Drawings: OCA Part 4: Proportions II - The Longer Pose

 The Longer Pose

Oil Pastel on Green Paper

 

Thank you to my mother for once again offering (involuntarily) to be my model for this exercise. I ended up doing two drawings instead of the intended one as I wanted to experiment further with a different medium after finishing the pencil and wash piece and produced the oil pastel piece above as well. I employed the time tested artists method of holding a pencil at arm’s length to judge the right measurements and learned a valuable lesson – always ensure you’re using the same pencil for this.

The Longer Pose

Pencil and Wash

 

Learning Log

 

Have you managed to make a complete statement in this time? What were your main problems?

In the majority of my drawings there is a compete statement but I have to admit not necessarily a totally accurate one.

I find that the main problem that I am encountering is with the details of the face and hands. Working with larger mediums like pastels of thick charcoal this is not so noticeable; there is less room for details so fewer marks. However I really struggle when using finer utensils such as pencil or ink pen to record the details of faces and hands smoothly and succinctly. I know his is all down to a matter of practicing it so practice it I shall do.

How well have you captured the characteristics of the pose?

When I stayed focused and concentrated on each mark that I made the character of the pose definitely came through much stronger and produced a more satisfying drawing. However sometimes I would get bogged down in certain areas and loose some of that individual personality.

Do the proportions look right? If not, how will you try to improve this?

Surprisingly I think the proportions of my figures are generally quite good, at times the faces and hands are a bit off as mentioned before, so I shall practice to hopefully improve in the future. Otherwise I don’t think they are at all that bad I found that using objects in the background to relate to really helped to get the scale right.

Preparatory Sketch

Biro and Marker Pen

Drawings: OCA Part 3: Assignment 3

Assignment Three - Drawing Outdoors Final Piece

Graphite and Chalk on Coloured Paper

 

First off I have to say that this assignment was hard, or more specifically finding the right view to work from was the hard part. I needed a view from a window or doorway that included natural objects (i.e. plants, trees etc) had a sense of depth to demonstrate some perspective as well as some straight-lined objects. I found looking out of any window covered a couple of these criteria but they all seemed a bit, well, bland. So when I finally found this view I knew that this was the one I was going to work from, it had a linear perspective in the buildings and some trees in the foreground and the church gave an interesting background.

 

So, having found my chosen view I set about playing around with the composition and decided on a portrait format that I felt showed the depth of the drawing well. I then experimented with the perspective of the buildings to ensure that I had it all right. After this I decided to eliminate one of the background buildings and I am glad I did this as it helps the church to be more dominant in the background.

I experimented with a watercolour and pen drawing that I decided not to pursue, it did not feel like the right media for the piece; I wanted to work with something that showed off the setting better. After a bit more exploration I decided I really liked the way chalk and graphite worked against each other, especially on the coloured paper as a mid-tone. The media manages to capture something of the feel of the place quite well.

I ended up spending a couple of hours creating the final piece and I am really satisfied with the result. My only concerns are that I may have lost some of the depth in the final drawing and that I should have explored some more choices of media that may have showed certain elements off better.

Experimenting with Composition

Biro on Paper

 

Pencil Sketch (left) and Working out Perspective (right)

Watercolour and Pen Piece (left) and Charcoal Sketch of the Same Tree (right)

 

First try with Chalk and Graphite on Coloured Paper

Drawings: OCA Part 3: Drawing Trees I - Sketching an Individual Tree

Sketching an Individual Tree - Small Sketches

'Like people, trees are all individuals.'

- David Hockney

 

Sketching an Individual Tree - St James Park

Pencil on Paper

 

Trees are a subject that I always love to draw, no two trees will ever be the same, and they are an infinite supply of inspiration. Indeed, no two drawings of the same tree will be the same either as they are always continuously changing colour and shape, through the seasons etc.

It is also the process of drawing trees that I find enjoyable, starting with the basic shape and building up the mass of the drawing, adding in details such as twigs and leaves that might catch my eye and lend a distinct character to the drawing and individual tree.

Quick Sketches of Trees

Ink and Biro (Left) . Charcoal (Right)

 

Tree in  Local Park

Pastel on Coloured Paper

 

Drawings: OCA Part 3: Townscapes IV - Drawing Statues

Statue of Peter Pan - Kensington Gardens

Pencil on Paper

Preliminary Sketch

Pencil on Paper

 

Learning Log

How did you use a limited colour palette to create a sense of depth?

Looking over my limited palette pieces I have to admit that creating a sense of depth was not something I concentrated on specifically, I tended to focus on the details of the buildings. However the buildings I chose to draw do have the feel of receding in places, but mostly due to the composition and the view I decided to draw from. I established the main focus and intensified the amount of colour and detail in these areas, causing other spaces to taper away into the background.

Did your preliminary sketches give you enough information for your final pieces of work?

I tended to include as much information as possible and then decide what to leave out later, so for the most part the answer is yes, however some pieces I had to abandon after reassessing sketches.

Would you approach this task differently another time?

I am quite proud and content with the pieces that I have produced, that’s not to say that all of them are great drawings, so I would not do it differently as such, only carry on exploring the subject more thoroughly.

Have you got the scale of the buildings right? Make notes on what worked and what didn’t.

I think the scale is correct for most of the buildings, establishing my eye line really helped this as well as plotting everything out first before filling in details. These definitely were not drawings that could be rushed, I had to maintain concentration and think about the angle and size of any structural line I put in.

Have you captured the colour and atmosphere in your studies? How did you do this?

Some of the architecture I chose to draw was quite imposing and powerfully prominent and I think I managed to replicate this impression in my drawings by intensifying it.

The statues were also very striking and prominent so I decided on a very close view to gain the sense of awe when looking up at them from below. This can be seen clearly in my sketch of G. F. Watts’ Physical Energy where I was sitting on the ground to draw.

When I was drawing Rodin’s The Burghers of Calais the atmosphere was quite different, though none the less impressive or prominent that the other statues I have drawn, the sense was focused more towards the solemnity and the feelings of the individuals it portrayed, all with a different emotion. I chose one figure hidden behind the others that cowers away clasping his head, wanting desperately not to be seen. To try and get the same atmosphere in my drawing was a challenge, I decided to try and almost hide him away in the drawing.

Rodin's Burghers of Calais - Victoria Tower Gardens

Charcoal on Green Paper

G. F. Watt's Physical Energy - Kensington Gardens

Graphite and Coloured Pencil on Paper

Drawings: OCA Part 3: Landscape Drawing III - Drawing Cloud Formations

  Drawing Cloud Formations - Calm day

Blue Ink and Wash - A4

 

I produced a number of these sketches in between other drawings over several days to capture the clouds in several different formations. It was definitely most interesting when it was stormy; the clouds seemed to roll on and on dramatically covering the landscape. Representing this on paper was no easy task but I made a few attempts with a couple of fiascos but also some that managed to show some of that drama.

 Drawing Cloud Formations - Cirrus Clouds

Charcoal and Chalk - A4

 

Drawing Cloud Formations - Low Storm Clouds

Charcoal and Chalk - A4

Drawings OCA Part 2 V: Project - Drawing Animals - Grabbing the Chance

Deer Resting in Richmond Park

Charcoal - A3

 Deer in the Grass, Richmond Park

Charcoal - A4

 

Definitely an easier said than done task, animals don’t tend to want to stay still, especially with me sitting next to them scratching away with a pencil.

Like the last exercise, this is another subject that I am not overly experienced in working with, but after doing a bit of research into artists like Mark Adlington and how they have responded to the subject I at least felt a bit more enthusiastic about tackling it.

My favourite part of this exercise was visiting Richmond Park where the fallow deer were surprisingly accommodating to having me sit and sketch quite close to them. I also quickly learnt that they were more likely to stay still for a longer period if I drew them from behind or while they were dozing in the sun.

There also some more sketches below that I completed for this exercise of a donkey and a puppy.

I really like the loose feeling in the ink and charcoal drawings of the Richmond Park deer, I think this was unintentionally achieved by me adapting to drawing outside with limited tools and the need to capture something quickly before my models ran away.

 Deer Resting, Richmond Park

Blue Ink - A4

Deer Standing, Richmond Park
Blue Ink - A4


Deer in Richmond Park Sketches
Pencil - A4

Sleeping Puppy Sketch

Biro Pen - A4

 

Donkeys Grazing

Pencil - A4

Donkey Resting

Charcoal - A4

Drawings: OCA Project - Reflected Light

Study of light reflected from one object to another.

Charcoal and Chalk on A3 Sugar Paper.

Shadows and reflected light and shade.

Charcoal on A2 Paper.

What are the difficulties in separating cast shadow from reflected light and shade?

When using both charcoal and chalk in the first drawing, it was difficult using both these tonally opposite mediums and still trying to create a range of tones without the whole drawing just turning into a smudgy grey mess. I attempted to get over this problem by using the blue of the paper as a mid-tone thus separating the two. The cast shadow had much more solidity and a much harder quality to it so I used just charcoal when trying to portray these bits, most noticeably in the shading on the surface upon which the objects are standing.

The reflected shadow and light follows the contours of the objects. How have you shown this in your drawing?

When applying the charcoal or chalk I followed the shape of the object, allowing the contours to show and define themselves. Like ont he bowel in the first picture and especially on the pepper grinder in the second picture.



Drawings: Cezanne Skull

Charcoal on A5 Paper

There isn’t an awful lot to explain about this piece, but I really wanted to put a piece up before the weekend. It is simply a skull I drew from a painting, ‘Pyramid of Skulls’, quite a famous Cézanne piece of four skulls stacked in a pile. I used charcoal because I wanted to try and play around with some of the tones, but as I said it is quite a simple piece.

Also as you may have noticed, I’ve played around with the design of the blog a bit, hope you like it, might change it completely again depending on how I feel.

Drawings: Elm Tree Sketch

Charcoal on A2 Cartridge Paper

I produced this piece at the same time as another charcoal drawing which I featured in an earlier post. I actually prefer this one as it just feels more gratifying, It may not be as polished in some places, maybe a bit rough around the edge but its feels less cultivated and more genuine and authentic somehow.

It is in the same location in Canterbury as the earlier piece was, but it is a different tree, this time an Elm, in this one I made the branches fill the page creeping into all the corners and spreading beyond the paper. I used a variety of different marks in the background, aiming to avoid creating anything too rigid or structured, instead opting for some more obscure and softer marks that give just the impression of the habitat in which this tree stands. I diffused some of the background imagery to make the focus move even more to the central subject of the Elm tree, standing defiantly, almost obtrusively straight down the middle of the page, cleaving the entire sketch in two halves.



Trees by the Riverbank

Charcoal on Paper

So this is a rough Charcoal sketch based upon a peaceful little place that feels like an oasis, starkly contrary to the bustling crowds of Canterbury High Street only a stones throw away.

It should be noted that I didn't actually draw this on location as it were, but rather in the studio from a combination of memory and a few sketches I had already completed, which is why, having been back to te place with the sketch it doesn't quite match up in many of the details. However, it is still a piece I am fond of and am also pleased with as it captures something of the mood of the place.

First Post (Again) - Canterbury Cathedral

Charcoal on Paper

So I have restarted this Art blog and with only this piece of work being posted on my old blog I thought it wasn't a bad idea to repost it to start this one off.

I posted this desciption of it before;

"For my first post I decided to share this piece created today from Cantebury Cathedral. It is a pillar from a chapel in the crypt underneath the Cathedral, the oldest part of the building, or so I've been told by all the tour guides. The place itself is abundant in interesting little artifacts dotted all over the place, from the medieval grafitti covering all the walls to the headless statues, haf destroyed during Henry VIII church reformation. At the centre of all this is this little chapel that is astoudingly quiet and peaceful, that is until the regular flood of tourists swirl in and out again. I think that will just about do for this post, remember it's my first one so be nice."

So there ends my first post, hopefully the first of many on this blog.