Getting Ready for My First Class (in years)

I’m getting ready to start a class at my local art center. My first art class since early 2000. I thought I would start practicing the basic drawing skills like drawing an object, it’s shadows, and shading. First, I created a value chart for my personal use:

art_tonal_chart — My graphite value charts

The above chart will help me make sure I have contrast in my drawings. I tend to sketch/draw lightly so that everything looks flat. I need to work on being bold and show contrast in my work.

Then I drew the typical ball with it’s shadow and shading or values. I’m getting there. See the contrast?

art_ball_drawing — My sphere drawing showing cast shadows

Then I decided to just practice what I wanted to draw I dug out my vacation snapshots and came across my turtle pictures I took while in Costa Maya. It’s a start:

art_turtle_drawing