background.