{"id":3248,"date":"2026-11-11T19:59:37","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T19:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/?p=3248"},"modified":"2026-11-11T19:59:37","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T19:59:37","slug":"drawing-in-light-and-shade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/erikacule\/2026\/11\/11\/drawing-in-light-and-shade\/","title":{"rendered":"Drawing in light and shade"},"content":{"rendered":"

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
\n– John 1:5, NIV<\/small><\/h3>\n

There is a technique in drawing called drawing in tone<\/em>. The artist needs a piece of paper and a piece of charcoal. <\/p>\n

The first step is to turn the charcoal on its side and cover the paper evenly in a medium shade of grey. This layer of grey is called the ground<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Then, the artist needs the charcoal – this time, the point – and an eraser. The artist looks at the subject. Really looks. They observe where light hits the subject, and cut into the ground with an eraser, to mark out light areas. Areas of shadow are depicted using the point of the charcoal to mark dense black. <\/p>\n

Drawing in tone<\/em> has advantages for beginners. It forces the artist to learn to see. An object in the composition that is known to be black – a mat, say, or a shoe – can appear bright if it reflects light. Conversely, light coloured objects appear black in the drawing if they are in shadow. <\/p>\n

Drawing in tone produces a pleasing effect readily, which is encouraging for beginners – if they avoid the common mistake of not making their brights bright enough and their darks dark enough. Artists learn the courage it takes to produce a good result.<\/p>\n

Lastly, drawing in tone is forgiving. It is easy to move the marks around on the page.<\/p>\n

\"A

Drawing in tone<\/p><\/div>\n

Devices and desires<\/h3>\n

I worship in a parish that uses the 1662 Book of Common Prayer<\/a> exclusively for its principal Sunday Services. I ended up worshipping here by a roundabout route. <\/p>\n

\"Holy<\/a>

Holy Trinity South Kensington<\/a> on Prince Consort Road. A Corporate Member<\/a> of the Prayer Book Society<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

At first, I did not find worshipping with this liturgy easy. The language was cryptic. Season by season, many of the words stay the same. Worship felt unfamiliar, alienating, boring. I considered leaving. I prayed. I stayed. <\/p>\n

At Holy Trinity South Kensington, at the time, the Ten Commandments were read in full every Sunday. This is unusual. In many parishes, at a BCP service, the priest will substitute the shorter Summary of the Law. Eventually, after being repeatedly subjected to the whole lot in full, the worshipper has no option but to listen. There is nowhere to go. <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

My BCP was a gift from The Actors\u2019 Church, St Paul Covent Garden<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the sixth and final term of the Bishop\u2019s Certificate in Christian Studies<\/a> we studied worship: styles and approaches. One week, we studied the Book of Common Prayer. I chose this topic for my essay. By this point, eighteen months deep in BCP worship, I was a convert. Common Worship<\/a>, the contemporary liturgy used in most Church of England services, seemed bland. <\/p>\n

I prepared for my essay: podcasts<\/a>, articles<\/a>, books<\/a>. Conversations<\/a>. <\/p>\n

I learned that the Book of Common Prayer was written to be catechisical. It was put together to teach: to teach the people about the Bible, and about grace. <\/p>\n

Sam Hole (2026) asserts<\/p>\n

part of Thomas Cranmer\u2019s motivation when composing the first versions of the BCP was to help worshippers to know the Bible better.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Sam Hole, Nourishing Prayer, 2026 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Maybe that is why I like it. The Book of Common Prayer catechises the worshippers in a way Common Worship does not. And I am in the learning zone. <\/p>\n

\"Receiving<\/a>

Receiving my Bishop\u2019s Certificate in Christian Studies<\/a> from the Bishop.<\/p><\/div>\n

The burden of them is intolerable<\/h3>\n

A common complaint about the Book of Common Prayer is that is has a heavy emphasis on sin. <\/p>\n

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy<\/p>\n

– Proverbs 28:13, NIV<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Andrew Atherstone writes <\/p>\n

It is impossible to pray with the Book of Common Prayer without immediately noticing the heavy emphasis on penitence which runs through all the liturgies.<\/p>\n

— Atherstone (2021) <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This phenomenon is remarked upon by contemporary priest the Rev Canon Giles Fraser as \u201cI don\u2019t like the grovelling\u201d (BBC, 2015). <\/p>\n

The heavy words of the confession are striking:<\/p>\n

We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness…The burden of them is intolerable…<\/p>\n

\u2013 The Book of Common Prayer (1662)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These words contrast with the corresponding phrase in Common Worship:<\/p>\n

we are truly sorry<\/p>\n

– Common Worship (2000)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The depth of our sin is expressed in counterpoint to the richness of the grace of God, as in the Comfortable Words.<\/p>\n

If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins<\/p>\n

\u2013 1 John 2:1 as in the Book of Common Prayer (1662)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Atherstone summarises:<\/p>\n

Those who caricature the Book of Common Prayer\u2019s portrayal of God as severe and distant are badly mistaken. On the contrary, these liturgies abound with the language of compassion, love and grace.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Atherstone (2021)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I explain to my friend that this is how I see it too: like the exercise of drawing in tone, the BCP liturgies help us to see the darks as they are and the brights as the counterpoint. By understanding the depth of our sin can we perceive the richness of His grace. <\/p>\n

Prayer Book Society conference<\/h3>\n

Immersed in the BCP and enthused by my essay, I registered for the annual conference of the Prayer Book Society<\/a>. A few months later, my essay long since submitted and the conference around the corner I was questioning my life choices. Prayer Book devotees have a reputation. A friend told me darkly <\/p>\n

If you can survive the Prayer Book Society conference, you can survive anything in the Church of England.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Conference<\/a>

Conference programme<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

The conference was marvellous. In the parish – HTSK excepted – BCP worship is often done halfheartedly at a secondary service early in the morning. Difficult bits like the Ten Commandments and the exhortation are skipped. The whole thing is gotten out of the way so we can get on with an all-age service. Or Sunday Lunch. <\/p>\n

At the BCP conference, in contrast, the delegates are devotees. We went for it: all the responses, the litany<\/a> in full, insistence on doing it properly<\/em> and a lot of kneeling. <\/p>\n

The talks were good, the food tasty, the devotionals beautiful. Further, a conference is made or broken by the conversations during the hospitality breaks. In this regard I was fortunate. <\/p>\n

\"Transdisciplinary<\/a>

Transdisciplinary truism.<\/p><\/div>\n

For the means of grace, and the hope of glory<\/h3>\n

I explained my BCP journey, with its drawing exercise metaphor, to my conference dinner companion. They had asked what brought me to the conference, but my sharing had another motivation: I was practicing a short talk in preparation for my Stage 1 Panel<\/a> the following month. <\/p>\n

As our conversation closed, they commented that maybe I wanted to <\/p>\n

do for others what the Prayer Book has done for you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I thought this grandiose: I am no Thomas Cranmer. But it is enchanting to imagine I might give someone else the means to glimpse it<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Discernment process update<\/h3>\n

The process for determining whether someone is to become a Church of England priest culminates in two rounds of assessments by the National Church<\/a>: the Stage 1 Panel and the Stage 2 Panel. Stage 1 is advisory. Stage 2 is more decisive. <\/p>\n

My Stage 1 Panel is complete and the report is in! A good report with some areas for development, as is expected at this stage. <\/p>\n

The main area for development is around sharing faith with others. This is a task I usually defer to anyone else going. <\/p>\n

So, here we are. <\/p>\n

\"Spotted<\/a>

Spotted at the Prayer Book Society conference venue<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

This blog post is derived and adapted from my Term 6 essay for the Bishop\u2019s Certificate in Christian Studies<\/a>, and from a short talk given as part of my Stage 1 Panel<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

References<\/h3>\n