plate no. 5399
The Moment of Birth
Alfred Kubin, 1902
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in hatching and cross-hatching for creating tonal values and textures, as well as understanding surrealist composition.
technical profile
palette complexity
2
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
4
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and composition, paying attention to proportions.
- step 02
Establish the darkest areas with a soft pencil or charcoal.
- step 03
Begin hatching and cross-hatching to build up the mid-tones.
- step 04
Focus on creating texture on the crab-like skull and the surrounding environment.
- step 05
Add details to the figure and the wall.
- step 06
Refine the values and add highlights to create depth.
- step 07
Pay attention to the reflections in the water.
- step 08
Add final details and adjust contrast as needed.
color palette
primary · black · white · grey
secondary ·
Varying the pressure and density of pencil strokes creates different shades of gray.
techniques
- ·Hatching
- ·Cross-hatching
- ·Stippling
- ·Value gradation
- ·Line weight variation
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the drawing and losing the sense of spontaneity.
- →Creating muddy or undefined values.
- →Ignoring the importance of highlights.
- →Not paying attention to the texture of the different elements.
materials
surface · smooth drawing paper
required
- ·Sketchbook or drawing paper
- ·Pencils (HB, 2B, 4B)
- ·Eraser
- ·Blending stump or tortillon
- ·Ruler
- ·Sharpener
optional
- ·Charcoal pencils
- ·Kneaded eraser
- ·Fixative spray
Use a variety of pencils to achieve different values and textures.
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