Draw and Share
Drawing in the Virtual Museum!!!
Explore drawing exercises such as blind contour and reverse value drawing while sketching sculptures in the Virtual Museum. Learn about these two drawing exercises below - great for all ages!
Blind contour drawing helps to coordinate eye and hand while drawing. When drawing we often briefly look at our subject, look down at our paper, start drawing and never look back at the subject. Our minds make things up that aren’t there and miss things that are there. This exercise strengthens power of observing details.
Reverse Value challenges you to do something different, draw light instead of shade. It forces your brain to change the “routine” of always using a dark media on white paper.
Please share your creations on Facebook and Instagram and include the hashtag #marshallfredericksmuseum.
Explore drawing exercises such as blind contour and reverse value drawing while sketching sculptures in the Virtual Museum. Learn about these two drawing exercises below - great for all ages!
Blind contour drawing helps to coordinate eye and hand while drawing. When drawing we often briefly look at our subject, look down at our paper, start drawing and never look back at the subject. Our minds make things up that aren’t there and miss things that are there. This exercise strengthens power of observing details.
Reverse Value challenges you to do something different, draw light instead of shade. It forces your brain to change the “routine” of always using a dark media on white paper.
Please share your creations on Facebook and Instagram and include the hashtag #marshallfredericksmuseum.
Drawing Exercise #1: Blind Contour
Blind contour drawing helps to coordinate eye and hand while drawing. When drawing we often briefly look at our subject, look down at our paper, start drawing and never look back at the subject. Our minds make things up that aren’t there and miss things that are there. This exercise strengthens power of observing details and create new brain connections.
Age level: All ages
What you’ll need:
- Pencil (or any sort of writing/drawing utensil will do!)
- Sheet of paper
Instructions
1. Start by going to the Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum Virtual Tour.
2. Move through the museum and select a sculpture you want to draw.
3. Place your pencil on your paper and look only at your sculpture. Start to draw the outside and inside edges of your sculpture using only a single line - almost as if you are actually touching the sculpture with your pencil. Remember not to look at your drawing until it’s done. Finished? Ok, now you can look at it. Do they look silly and out of proportion? That's okay and to be expected! Try this exercise with different sculptures and see different results.
4. Please share your creations on Facebook and Instagram hashtag #mfsmuseum.
Drawing Exercise #2: Reverse Value
Reverse value drawing is when you change the value or color of the paper and pencil. Instead of using a dark pencil on white paper and drawing the shaded or dark areas, you’ll draw the areas of light using white or light color pencil on black/dark paper. If you don’t have black paper any dark color paper will work.
Age level: 5th-12th Grades and Adults
What you’ll need:
- White pencil or light value color pencil like yellow, light pink, etc.
- Sheet of black or dark value paper
Instruction steps:
1. Start by going to Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum Virtual Tour.
2. Move through the museum and select a sculpture you want to draw.
3. With this activity the value (darkness or lightness) of the paper and pencil is reversed from a typical drawing.
4. Lightly sketch out your sculpture and begin to color in areas of light. Remember, with this activity the value (darkness or lightness) of the paper and pencil is reversed. See drawing examples of Marshall’s sculptures below.
5. Please share your creations on Facebook and Instagram hashtag #marshallfredericksmuseum.