Grayscale

The world may not be BLACK and WHITE, but it sure has a lot of gray, and that’s the kind of art I like to do. Charcoal, ink, and pencil are my favorite mediums, ignoring the abundant array of colors available to me. Roy G. Biv could never keep up with my amazing grayscale. I like concentrating on the shades of an object, seeing how the light highlights its point of impact, forcing all else into shadow. A few quick scratches with my quill and I create crosshatching, which although I only use one dark thick line, I somehow can make an assortment of tones. Who needs color when you can say everything in monochrome?

           

Grays are the hardest colors to make. First, start with two complimentary colors—let’s say red and green. Note, green in a secondary color, so first mix blue and yellow together, and then add red. After a nice brownish sludge appears, begin adding white. Magically, the color drains from the paint, but leaves hints of the reds and blues that once existed. Those little mistakes scream your secret: that no matter how much you see the world as gray, the color still shines through.

(Simply another piece I wrote for Creative Writing Nonfiction)