Assignment 2

The checklist for this assignment specifies

• Use of colour
• Appropriate medium
• Composition and context
• Mark making and contrasts of line and tone
• Depiction of form
• Experimentation

By choosing a busy corner of my studio for this assignment I achieved contrast in colour use. I went for a loose style, using conte sticks and oil pastels, in keeping with a slightly chaotic subject. These media are new to me and I was learning about there use and limitations as I drew. Rather than contriving a scene, I chose this particular viewpoint as I liked the contrasting colours of the two walls and the cluttered environment speaks of my somewhat random approach to creativity. I feel I have contrasting line and tone, for example shading of larger areas compared with finer lines such as the stem of the standard lamp. In spite of the loose approach, I believe that the scene is immediately recognisable. It is an experimental depiction of an area of my home – something which I had not considered doing prior to commencement of this course.

I think it makes for an interesting piece, however I could have achieved greater definition with coloured pencils, but this would not have stretched my experience and technical capability.

I am more than a little frustrated by the lack of light at this time of year. By the time I had unwound myself from post work stress, it was already 1:30pm. Today was a grey day even at midday. Each day a tell myself that tomorrow I shall make an earlier start.

I’m pleased with the little bit I have achieved today. I may have only worked on the above picture for 45 mins but I can already see a potentially positive outcome. I shall continue work on it on Wednesday afternoon and hopefully have a finished piece by Saturday. Here I have used oil pastels and conte pencil to outline. I kind of regretted the outlines. The pastels smudge the conte lines so that they appear a bit muddy-dirtying the colour of the pastels. However, I shall persevere with this version rather than starting again as I am pleased with the layout and the effective texture achieved by using the slightly coarse surface of wall lining paper.

Two Days Later:

It’s a bit of a jumble. Items are fighting one another for space and attention. But that’s how this space is.

I wish I’d left the yellow wall to colour last as it is all smudged and muddy now. The black conte stick outlines dirtied the rough wall lining paper as I coloured with oil pastels. This effect can also be used deliberately in order to blend colours and to distribute the colour more evenly on the surface.

Spot the not-so-deliberate mistake on the left where the right hand side of the large bookcase appears to curve toward the top. I considered attempting to rectify this but felt it may just become a brown mess. Also, I thought it added to the effect of the image in the way it appeared positively bulging with books.

The Following Day

I felt the need to stop after an hour’s work on this today. I was concerned I may end up with a muddy mess after a total of 3 hours and 45 mins work.

I like aspects of this image. The bottom and top right hand corners retain some of the early sparkle that promised for a positive outcome. The books in the bookcase are a little under defined, I feel. But then there is only so much definition that can be achieved with oil pastels and conte sticks.

I have sprayed the image with fixative. I’ll leave it for today and do something else. I may return to it Saturday morning with a fresh eye and a sharp pencil.

I feel a bit constrained in my approach at times possibly due to the strong focus on rule abiding in my formative years. I am chipping away at this conformist approach. I also have a tendency to think linearly rather than in trusting my instincts in more creative ways. I wish to break free of these confines but feel rather than a sudden transformation it will happen by degrees.

Again, I learned much from creating this drawing. The medium used – conte sticks and oil pastels on wall lining paper – are relatively new to me. I was going for a more loose feel to this drawing than the previous exercise. I think it is certainly loose. Perhaps a bit too much. I was learning about how the effect of oil pastels – like with charcoal – once on the paper, cannot be reversed. So a bold approach is required.

I think I could have selected a viewpoint with more light and shade so that it gave more tonal contrast. There is plenty colour contrast. It is more chaotic than the image of my bed sitting room. But this is appropriate as my studio space has been dedicated to play. It is a space where equipment and media do not have to be put away, like toys in a toy box, at the end of the day.