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Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.
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project-lost-and-found-edges.mp4
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ASSIGNMENTS![]()
![Jonah Jenkins]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![Maren]()
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![Maren]()
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![@andm]()
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![Chuck Ludwig Reina]()
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![Ash]()
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![Scott Zelak]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![@pablo_dispatch]()
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![Patrick Bosworth]()
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![@na_talie]()
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![Michal Grossmann]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![Tommy Pinedo]()
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![Artin A]()
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![Patrick Bosworth]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![@gothamdemon]()
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![@underthecarpet]()
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![@notapirate]()
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![@breakfast]()
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![Ash]()
As you decide where to place lost edges, consider these specific areas:
- Shadows merging into dark backgrounds: This is a natural place to lose an edge to create depth.
- Lights merging into light backgrounds: This can make highlights appear to glow.
- Core shadows: You can remove a core shadow if the dark stripe between light and shadow provides too much volume or information for a specific area.
- Distracting details: Remove information completely when small details, such as the sharp edges between teeth, distract from the main focal point.
For this project, you will be drawing a skull using the reference images provided.
Level 1
You will create a fully shaded drawing with a focus on deciding where to lose and find edges. Some reference photos have two light sources. This gives you opportunities to play with losing parts of the skull into a light background.
Don't be afraid to lose edges, find them again, and lose them again. This back-and-forth experimentation is how you discover what works.
Level 2
For a harder challenge, use the out-of-focus reference photos. Because the photos are blurry, you cannot simply copy the edges. You must interpret them to refocus attention on the center of the face. You are inventing the relationship between sharp, firm, and lost edges.
Recommended Materials
I recommend a pencil that allows you to utilize the side of the lead. You want to be able to quickly fill in areas and play with the edge freely. A sharp tip takes too long for this type of experimentation.
- Graphite Pencil: Sharpen it longer so more lead is exposed.
- Clutch Pencil: A 5mm lead works great.
- Charcoal Pencil: This is often the best option because it allows for easy smudging.
Deadline - submit by February 05, 2025 for a chance to be in the critique video!
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4d
My main note for you is that you could get some darker value in there! It will help showing the dimension in your drawing. Particularly in the nostrils, the temple, and the right side (our right) of the mouth/jaw. it wouldn't hurt to darken the drop shadow a bit after that too. Don't forget to get some definition of the teeth, it doesn't have to get too complicated. Just drawing in the darkest areas of the gumline and those shadows that show the teeth roots would be good. You've got a great start though, good job keeping the lightest edges intentional!
Level 2
I actually found level 2a little easier to find some lost edges since I felt like I could be less inhibited by the photo. I would still love to hear some pointers though
Level 1
I was trying to find some lost edges mostly within the skull, because the only lost edges I found on the outside were at the chin.
So I spent around 2 weeks on this assignment. I was struggling insanely with it at the beggining and after a few failures I decided to go to the comment section and anylise your guys's work. What I realised is that I tended not to use the entire value range (idk why it took so long to figure out) and that my shading process is unclear to me. Also my current brush didn't match what I wanted to do in the drawing. Changing it to a litteral square with it not having size pressure sensitivity helped me (but still having variable opacity). Because it was easier for me to get the edges I wanted quicker. The two drawings are two weeks in difference. I'm really happy with the outcome (though the lost edges part could still use some work) and that there were so many people here before me from whom i could learn.
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22d
Nice work! And way to stick at it. Value control is one of the harder things to learn. Most of us either start WAY too dark or WAY too light and don't find the full range. What might help you, since you seem to start on the lighter side, is drawing a quick scale on the page and using that to help judge. Usually I will have maybe 3 values in the lit side, and 2-3 values in the dark side with a BIG jump between the two. When you are observing, start with the darkest darks, and fill those in first. That will give your eyes something to judge all other values by.
Again, nice work! Keep at it.
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22d
Amazing work!
Here are my skulls. I enjoyed this project and a good way to finish up the course.
These were done with charcoal; two were on newsprint, one on Strathmore drawing paper. Any comments (including composition) are welcome!
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29d
These look really nice! I love how the first one fades into the darkness, such an ominous or somber mood. Really nice job controlling your values :)
Still cannot believe that this was the last assignment of the course!
I decided to do level 1 both digitally and in charcoal and level 2 digitally. Charcoal is so hard to control!
Thank you so much Stan and the rest of the Proko team! When I look back at my earlier drawings, I can see that I came a long way, even if it doesn't always seem that way day-to-day. Such a long way ahead, and so many things to learn, but I'm sure that I'll always keep the fundamentals with me :)
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2mo
Excellent job, these all came out great! I love the simplified grouping of the teeth in the first one, and it shows a really nice mix of edges. Nice value control through each of these, you were really specific, and reserved with your highlights in the first one, I love the blown out hotspot rim light in the charcoal, and you captured some really nice reflected light in the third! Keep up the good work!!
Finally, here is my submission for this project. All drawings were made with graphite and a selfmade blanding stump - pre demo.
The first skull is level 1, skull 8. The second one ist based on level 2 skull 6 and the third drawing is based on level 2 skull 4.
Please let me knoe, what you think 😊
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2mo
I love this! You've created such a spooky, ghostly mood with your mark-making and the lost edges.
Went to the zoo and took pictures of a western gorilla skull that was on display and decided to practiced my values and edges.
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2mo
Nice grouping of shadows and simplification in the teeth! Great work!
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2mo
This looks fantastic--I love the darker edges you put in here and there. Even though they are just darker lines, they still help communicate the dimension successfully.
Level 1 and 2 of lost edges. 1st 3 are level one and last 3 are level two and I am very proud of these.
Here my submission from a real live reference (a plastic skull sitting in my room) fine with charcoal - about three days after watching the demo which obviously influenced it heavily. I wish I had tilted the head more or found a more interesting position. Somehow, almost by accident, it ended up very straight.
Personally I feel I struggle with gesture a lot in a constant fight between sloppiness and looseness. The later seems to be achieved with confidence which comes from practice.
I found it also difficult to control the charcoal at times and couldn't erase some of the lines any more. But I just love charcoal. I feel I like the paper is very important too. This was done on some cheap printer paper.
I have learned a lot from the course. Thank you very much Stan for this high quality and carefully curated course!
Yet, so much to learn 😁
This was fun! I tried drawing the teeth and ... ngl, I have NO idea how to draw teeth, so instead I decided to put a lost edge where the mouth is AND another lost edge where the light was coming from. It gave me this effect that I really like (◕‿◕✿) (I also did quick thumbnails)
I challenged myself to change the light source on level 2 skull 7. I kept the ring light and added a stronger light source from below as opposed to the ambient light. I learned a lot from this project, and I see I have a lot more to learn!
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3mo
This looks fun and ominous! Good job!
