Student work: Moonflowers

Had to put a call out for houseplant models. My students needed to study the organic details of nature and apply value in both cross hatches and ink washes. It is always a successful assignment because I bring them through it in steps. Directions below

 First- having plants on all the tables I give the students a minute to draw (no shading) each plant, then move to the left. I call it "speed dating" as they are just exploring and getting to know the subject.

 Then they pick what they consider their favorite plant and do a 2 minute study, and if they like that, they continue filling the page with bits and pieces of the plant. No pots. No vases. and the plant must touch or "go off" three sides of the paper.

my demo piece

 Then they do hatch and cross hatch value scales. Outline in ink over the pencil lines and hatch or cross hatch 2/3 of the plant matter.

Then they add a circle for a full moon and paint the night sky. Once that is done they look to make a grey wash and fill over 2/3 of the leaves so that the light white of the paper dances the eye across the space. We learn about value, movement, and composition and well as technical tricks with hatching and using ink quils!