Documenting The Passing of Time
For week 2, the topic was to document the passing of time by drawing five stages of the object's change. For my object, I decided to draw the process of eating an apple.
Medium: 2B graphite pencil, charcoal pencil + eraser
Process: To begin, I took reference images of biting an apple so I could visualise it in my drawings later. Using my 2B pencil, I began by sketching guidelines and a rough circular shape, ensuring consistency in the apple's size across all my drawings. Afterwards, I made sure to sketch out the full apple, adding in all its bumps and dents for realism. Changing my reference photos to black and white on my iPhone also allowing for better visualisation of tonal variations. I used my 2B and charcoal pencil to shade the apple, erasing sections to create highlights. I implemented a crosshatch technique to add details to my apple. Once the drawing was done, I cleaned up the edges with my eraser.
Process: To begin, I took reference images of biting an apple so I could visualise it in my drawings later. Using my 2B pencil, I began by sketching guidelines and a rough circular shape, ensuring consistency in the apple's size across all my drawings. Afterwards, I made sure to sketch out the full apple, adding in all its bumps and dents for realism. Changing my reference photos to black and white on my iPhone also allowing for better visualisation of tonal variations. I used my 2B and charcoal pencil to shade the apple, erasing sections to create highlights. I implemented a crosshatch technique to add details to my apple. Once the drawing was done, I cleaned up the edges with my eraser.
Image 1
Reflection: Drawing the apple before being eaten was the easiest out of all the images. It was relatively simple to draw its shape and took the shortest amount of time to sketch. The charcoal pencil helped with the edges of the apple and adding depth to the drawing. An improvement I could work on is adding highlights as I struggled with the lighting and figuring where the lights and shadows go. Overall, I am pleased with how this drawing came out.
Image 2
Reflection: The second image was definitely a challenge and I underestimated the complexity of how to draw a bitten apple. I did not know how to capture the tooth marks and adding texture inside. I believe I could improve this drawing by not making the lines so harsh because it kind of looks like a rock with its rough edges. If done differently, I would focus on enhancing its realism by paying greater attention to texture and opting for softer, more delicate lines to capture the inside of the apple.
Image 3
Reflection: As I took more bites of the apple, I realise the drawings were going to be more complicated and harder to draw. In this image, every side of the apple has been bitten into which meant more edges to draw. I finally got to draw the apple seeds which was easy as it was just a small shape. However, I struggled to capture the juiciness of the fruit, an aspect of my work that I should improve in the future. Capturing the apple's juiciness will be a skill worth learning in my ongoing artistic journey.
Image 4
Reflection: By the fourth image, almost half of the apple has been eaten which was challenging to draw. I found it hard to distinct between the apple exterior and interior. As such, I could add skin texture to make the apple more realistic in the future. Additionally, shading with a charcoal pencil can be a bit too harsh, so I should use a softer option like a 6B pencil next time. Another challenge I encountered was the constant need to erase and refine the edges of my drawings, as the pencil frequently smudged, significantly extending the drawing process.
Image 5
Reflection: By the final image, majority of the apple has been eaten and its once full volume is now a small apple. As the apple was nearly finished, it was quite fast to draw as I was already used to the shading. While there are numerous rooms for improvement, I am quite happy with how these drawings came out. I also believe I learnt how to shade and highlight a spherical object which will be useful for future drawings.
Animated Gif
