Piece #3: Can do!

After struggling with printer paper for my first two pieces, I decided to experiment with different paper. I bought a sketch book with heavier paper at my local Hobby Lobby and just started playing with it.

I was also curious about that measuring technique I've seen on TV (maybe on Saturday-morning cartoons ages ago) where they hold up a pencil and take measurements. Could I actually use that and come up with something decent?

To find out, I put a beer can and a bag of pecans on my counter top, cracked open my new sketch pad, and came up with this:

Again, not too shabby. I was able to use the shadow of the can give the viewer some clue as to the shape of the bag behind it. And I like the way this sketch paper interacts with the graphite. Much better than printer paper!

This video by Proko on YouTube was a huge help in understanding the basics of shading. I'm only beginning to scratch the surface on this art stuff, but I sometimes feel like a sponge. Other times I feel a little bit overwhelmed by the amount of stuff out there to learn.

Here's what I learned by working on this piece:

• Use whatever tools best get the job done. I used a straight edge for all the man-made, perfectly straight lines. Like with violin where the standard of good technique is whatever enables you to sound the best, in art the standard is whatever makes your piece the best it can be.

• Learn what you need to learn from a piece and move on. You'll notice I didn't finish the backsplash, bar top, or pecan bag. Didn't need to. This piece was all about experimenting with new paper. Done.