BAGSC has had a busy year. We kicked the year off with our annual Botanical Day of Art. This summer we returned to in-person events with a visit to the San Diego Zoo which included a tour and workhop with Lesely Randall. In September Deb Shaw gave a workshop on the techniques of carbon dust. Here is an article by Susan Jackson on her experience at the "Introduction to Carbon Dust Workshop."
The Los Angeles Arboretum was the venue for an “Introduction to Carbon Dust” workshop taught by Deb Shaw on September 7, 2024. Before the day of class, Deb sent all the participants an extensive supply list. Fortunately, for the budget minded, there was little that was needed to be brought to class. Deb had prepared a “goodie bag” for everyone, and, it was pretty much all that was needed for the day exploring all the possibilities of carbon dust. The supply list was full of ideas for further exploration.
Deb talked briefly about the history of carbon dust illustration. Its origin is in the early 20th century, depicting subjects for medical and biological education. It was easy to reproduce in publications as one color, and capable of creating numerous tonal values which could accurately and beautifully depict the subject, whether it was a skeleton, a bug, or a lobster. Deb’s examples were a true inspiration.
Numerous options, from graphite to charcoal to carbon dust, were covered by Deb as she demonstrated how to use them. There were plenty of samples in the goodie bag for everyone to give them all a try. Deb also discussed the possibilities of surfaces to use. Numerous labeled samples, such as, Dura-Lar, Yupo, Hahnemühle Velour, and Yasutomo Mineral, were included with the other goodies in the bag. There were a number of plant specimens available, mostly dried to select for study.
Carbon dust offers the possibility for developing deep dark values, much faster than regular graphite. It can also be combined with other media. Nobody went home with a masterpiece because there was so much to experiment with and have fun!
-Susan Jackson
We have one more workshop coming up in November. I will be teaching "Observing Nature Through Art." Please join me as I take you on a journey to develop the skills of observation, drawing techniques and developing a cohesive compostion. Learn how to develop your observations and compostions into a series of artwork. For more information please follow this link:
Upcoming BAGSC Exhibitions:
The Roses of the Los Angeles Arboretum is an exhbition open to all BAGSC members. For more information please follow this link:
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