Silverpoint

Dole, France

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.

Pins mark where to look before you draw.

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

Master studyLine

Dole, France

A church over a river, in firm construction

Graphite and black crayon: the church of Dole on its hill above the river, houses stepping down, a bridge with round arches, two figures on the bank. Firm, continuous construction with hatching held to the shadow planes. The eye level is given away by the bridge arches.

Difficulty
Time
about 2.5 h
You draw with
H, HB, 2B graphite, black crayon optional
Line weightThe round archEye levelTone from line

Why this one

  • Line weight organising a whole building: heaviest at the base and shadow side.
  • Round arches in perspective giving the eye level.

From your kit

The whole kit →
  1. 1Grafwood H, HB, 2B H, 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 or smooth cartridge
  • 2H and H with long points
  • HB for accents
  • Kneaded eraser
  • Sandpaper block

Watch first

All videos →

Line weight hierarchy and when to stop, from an architect.

YouTube
Architectural pencil drawing tutorialMinty Sainsbury · Structure first, then tone, on a real stone building. The method of the Architecture studies in a modern hand.

The plan

4 stages · ~150 min
  1. 1

    Eye level from the arches

    15 min

    The arch centres share a level: the eye level. Draw it.

    Checklist0 / 1
  2. 2

    Construction

    60 min

    Envelope the hill of buildings; church at the crown; bridge arches from centres.

    Checklist0 / 1
  3. 3

    Weight and hatch

    60 min

    Weighted contour: heavy at bases and shadow sides. Hatch only on shadow planes.

    Checklist0 / 1
  4. 4

    Audit

    15 min

    Squint. Box.

    Checklist0 / 1

What it should look like

  • A hill town that sits down because its lines are heaviest where it touches the ground.

Where it goes wrong

  • Uniform outline. Habit. Ghost each line; press more toward 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 ~150 min

Status

How did it go?

Up nextConstantinople

Before this, ideally

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