I took the theme light, line, and space quite literally. I drew inspiration from the interesting architecture of Dana and drew the stairs leading up to the third floor of the building.
The piece is black and white composed of black India ink and charcoal. The scene shows part of the staircase that gives the sense that the viewer is looking up from the bottom of the staircase rather than from the top of it. The stairs are situated to the right of the frame in a diagonal line receding into space with the stairs closer to the viewer being bigger in size than those that are farther. The railing of the stairs draws the eyes upward to view a landing platform positioned to the top left of the page, the railing from the landing drawing the viewer’s eye up and out of the frame. The dramatic shadows and marks from the charcoal pencil give the piece a sense of movement. Additionally, the spaces between the stair railing and the stairs themselves allow for the viewer to see between them and gives a sense of space. The white wall giving depth by dragging itself further into space which can be seen through the stairs and railing. Shadows compose the emptiness below the stairs.
The stairs is the main focal element of the piece that engages the eye of the viewer. The positioning of the stairs which starts in the middle of the bottom of the frame, ends on the top right of the frame. The sense of space and ascending nature of the stairs draw attention. The railing and handrail creates a triangular space of focus which connections the elements in the top left to the stairs. Because of the heavy shadows presented, the mood of the drawing is a little somber. As if the scene was captured on a cloudy, rainy day. The linear lines and lack of a natural form adds to the somber tone through the absence of life. The shadowed empty spaces below the stairs, at the end of the white wall, and at the top of the stairs adds to the tone and separation from life. The use of stairs as a subject captures the idea of light, line, and space in that the linear lines of the stairs guide the eyes around the page and divides the space. The use of India ink and charcoal to create intense blacks adds to the overall characteristics of the drawing. The simplicity of the subject allows the lines to truly engage with the viewer.
Because the lines take center stage in the composition, it becomes apparent that they are not completely straight which adds more character into the piece but distractions from its intention as a study of architecture. The spacing of the stairs is also problematic because they do not line up with the actual subject. The darkness of the drawing also adds more drama than originally intended and could be fixed with a lighter hand and the use of a different drawing medium. Lighter values would have allowed for a greater chance for detail of the texture of the stairs rather than the smoothness that they are. The composition of space and the inclusion of more humanistic elements would breathe life into the piece. Instead of the shadows to fill the emptiness, the inclusion of some objects seen in those spaces would have enhanced the drawing. The texture of the white wall also leaves something to be desired, however, the lines of the shading adds movement to an otherwise static subject. The mini set of stairs at the top right side
