Gallery Talk: Drawing Materials and Techniques in Sketch, Shade, Smudge
By
Harvard Art Museums
Free
An exhibition curator will lead this talk exploring how and why artists choose specific materials to express their ideas.
Sign-up Information
- Ages: Adults.
- Wheelchair accessible.
The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance. Please include the name and date of the program in the subject line of your email.
No application or registration needed.
Cost
This Event is free!
Please check in with museum staff at the Visitor Services desk in the Calderwood Courtyard to request to join the gallery talk. Space is limited, and talks are available on a first-come, first-served basis; no registration is required.
Location
- In-person only.
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
Dates and Times
Tuesday, December 9 12:30PM – 1PM
Additional information
Sketch, Shade, Smudge: Drawing from Gray to Black celebrates the act of drawing using familiar tools—charcoal, chalk, crayon, and graphite. Each type of material has distinctive properties: charcoal can be intensely rich and velvety, or delicately gray and suggestive, while graphite is slippery, shiny, and easy to erase. Crayon is deeply black and waxy, whereas chalk can be crumbly and diffuse. The creative manipulations of these media—smudging, scraping, and erasing—make them versatile tools for adding intensity, depth, precision, and expression to an artist’s vision.
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Last updated December 3, 2025.
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See all programs from Harvard Art Museums