Objective: I created this tonal drawing using a reductive drawing process (erasing). This means I started with a black surface created by covering the paper with a layer of charcoal and then erased and removed/reduced the charcoal layer to illustrate five personal memorable objects on a base texture in a still-life. I used value to accurately represent the composition I created showing texture, contrast and shadow using no visible lines.

Materials: 18” x 24” drawing paper, vine charcoal of various sizes, blending tools including a smooth sponge, gum eraser, kneaded eraser and Art Gum eraser, white pencil top eraser (sharpened to a point on sandpaper), and limited charcoal pencil

Process: I created the composition for this still-life using five objects that have personal meaning. This included a ceramic bull from my childhood home, a photograph of my daughter, a pinecone from a longleaf pine tree, a floral vase from my office at the botanical garden and a ceramic pear made by my daughter. They represent the importance to me of my family, creativity as an essential outlet, a passion for nature and a commitment to conservation.  The bull was elevated on a wooden wine box to create interest and, the objects were placed on my antique oak dining room table to prove a textured base.

After laying down a thick layer of charcoal on the paper I used a small smooth sponge to wipe out the the placement of each of the objects. I proceeded to bring out the values of each object by working clockwise to prevent smearing previous work as I am left-handed. The sponge was used to erase and start over when needed as well as to lighten works areas, the kneaded eraser and gum eraser were good for erasing larger areas while the pointed pencil-top erasers were helpful for finer details. I positioned a spotlight to the front and right side of the objects to create a distinct shadow.  Shadowed was added after the objects had been accurately rendered. The final addition was the texture of the wooden table.