value study 1

I've just begun working on a series of still life graphite value studies, that will (hopefully) turn into a series of paintings (in pastel or oil) sometime in the (near) future. This is the first of what I hope will be a series of studies using common kitchen objects and food items. I especially like the way the shape of the tureen picks up on the shape of the winter squash , and the bowl of the ladle picks up the shape of the onion. I think I'm begining to make sense of this composition thing. I've intentionally left the tureen less well developed to facilitate transfering the drawing later on since the values of the left side of the tureen and its shadow tend to run together.

The squash is a Celebration acorn--a heritage variety with a firm flesh and a nutty flavor that tastes marvellous with a bit of butter and brown sugar. They're small enough that a single one is perfect to serve two people. I liked it so much that I've saved the seeds and will try to grow them in my own garden next summer.

Each of these sketches takes 2-3 days to complete so I will probably not be posting every day for the near future.