Torn paper collage

Exercise Torn paper collage

For this exercise I started with newspaper print for the background and then magazine pieces for the artichoke.  I tried to find pieces with the correct colours tones, using images, text etc..  I first outlined the shape for each part and tried to follow light to dark with the shading.  As I wanted to do a mixed media piece and make it more interesting I then washed the background using acrylic paint diluted with a gloss medium.  This gave a glossy, watercolour effect and the transparency left the newspaper print visible underneath.

I then used the same technique on the artichoke itself but used more vibrant colours to suggest rather than using realistic tone.  As this is quite a bold piece I thought bold colours would be appropriate.  I used a thick black permanent pen to add to this bold look.  I am quite please with the finished result especially as it is not at all the type of work I would normally do.  This definitely took me out of my comfort zone but was great fun to do.

Looking closer

Exercise Looking closer

For my first two studies looking closer at the subject I choose to use different mediums, pen and oil pastels.  I chose the view of under the artichokes where there are lots of interesting shapes and colour differences.  I started with the oil pastel study which I outlined briefly in pencil.  This medium shows texture and colour and blending rather than detail.  I chose to put 4 artichokes together and focus on the two at the front.  The pastel were difficult to blend but I was looking for a stylised effect so I am happy with the outcome.

The pen drawing of the same view is more detailed but again a stylised version.  I took inspiration for this piece from the colour version.  I tried to limit the shades used and rely on the line work to show form and detail.

I apologise for the quality of this photo below but I realised I had not taken a decent photo before sending of to my tutor so had to rely on this taken with my phone.  I decided to work on tonal shading for the next two studies as I need the practice.  These detailed studies took a lot of time and required careful observation of the subject matter in front of me.  I really enjoyed doing these drawings and am happy with the result.  The form and shape are well represented especially in the concentric circles which were hard to follow.

Introducing colour

Exercise Introducing colour

This was a very enjoyable part of this assignment for me.  I wanted to explore a range of mediums and also look as some more expressive ways of representing the subject matter.  I started with a watercolour version of a pencil drawing produced earlier in this assignment.  I purposely didn’t use outlines.  I need a lot more practice with this medium but find the form and colours interesting in this picture.  I need to work on subtle shading and blending but water-colours is a medium that I love to look at so I will spend time learning how to use it more proficiently.

Next I moved on to a pencil and water drawing of an artichoke sliced through as a cross section.  I lightly sketched the outline and then made a very light wash in watercolour.  Then I splattered watercolour to give more texture to the design.  I then coloured behind the artichoke in dark colours to highlight the subject matter in a directional form.  I think as a method this works quite well although I will need to finish more detail in the artichoke itself.  I actually wanted to come back to this piece but had lots of ideas with colour so moved on while I was inspired.

Below is a pen and ink drawing which is much more interpretive than previous work in this assignment.  I wanted a very loose feeling with very little pen work.  I also coloured the background but am not sure that it was in the right colour.

I like this type of illustration, not realistic but loose and stylised.

This drawing was created with Luminance, Caran D’ache pencils on textured watercolour paper.  Each stroke is made in the same direction.  This was a very time consuming project and I had to pay a lot of attention to achieve shading and blending.  I actually like pencil on watercolour paper, it gives and interesting texture and dynamic to the piece.  I outlined in very faint pencil the correct form at the beginning of the work.  This is a fairly tight subject to use directional pencil work it would perhaps work better in a subject that didn’t require such regular boundaries.

Above right is another watercolour and ink study looking from a different angle.  This is again more of an interpretive study and accurate real life.  Again the there are too many ugly brush strokes particularly on the background.  I would like to see a smoother, flatter surface.

This last study is a very graphic picture using colour markers.  I wanted to polarise the image and reduce it to a few different shades.  By adding unreal shades of colour it adds drama.  I made each stroke directional to give a flatter tone.  Unfortunately, I could afford to buy the good quality Copic markers that don’t show stroke marks.

This is a very different take on the subject matter but I am looking to do something different and fresh for my final piece and am leaning towards an expressive and interpretive study.

Tonal study

Exercise Tonal Study

I spent a long time on these studies, especially as one of the critiques from my tutor is a weakness in tonal work, so I needed to improve this area in my work.  I also tried to show different view points as the texture, colour and tone varied greatly depending on which part of the artichoke I was studying.

I am happy with the results and am beginning to feel more comfortable with pencil work.  I have always enjoyed working in colour pencil and building up layers and blending but found grey pencil work less enjoyable and time consuming.  For these studies I used mainly HB pencils but also softer and harder pencils as required.

The study on the left is in charcoal, a medium that I am the least comfortable with.  Although fairly simplistic I think the drawing works well and does show form and shape.  I find that charcoal is difficult to control and quickly becomes messy if one if not careful.  It is not a medium I would consider for a final piece but I will explore more with it in the future.

The two studies on the left of the same angle are drawing in pen and soft graphite pencils respectively.  They are not as detailed as the other drawings but have merit as studies in different mediums.  The bottom sketch although not overly detailed does show depth and the proportions and shape are well drawn.

Line drawing

Exercise Line Drawing

I tried several continuous line drawings such as the one illustrated here but confess to looking far more at the page than was suggested.  I did, however, manage to draw without lifting the pencil.   The following drawings are all an attempt to use line to show form and shape.  I used hatching and cross hatching and varied between pen and pencil.  This exercise was a good opportunity to vary the subject matter as well as the technique.

On the left is a sketch of the artichoke flower using hatching to add tone and form.  Below I have drawn a bisected artichoke using pen.  This is almost graphic in appearance and the more I have completed in this course the more I realise that I much prefer graphic and stylised drawing than still life

I think the drawing on the right below works well as there is depth and form developing in the drawing.  The pen work gives sharp angles and roughness to the drawing.

The sketch on the right was drawn as a negative space drawing, focusing on the spaces between.  I purposely haven’t coloured everything black around as I wanted to leave it as a simple line drawing.  It has been interesting to study the subject matter from different angles and in line form but I am also looking forward to introducing some colour work.

Different angles

Introduction

I have decided to make the focus of my last assignment artichokes!  Why?  Well I brought some recently for my son who loves to eat them raw with homemade salad dressing and I noticed the richness of colour and the variety in the shape.  From different angles there are interesting details and shapes.  This subject matter seemed to offer plenty in the way of drawing studies, using different mediums and angles and view points.

Exercise Different Angles

I started with looking at artichoke hearts which have been cut to a reduced form.  The have such lovely concentric circles on the top but smooth rounded forms for each leaf.  The following sketches are really just studies of each form from a different perspective.  I started to add tone and shading but then decided to leave that for future exercises and so concentrated on proportions, shape and form.

 Again using the hearts I looked at the side view and thought putting two together end to end would make an interesting composition for later studies.  Both ends of the subject are interesting in terms of detail but the sides have their own interest with smooth linear texture and colour.  For me, this exercise is about different angles and form rather than colour.

 This third sketch is a view of the bottom of the artichokes where they have been cut from the stem.  I think there is some very interesting detail work that can be explored and the idea of repeat pattern appeals to me.

I have made two studies of the whole artichoke below and right which again refer to shape, proportion and size.  There seems to be so many different angles and viewpoints which is where the interest in this subject matter lies.  I hate to eat artichokes so it was a strange choice for me but when I bought some for my son I suddenly thought what an interesting and diverse object to draw.  Colour, shape and interesting curves make this a good subject matter.

Draw and select

Introduction

I looked through all the work I have completed for this course and realised that it was a difficult choice for assignment 5.  I kept swinging back and forth to different options, finding something I really liked in each and something less pleasing in others.  In the end, I decided to go for Observation in nature.  I readily had objects to draw and find the subject matter interesting.

I also spend a lot of time taking photographs and when I looked through my library, found that a large majority focused on nature, flowers, animals etc..

Draw and select

I decided that I was going to spend a lot of time on this assignment to give the best of my ability.  I do like drawing with colour pencils and feel quite happy with this medium so I started with a still life drawing of an iris (bought from the florist).  Having sketched the overall shape and shaded areas looking at the real flower I then finished the coloured details from photographs.

This drawing took at least 3 hours to complete and although I am quite happy with the finished result I feel that I made a big mistake in the colour shading.  After lightly drawing the outlines I blocked in colour areas so I could added detailed shading along the way.  This was my mistake as the block colours were already too dark and made it difficult to pull back afterwards.  I used Caran d’ache luminance pencils which are very soft.  I spent a lot of time with the sharpener as I can only seem to get the desired effect with very sharp pencils.  I found the paper saturated quite quickly which was also frustrating.  I will try different paper qualities as I work through this assignment.

My next drawing was of a pepper in graphite pencil.  For this I used an HB pencil throughout.  This was an intense exercise having to look so carefully at the pepper on the table in front of me.  I sketched the overall outline and then an outline for each different zone of tone or texture.  The pressure on the pencil was so light that it hardly made a mark but by doing this I was able to build up tone and keep sufficient light in the drawing.  I really enjoyed doing this drawing although it was a painstakingly slow exercise.

I like detail and smaller drawings which has not been easy throughout this course as so many exercises have required a large format.

Having completed this exercise I then decided to try the same pepper in watercolour.  This is a medium that I adore but am not at all proficient with.  I think I overworked it and flooded areas with too much colour.  I also think I started with the colours too pale and then struggled to add shadows in a coherent way.  I really need to work more in this medium and practice layering colours.  It was fun to do but also frustrating as I messed up quite a bit.

I then moved on to other objects some of which I worked from photos.  The cherries and mushrooms were from photos; the pine cone one of hundreds from the garden and the artichoke a photo.  These sketches were also worked in detail.  I used the Luminance colours for the cherries and a mix of graphite pencils for the mushrooms.

I feel that I have made progress with detailed work and much prefer this to rough sketching.

It was interesting working on different objects with such diverse textures, from the smooth surface of the cherries to the ragged detail of the pine cone.  I really enjoyed the slow building up of colour and shade on the cherries and the detail of the mushrooms more so than the fir cone.

My final studies in this section included various views of apples.  I filled a page using different mediums and view points but quickly decided this would not be my final choice of object.  I liked trying to get the rounded feel and grain of the skin but otherwise it wasn’t such an interesting choice.

All of the above studies were produced indoors with natural light and not a direct lamp light and although the artichoke here is my least favourite drawing I choose it as my object for the final assignment because there is such rich colour and variation in shape and form.

Self portrait

Exercise Drawing your face

I drew these self portraits, one from a photograph and the other using a mirror. The first is from a photo and I think captures the likeness better. The second is from an unfortunately angle and is less flattering. I was leaning back on the sofa when drawing. Faces are the hardest thing to draw but really looking at each feature and the shape and space around it helped to break it down and thus simplify the task. Adding shading or using soft pastels of charcoal would have added another degree of difficulty for me, so rather cowardly I stuck to pencil.

Portrait from memory.

Drawing a portrait from memory is difficult but I tried to remember the rules of proportion and shape.  I don’t think this portrait looks anything like me but at least all the features a roughly in the right place. The mouth is too narrow but that can easily rectified. I should rework one of these sketches to add shading which will give a sense of perspective and depth.

Check and log

Which drawing materials prodded the best results? Why?

Well, I stuck to pencil, so I guess I need to go back and try some other mediums.

Does your self portrait look like you? Show it to a couple of friends or family members and not down their comments.

I think it does. My husband, who is not easily complementary thought I had made a good effort and could recognise me. My daughter giggled a little but said she could see the likeness and remember where the drawing was from, which was encouraging.

Did you find it easy to convert your sketches into a portrait?

I didn’t use my sketches to work on when doing the portraits. I started afresh. The sketches helped to break down the parts of the face and proportions.

Were your preliminary drawings adequate?

They weren’t particularly helpful and were not of a good quality.

The moving figure

Exercise Sitting and waiting

I sketched different people in different poses and tried hard to capture the mood of them as well as draw them correctly. I drew these people from observation except for Adele which was from a photo in a magazine. I used an HB pencil and stuck to mainly line drawings with a little shading. I do not have the confidence to sketch with charcoal as it usually ends up in a grey mess. I do enjoy using colour pencils, as I like the control this gives. Again, these drawings are rather structured and controlled, I need to work on loose sketching with more freedom.

     

Fleeting moments

I have a few sketches of people in movement or when it was not easy to sit and draw. I found this difficult to organise so this section is another that needs working on. My husband playing golf started as a quick sketch but again I worked on it to make it more presentable. I really don’t like the quality of my quick sketching and will make this a focus for the next and final assignment as well as more detailed work.

Check and log

How well did you manage to create the sense of a fleeting moment rather than a pose?

Not so well, I think it is an art in itself to be able to sketch just a few lines and make it look good. Unfortunately, I don’t have that skill. Even though these sketches were quickly done, I still feel that there is a feeling of pose.

How successful were your attempts to retain an image and draw later?

I struggle to draw realistic things from memory. I prefer to have the image in front of me, whether a real model or photo.

Were you able to keep to a few descriptive lines to suggest the person’s movement or were you tempted to keep introducing more elements into your work?

No! I felt the need to complete the drawings too improve the sketches. I will work on this technique as I think practice will help.

The clothed figure

Exercise Fabric with line and form

For this exercise I draped a cotton cloth over a chair and started by drawing the outlines. I drew in the folds and then in the second sketch tried to shade the fold lines. In the second set of drawings, I reduced these clothes from a washing line to simple line drawings. I had originally drawn them for another project they depicted the form of clothing well.

Form and movement in a clothed figure

In these sketches I tried to capture the pose and also the feeling of form within the clothing. I tried to shade using hatching rather than tone. I like the couple lying on the grass. I guess to improve this section of the course I could do a more detailed and longer drawing of a model. The 2 drawings below were also something I had done for another project but I had spent a lot of time looking at how the clothes fell and the folds.

     

Check and log

Did you find it easy to approach the figure as a whole or were you distracted by details of the sitter’s dress?

I roughly sketched the outline of the forms for each person and then started sketching in the details. I was always aware of the shape, form and proportions of each person. I tried my best to keep true to the correct proportions.

How did you create volume in the folds of fabric?

I am not sure that I did that well, perhaps it was more successful on the first page of sketches.

Does the finished drawing give a sense of the figure beneath the fabric?

Again, I am not sure the drawings are detailed or finished enough to critique this. I do feel that they are 3 dimensional rather than flat and 2 dimensional and have a feeling of form.

How would you tackle a drawing like this again?