Have you ever drawn a picture using pen, pencil, or drawing tools on paper? Today we are mixing it up by creating images with the opposite approach: erasing! Get messy as you create a picture by first filling the entire page!
Materials:
White paper
Graphite (pencils) or drawing charcoal
Big erasers
First you’re going to completely cover your paper in charcoal or graphite by rubbing your drawing tools all over the page. Have fun with this first step and don’t be afraid to make messy, big scribbles as you try your best to fill the entire page with dark marks.
How many techniques can we use to fill our paper with color? Let’s try scribbling? Or maybe scraping our pencil sideways across the paper? Do you have any of your own techniques you want to share?
What’s the best shading method?
After you have completely covered your paper, attempt to use the eraser to create an image of your choice. This picture can be anything you’d like! It doesn’t have to be real or something you’ve seen. It can be a pattern or design you like, a picture of someone you know, even a place you’ve been.
Keep in mind that the process of making this picture will be different in this project since you will be making your image by erasing your previous coloring.
Is it difficult to imagine what your erased picture will look like? How does it feel different from drawing normally with a pencil?
Now that you’ve learned this technique of erasing in order to create pictures, you can do it as many times as you’d like!
After you’ve finished, share your creations:
Maybe you can make an art gallery in your house to display all of your pictures?
Was it more difficult to create a picture than if using a pencil to draw?
Was it hard to make something from your imagination?
Was this particularly fun or nothing like you expected?
How messy was this in comparison to drawing with a pencil?
Find a new way to make art with familiar materials, a pencil and eraser. Think about negative space while engaging with a playful, experimental, and artistic practice!