The Member's Minute: Episode 581
Art Critique: Rich’s Graphite Drawing
In this Members Minute critique, Matt reviews a meaningful graphite drawing submitted by Rich. The artwork was created as a wedding gift for Rich’s youngest son and his new wife, making the piece especially personal. Matt notes that a handmade drawing like this would be a treasured gift and praises the care and thought behind it. The drawing was created on Stonehenge paper, a surface Matt recommends for graphite because of its soft, workable quality. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Composition and Focal Points
Matt begins by discussing the composition and points out that the drawing contains competing focal points. His eye is first drawn toward the distant center of the image, where the perspective lines converge. Because the benches, brick lines, vineyard rows, fence posts, and central path all lead back toward the same vanishing point, the viewer’s eye is naturally pulled into the distance.
A secondary focal point appears in the group of barrels near the middle of the composition. The two outer barrels are rendered with more detail and value, but they frame the center barrel, making it stand out. Matt explains that this creates some visual competition and adds to the symmetry of the piece. If Rich were to create the composition again, Matt suggests leaving out the middle barrel to make the design feel more dynamic.
Perspective and Symmetry
The drawing makes strong use of one-point perspective. The receding lines of the benches, bricks, path, and vineyard rows all help create a convincing illusion of depth. However, because so many elements lead directly to the center, the composition becomes very symmetrical. Matt explains that symmetrical compositions can work, but they often feel more static. Reducing some of that symmetry would allow the viewer’s eye to move through the piece more naturally.
Sky and Cropping Suggestions
Matt also discusses the sky area. Since the horizon line sits in the upper third of the composition, the emphasis is correctly placed on the foreground and middle ground. However, the sky contains very little information. Matt suggests either adding clouds and subtle value changes to support the light source or cropping a small amount from the top to reduce unused space.
Value and Contrast
A major part of the critique focuses on value. Matt praises the drawing’s structure but encourages Rich to push the darker values further. The drawing has light areas and some darker areas, but the darkest darks could be strengthened to create a fuller value range. By increasing contrast, the drawing would gain more depth, realism, and visual impact.
Matt demonstrates how darker shadows and stronger contrast would make the light source feel more believable. He especially praises the consistency of the cast shadows and notes that the lighting suggests a bright morning or evening scene.
Texture and Graphite Handling
Matt compliments Rich’s control of graphite and the variety of textures throughout the drawing. He especially likes the directional strokes used on the barrels. However, he suggests using less blending in the foreground. Sharper, more deliberate marks near the viewer would create stronger contrast and help separate foreground from background.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Matt praises Rich’s drawing as a thoughtful, well-controlled, and meaningful piece. His main suggestions are to push the dark values further, reduce some of the central symmetry, add more texture variety in the foreground, and remove any unnecessary outline-like marks in the distant hills. With these refinements, the drawing would become even stronger while preserving the personal meaning that makes it special.
Founder of The Virtual Instructor, artist and teacher. Matt makes learning art easy to understand and enjoyable.
Hi Ritch,
Ooooooh wow! What a special wedding gift for your son! I so hope that he will love this wonderful drawing of the wedding place as much as you seem to like it. Thank you so much for showing your art work.
I do very much agree with Matt to further push the values to make this piece more pop. Just in case, you don’t have much tooth of the paper left, I would try it with Mars Lumograph Black graphite pencils, which are very dark.
I also agree with Matt that it would be nice to either put some information of clouds in the sky or cut it a bit.
With regards to your focal point, it does tell a story to me.
The upper focal point far in distance is the path your son and his wife are going to take in their future life together. The lower focal point does tell to me, before walking down the path, there is the wedding taking place (told by the barrel in the middle). So, no, I would not remove this barrel for this specific reason (as a replacement for the couple). Hope, this makes sense to you, as I am trying to give my emotions a decent wording.
Enjoy your week, Buddy
Dear Matt, thank you very much for picking out this wonderful art work. I was totally drawn into the piece and your critique. Value is so important to make an art work look more realistic.
What kind of distracted my view is that the upper left field lines do float left out of the picture plane. I would have thought you would suggest to let the lines more floating back to the focal point. But maybe that would look too artificial?
As always, thank you for these so very helpful critiques you are providing every week.
May you and your family have a wonderful Monday and rest of the week,
Buddy
Hello Rich,
I hope you are doing well. Thank you so much for sharing this lively vineyard drawing with us.
I have been doing some value studies and Matts suggestions and recommendations are always so helpful not just to you but all of us.
This vineyard reminds me of the ones I visited in Napa Valley, CA. We would go from vineyard to vineyard and they were all so amazing and beautiful. Where is this drawing from? Is it a place you have visited with your son? Please tell your son congratulations from another student at the Virtual Instructor and best wishes for his future life.
I am sure he will enjoy this beautiful gift.
Again thank you for sharing it with us.
Teri(Artsy)
Hello Matt,
As you may know I have been doing value studies. This critique as always was a helpful one. Especially as I am working on improving my 50 – 50 drawing skills with measuring from the sides. Sometimes I am hard on myself because I miss some of the values but am working on it.
This is a lovely vineyard. With some friends in my young adult age we would go to Napa Valley in CA (Northern) and you could go from vineyard to vineyard wine tasting what you like. At the end you can rent a hot air balloon with a bottle of champaign bottle and a cheese and bread platter. I am not sure if it is the same now. Of course the Hot Air Balloon was out of our price range and, heights and I are not friends – lol!
These critiques are all wonderful. Thank you for so faithfully encouraging us through each of these.
Teri (Artsy)
What a lovely piece, Rich! 😀
And thanks for your detailed, insightful, and very engaged constructive criticism, Matt. As usual, you do everything with such dedication, which I really appreciate and I’m sure so many others do as well. All your input will make anyone working on values and composition create stronger pieces. wishing you all good things, hajra