plate no. 4121

Burning of William White, a Priest, Norwich, England, AD 1428

etchingBaroqueillustrationfigurestownarchitecturereligious sceneexecutioncrowd

experienced study

Recreating this etching will help students develop skills in line drawing, cross-hatching, and creating tonal variations through line density. It also provides practice in depicting complex scenes with many figures and architectural details.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Begin with a light pencil sketch to establish the overall composition and placement of figures and buildings.
step 02
Outline the main figures and architectural elements with a fine-tipped pen or marker.
step 03
Start adding details to the figures, focusing on clothing, facial features, and gestures.
step 04
Use hatching and cross-hatching to create shadows and tonal variations on the figures and buildings.
step 05
Add details to the background, including the sky, clouds, and distant buildings.
step 06
Pay attention to the direction of light and use hatching to create a sense of depth and volume.
step 07
Refine the details and add any final touches to the drawing.
step 08
Erase any visible pencil lines.

color palette

primary · sepia · black

secondary · ivory · light grey

Vary the intensity of sepia and black by diluting with water or blending with ivory to create different shades.

techniques

·hatching
·cross-hatching
·line weight variation
·contour drawing
·atmospheric perspective

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the overall sense of composition.
→Making the lines too uniform and lacking variation in thickness.
→Failing to create a sense of depth and volume through shading.
→Ignoring the direction of light and creating inconsistent shadows.

materials

surface · Smooth drawing paper

required

·Fine-tipped pen or marker
·Pencil (HB or 2B)
·Eraser
·Drawing paper
·Ruler
·Reference image

optional

·Magnifying glass
·Tracing paper
·Ink
·Quill pen

Use a high-quality drawing paper that can withstand multiple layers of ink or pencil. A magnifying glass can be helpful for studying the details of the original etching.

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