Chiaroscuro!

We have been looking at some different artistic techniques and today we tried chiaroscuro. This word comes from Italian, meaning light and dark. A drawing or painting is described as using chiaroscuro when there is dramatic light and shade and that this is the main feature of the image. It is used to make objects look more three-dimensional on a flat.

To create this effect, we used masking tape to mark out the letters; used charcoal on the background; added tones to create form; went back with the charcoal to identify the darkest areas; and finally removed the masking tape to reveal our initials. We think you will agree that they look amazing.