Overall Comments There has been a marked/some improvement since the last assignment. You have taken on board my comments about seeing the work in the flesh, and you sent in a good spread of examples from previous assignments- so thank you. It is clear from viewing the works that you have a good basic drawing ability, but you are relying on this rather than pushing the scope of the work (and by extension yourself). I re-iterate from the last feedback: I strongly advise you to work in more depth both on your drawing practice and on your contextual research. Re-working is part of artistic practice and you shouldn’t feel discouraged, you have a lot to offer but need to make this push forwards. Have confidence and explore the subject matter to it’s fullest. The handbook is only the starting point.
This is a difficult assignment and you have made an honest approach to it. Well done.
Reworking on Assignment 4
After reading my tutor comments I went back and looked at all of the work I had done on this assignment with a more critical eye. I had produced a lot of these drawings during life drawing classes where time was limited as was the pose. I went back to the sketchbook and looked at muscle and body formation too. I also looked at different artists and how they treat(ed) the human form. I am more a fan of modern art so only skimmed the surface of classic artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. I really enjoy the work of artists such as Edward Hopper, Chuck Close and David Hockney.
I chose to rework this piece using the same form and position and still using a graphic illustration style. Having drawn so many real life sketches I was motivated to change style and try something less realistic. I am drawn to graphic design and stylised drawings far more than traditional drawing which loses my attention fairly quickly. I tried to stay true to the form of the person and give tone by shading with light pink watercolour. After that I wanted to portray a graphic effect with detailed pen work and bright block colour. I understand the tutor comment about lack of tone in this assignment but I also lack confidence in my ability to render a hyper realistic portrait. Throughout all the assignments on this course I have constantly looked at the work of many artists but have not necessarily written about each artist.
Feedback on assignment
The work is not clearly labeled- so I will respond as a broader overview rather than specifics: The approach to the figure feels more honest and straightforward than some of your previous exercises, with less of a propensity to feel the need to ‘make a picture’ rather than interrogating the subject at hand. There are obvious problems across the board but that is normal for this level at this stage. The figure is hard to capture, as you have encountered, and needs much practice. A life class would be great for you – I suspect you are already attending- to give you the needed time to practice in.
The figure is a complete entity and needs to be treated holistically in terms of drawing. Each situation, each pose is unique to that individual, and as an artist we must find ways to articulate and communicate this to the viewer of the work. This is considered to be a form of reconciliation between knowledge (I know she has two arms and legs) and observation (she is relaxing her left shoulder, so it appears -to me- lower than her right).
Within the pieces that you submitted, I can see that at times, the figure is ‘fitted’ to the drawing space of the page: the reclining man for example. So, there appears to be some problems of scale, balance and proportion. None of this is unsolvable, just practice needed. To help you, I would suggest that you think about how the muscles and tendons inform the position of the figure, ask yourself ‘how’ the body is working at that moment in that pose. This will help you to think about the distribution of weight: we are all affected by gravity and if we think about the body in a holistic manner (as mentioned above), we will note that each small shift has a cause and effect on another body part. For instance: if I raise my fingers it causes other muscles to contract, and that may alter my weight distribution. You can achieve this within your drawing by using a mark across the surface, in order to instate how skin or indeed clothing is laid over muscle and tendon. This will give shape to the clothing, so that the form is seen within it and shape to the skin (unclothed) through tonality. Using tone to model the figure can be achieved through contour lines, cross hatching/bracelet shading. Lok at Michaelangelo’s sketches to see exemplary use of both, And perhaps look at Tracey Emin’s figure drawings to encounter a wholly different attitude to the figure.
In figure drawing, it is useful to situate the body in a situation, which you have attempted to do, but this needs considerable attention and consideration.
I was pleased to see you use charcoal on some of the figure drawings and these felt more sensitive- free and as if you enjoyed the exercise. They certainly looked more fulsome and therefore more resolved than the other pieces, it would be advisable to pursue this way of working more thoroughly, with many more variations.
Tonally the work (as whole) is weak, I would advise you to re-visit the tone exercises to refresh yourself. The figure needs thorough use of tone to be able to describe the form well. Perhaps this is why the charcoal worked more in your favour.
There is a simple line drawing of a girl sitting on the stairs that is very appealing and stood out for me. It is clear that you need to really look at contemporary drawing practice and see how and where you can learn from those producing. In terms of historical research you also need to delve deeper to seek resonance with your practice.
Learning Logs/Critical essays
I re-iterate from the last assignment:
Your learning log is clearly written in terms of your reflective writing, although it is rather perfunctory, by now I would expect that you have researched further into contemporary artists that have some resonance with your own work and that you had begun to articulate the correlations that you are finding.
In your first assignment I wrote: In order to reflect on your own work, it is necessary to reflect on the work of other artists contemporary and historical. You would really benefit from viewing the works of other artists Write about what you are seeing and interpreting, When you can see that an artists’ work represents what you are experiencing in your making, write about why that is happening, what has the artist done and how have they done it, how can it inform your own study? Get into greater depths using a critical language.
The OCA website has good information on the learning log and its benefits.
Suggested reading/viewing
If you can obtain this book, try to read it. Berger, J (1972) Ways of Seeing, Penguin Berger, it unpacks what it is to look and perceive. I re-iterate try looking on-line in places such as the Tate archive to see more drawing or for contemporary work: http://www.drawingroom.org.uk/ and also www.axisweb.org www.balticmill.com/links for contemporary works.
Pointers for the next assignment The next assignment is critical, so take time to reflect upon the previous assignments, re-work over areas that need focus and develop as appropriate. Be thorough in your learning log and develop some further critical awareness.
Assessment potential (after Assignments 2 and 4)
I understand your aim is to go for the Painting Degree and that you plan to submit your work for assessment at the end of this course. However, from the work you have shown in this assignment, I am concerned that you may struggle to meet the assessment criteria unless you attend to the areas that have been highlighted to you. Also you will need to work thoroughly over the past material to gain the most from the course. I will be happy to support this endeavor.
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