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: 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: Townscapes III - A Limited Palette Study from your Sketches

The Wellington - Strand

Pen and Pencil on Orange Paper

National Portrait Gallery

Graphite and Coloured Pencil on Pastel Paper

 

I really enjoyed this exercise and drawing townscapes in general, it is not a subject that I have previously explored all that widely until now. I ended up completing several pieces for this particular exercise, partly because I was having fun with it but I also had an afternoon to waste in London after visiting the Picasso exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery.

I have found sketching the London architecture is great fun anyway, with all different styles juxtaposed together in such close proximity but producing drawings with a limited palette meant a challenge and generated some interesting results. I really like the piece I did of the Wellington in the Strand; its elongated architecture suited a portrait configuration very satisfyingly.

Coach and Horses - Bruton Street

Black and White Ink on Brown Paper

View Down Jermyn Street

Marker Pen on Orange Paper

Drawings: OCA Part 3: Townscapes II - A Sketchbook of Townscape Drawings

 St James St and National Portrait Gallery

Pencil on Paper

 

It really is surprisingly difficult just to stand at the side of the road in the middle of London and sketch; it is so different from any other kind of drawing situation with all the noise and distractions going on constantly all around me. I began to feel very self conscious at times, not embarrassed but hyperaware of being a hindrance to other people, worried that cars were going to stop expecting me to cross and such. Once I got more involved in the drawings though I began to ignore any niggling insecurities.

 





Drawings: OCA Part 3: Townscapes I - Study of a Townscape Using Line

Rooftops

Marker Pen on Paper

It is always hard when producing these line drawings to resist the urge to start shading; it seems the natural thing to do, especially when you have recognised a foreground, middle ground and background in the piece. It is also tricky to include all the details at just the right scale for it all to fit in without looking awkward. Whereas you can tweak still lives and landscapes, with a building, if the windows are all different sizes, it will definitely be noticeable. I quite like the result though and it was actually a rather enjoyable process.