Silverpoint

Line weight

Line weight: the same box drawn with uniform line and with weighted line, heavier on the shadow side and where forms touch the groundUNIFORM LINE (DEAD)WEIGHTED LINE (ALIVE)heaviest where it meets thegroundlighteston the littop edgeA line's weight tells the eye which edge is in light, which turns away, and what is heavy. Vary it on purpose.
FigureLine weight
FoundationLine + Mass

Line weight

The weighted box

Vary the weight of a contour on purpose to show light, shadow and contact with the ground.

Difficulty
Time
about 0.5 h
You draw with
HB and 2B, long points
Line weightLight on form

Why this one

  • Unit 1 of the program: Instrument Control.
  • Four objects whose line alone tells you where the light is and that they sit on a table.

From your kit

The whole kit →
  1. 1Grafwood HB, 2B HB for layout and line; 2B for the darks. Long points from the Blackwing on everything up to B.
  2. 2Kneaded eraser and the Mono Zero press-and-lift corrections only; the Mono Zero for a single sharp light.
  3. 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
  • HB and 2B, long points

Watch first

All videos →

Shadow shapes as flat masses first. Shown on a portrait, but the principle is identical for a tree or a tower.

YouTube
Line quality: cross-hatchingLZM Studio · On the quality of each individual line inside a hatch, which is what separates Meryon from a beginner.Train your eyes to see valuesProko · Squinting, value scales and why beginners under-read darks.

The plan

4 stages · ~35 min
  1. 1

    The dead box

    10 min

    Draw a box in three-quarter view (two sides and the top visible) with the HB, all lines the same weight. Look at it. It floats and it is a diagram.

    Checklist0 / 1
  2. 2

    The weighted box

    10 min

    Draw the same box again beside it. Decide the light comes from upper left. Draw the top edges that face the light with the lightest touch, almost broken. Draw the edges on the shadow side with the 2B, firmer. Where the box meets the table, press hardest of all. The box now sits down and has a light on it, and you have not shaded anything.

    Line weight: the same box drawn with uniform line and with weighted line, heavier on the shadow side and where forms touch the groundUNIFORM LINE (DEAD)WEIGHTED LINE (ALIVE)heaviest where it meets thegroundlighteston the littop edgeA line's weight tells the eye which edge is in light, which turns away, and what is heavy. Vary it on purpose.
    FigureDead versus weighted. Heaviest at the ground.
    Checklist0 / 1
  3. 3

    Three more objects

    10 min

    Do the same for a cylinder (a mug without a handle), a cone, and a book lying flat. Each time: light edge lightest, shadow edge firmer, contact heaviest. Then look at the Roberts and find him doing the same on a church.

    Dole, France, Roberts, n.d.
    Art Institute of Chicago

    Roberts, Dole, France, n.d.. Graphite and black crayon, on cream wove paper, laid down on tan board.

    David Roberts, Dole, France. The outline of the church is lighter on the lit side and heavier at the base and on the shadow side.

    The Art Institute of Chicago · The Leonora Hall Gurley Memorial Collection

    Checklist0 / 1
  4. 4

    Self-check

    5 min

    Tick each item honestly. If one is a no, the session is not finished; go back to that step.

    Checklist0 / 2

What it should look like

  • Four objects whose line alone tells you where the light is and that they sit on a table.

Where it goes wrong

  • Every edge the same weight, but some of them scribbled thicker. Weight was added as a second line rather than built into the stroke. Weight comes from pressure within one stroke. Ghost it, then press more as you reach the shadow side.

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.

00:00of ~30 min

Status

How did it go?

Up nextThe pressure ramp and layering