Maniere Noire Drawing

My name is Lisa Flowers Ross and I'm an art workshop-oholic.  Yes, I am taking another workshop at Wingtip Press this week with instructor Rose Davies from Wales.

Yesterday, we worked on drawings in the Maniere Noire technique.  Maniere Noire is french for "in the black manner."  It is a reduction method.  So we started with a piece of paper covered with several layers of gesso and then completely covered with charcoal.

Rose starting the demonstration with her pepper still life.

Then we used different items such as steel wool, varying sand papers, q-tips, etc. to remove the charcoal to create the drawing.  We had objects to chose from for our still life.

I think I chose one of the more difficult items, a paper and wire sculpture.  Here is the beginning of my drawing and the object on the corner of the table.

 Here's my friend, Mary, working on her drawing.

Here are all the finished charcoal pieces.

In the afternoon, we did another drawing using the same technique, but with a layer of graphite instead of charcoal.  I think the majority of us found it a little more difficult to "scrub" off the graphite.

Below, my friend, Cassandra, is working with artichokes.

Here is Mary's gourd drawing.

After choosing the paper sculpture in the morning, I decided to go with something simpler in the afternoon.  So I also chose gourds.  But I think they were too simple and boring.

Here is Tyler Hackett's drawing which is also a gourd.  Both of his drawings were wonderful.

Drawing in this manner requires a different thinking process than regular drawing.  It also made me realize how very much out of practice I am in doing realistic drawings.

This was a warm up for the next three days when we will be working with a three color reduction monotype process.