Homework 3: Low-Key (Charcoal)

For this assignment, we were asked to draw a fruit or veggie in charcoal, doing it low-key. I didn't have any paper on-hand, so I ran out an bought a Strathmore "300 series Charcoal" pad. Compared to the paper we use in class, it sucks. It's thin--I tore two pieces before getting a clean piece--and the texture is a bit too pronounced. I won't be buying this flavor of paper again. (I also bought some tricolor Conté crayons.) This photo didn't come out well (level adjustment on the camera or something)... it's actually a bit darker than this, and I couldn't quite tweak it in Photoshop to match it. Anyway, this was the result:

My main focus on this one was consistency: I wanted nice solid blocks of color without too much "modulation" (my teacher uses this word all the time) where I couldn't see it in the pepper. I'm pleased with the result, even though this isn't something I'd hang. As I'm looking at it now, though, I see a few flaws, like the dark, straight shadow on the left (which is too dark and too straight) and the shadow parallel to the right edge of the pepper (which is way too dark and doesn't show the structure properly). Cé la vie.

It was fun.