Lake in the Tyrol
Corot, Lake in the Tyrol, 1863. Etching on white wove paper.
Pins mark where to look before you draw.
The Art Institute of Chicago · The Charles Deering Collection
Lake in the Tyrol
One tree, a lake, a boat
1863: a single leaning tree on the left, a lake, far hills in the lightest hatch, a boat with figures. The simplest of the etchings and the best introduction to them: three depths, one tree, one line of water.
- Difficulty
- Time
- about 2 h
- You draw with
- H, HB and 2B graphite
Why this one
- Three depths in three hatch densities, with nothing else to manage.
- The lone tree is the Mass unit's tree in line.
From your kit
The whole kit →- 1Grafwood H, HB, 2B H, HB for layout and line; 2B for the darks. Long points from the Blackwing on everything up to B.
- 2Kneaded eraser and the Mono Zero press-and-lift corrections only; the Mono Zero for a single sharp light.
- 3Alpha sketchbook 9 x 6 draw at the book's size and keep the proportions; date the page.
In general, this study asks for
- Drawing pad or smooth cartridge
- 2H and H with long points
- HB for accents
- Kneaded eraser
- Sandpaper block
Watch first
All videos →Five hills, five values, in graphite.
YouTube
The plan
3 stages · ~105 min- 1
Three depths
15 minEnvelope: tree (near), lake (mid), hills (far). Assign a spacing to each: tight, medium, wide.
Checklist0 / 1 - 2
Far to near
70 minHills first at the widest spacing. Water in horizontals, lighter still. Tree last, two to three layers, darkest at the trunk.
Checklist0 / 2 - 3
Boat and audit
20 minBoat and figures as the darkest small marks on the water. Squint: three depths?
Checklist0 / 2
What it should look like
- A three-depth landscape in three spacings with one dark tree and one dark boat.
Where it goes wrong
- Hills hatched as densely as the tree. One spacing for everything. Double the gap for the hills.
Log this session
Start the clock when you pick up the pencil. Stop it when you put it down. Log it. Every session counts toward the box.
Status
How did it go?
Before this, ideally
