One of the challenges of value is a sensitive handling of shadow. The video series instructor breaks light intensity into nine categories, including light reflected off the setting onto the object, the effect of that light on the object’s cast shadow, and deepening of the object shadow due to the lack of light from the setting where the cast shadow falls.

To facilitate understanding of these interactions in a natural setting, architectural studies are recommended. This gave me an excuse to visit the Getty Santa Monica for in what seems like forever.

Culturally, the visit was a disappointment. In hard winter, many of the galleries close to prepare exhibitions for the Spring season. Arriving in mid-morning, many of the nooks that I had planned to settle in were in full shadow, so I ended up settling by the rock fountain on the main plaza.

As I sketched happily, using an HB graphite pencil on printer paper, a couple attempted to interrupt my work. I engaged them while continuing to sketch, realizing only after they had left that she was an art instructor. She was offended by my report that I was following an online video course. In retrospect, I was irritated that she took the chance encounter on the plaza to attempt to recruit me as a student.

At the end of the day, I returned to the back side of the fountain and took the source photo for this study. The semi-gloss surface of the arcade’s stone was ideal for the purpose. Visual interest focuses on the pair of shoes and reflected legs in the upper right.

I started with a graphite powder wash, but realized that it hid the slab breaks in the foreground. Graphite powder is hard to remove, so I scrubbed with an eraser, leaving the middle slab in the foreground. This yielded speckling in the slab above it – a pleasant surprise.

All of the curves were done free-hand. The straight lines were done with pencil or eraser against a ruler