Drawing a White Still Life

Grade 7/8: Using Pencil Shading Techniques / White on White

After each student completed their shading line exercises, it was time to take that and apply it to a drawing. I set up an all white still life of basic geometric shapes, with a strong light trained on one side (chiaroscuro). Their challenge was to observe the modulations of light and dark, and use the techniques learned to render the still life elements to have volume and mass. I had to encourage them NOT to draw outlines, but to use their shading to define the different items. One can see that some students couldn’t get away from outlining, which serves only to flatten out the shapes. They were not to draw the background, though this may have contributed to the muted results. This lesson was a struggle for some, but I think it provided a learning opportunity for them. Now they will take that on to the next project, where they will do a pencil drawing of a photo collage they put together.