Project 2: Exercise 2 This is my second and, dare I say it, more successful version of this exercise.
I’m really starting to enjoy the regular practice of drawing. Charcoal is not a medium I would ordinarily choose. There is something very satisfying about getting messy fingers by smudging powdered charcoal across a smooth white surface and thereby permanently besmirching it.
I feel that this composition is much more interesting. This is because of the more challenging angle of the pot laid on its side together with the increased contrast – having used a man made light source this time around.
Project 2: Exercise 2: Observing shadow using blocks of tone
Again, I am surprised at how much detail can be achieved with the use of charcoal alone. I was sorely tempted to brighten up the highlights with the use of soft white pastel. But I didn’t want to deviate too far from the spec. Though I have read the section ”Divergent Artistic Behaviour” in ”Experimental Drawing” by Robert Kaupelis (2010), and feel encouraged to experiment – like some genetically mutant sea creature finding its land legs, the deviant artist comes to the fore!
But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself. This is a drawing skills course after all. I am risking slavishly demonstrating the level that I find myself at in the present time, not where I would like to be.
I found it difficult to describe these simple forms in so rough and imprecise a medium as charcoal. But I can see the benefit of having attempted it. I feel that if I were to try to draw the same subject, for example with pencil or pen and ink, after having finished the above picture, I would then go on to describe the items with that much more precision. Having said that, I also realise that a faithful representation of life isn’t necessarily the most interesting result to aim for. At school I was encouraged to create representations of what I saw – to make copies from life. In the intervening years I have come to realise that though this is a useful practice, it does not always equate to a worthwhile aim or end point.
I look forward to the next exercise with interest.
References:
Kaupelis, R. (2010) Experimental drawing. 30th anniversary ed. New York: Watson-Guptill.
The above is my attempt at drawing a used, crumpled up cello bag. I worked out that it would have been more convincing had I put something inside first and then drawn it. Having said that, I’m quite pleased with the outcome. It may not look exactly like a cello bag, but I like the texture and composition regardless.
Project 2 Exercise 1 Groups of objects
I must confess to having been a little confused here. Easily done. The spec said ”loosely describe the group of objects…” but went on to add, ”Don’t forget their weight, transparency, shine etc”. How exactly one went about doing this whilst loosely describing what was in front of one, wasn’t clear to me.
Anyway, the above image is what I came up with. Charcoal on cartridge paper. It took me around 50 minutes to do this. Charcoal isn’t the most precise of medium. I’m quite happy with what I came up with. The two spherical objects in the bag are apples. They appear to be floating somewhat. This is due to the base, an A4 box lid, had been coated with clingfilm giving a sheen to the surface. I misjudged the composition. There ended up a triangular shaped space bottom right. I placed the tin of liming wax there to fill it up. The water bottle is a little more squat that it is in life as I ran out of vertical space. Other than that, I like the contrast between light and shade. Again, looking forward in the course, I see subject headings of ”light and shade” further along. I suspect this means that I have filled in a drawing that was meant to be a lot more simple, ie shapes depicted with lines only.
I did muster up genuine emotion for this task in spite of the fact that I avoid this particular feeling most of the time. I am strictly conflict averse. That is, except for when I am feeling psychotic. Then I bloom into some fierce machine designed for assertiveness – on the look out for opportunities to spread my wings of fire!
These panels are using the same media as before in the same order. So, top left is charcoal. Top right – inky brush stick. Bottom left – black pastel. Bottom right – large stick of graphite.
I generated a feeling of anger by thinking first about a fairly recent disturbance in my building caused by the neighbour downstairs. Then again about having been forced from my home by their antisocial behaviour. Finally, what tipped me over the edge was the memory of driving toward a zebra pedestrian crossing with a blind spot just to the left. I man appeared suddenly and deliberately stepped out in front of my car causing me to perform an emergency stop. It was with relief that I looked into my rear view mirror to see no car about to collide with my back end. The glare I gave this man in response to his sheepish grin hopefully said it all.
Usually I eschew anger. I’m ever fearful of exploding, therefore this exercise was difficult for me as I don’t allow myself to become angry very often. The risk of losing control of my temper is akin to one of losing my grip on my sense of reason and thereby leading to all too familiar psychosis.
Having said this, I felt more at ease experiencing this emotion than I did with the one about fear. I felt it was somehow more of a positive emotion in that there was the potential for great power if focussed correctly. By the time I reached the final panel I felt as though I had channelled my anger almost purposefully.
I spoke about this exercise with a friend over lunch just prior to creating the above picture. It was a useful conversation. He had intended to remain with me for a time whilst I carried out the exercise, but so incensed was I by the thought of the man on the zebra crossing that I did not wish to affect my friend with my own antisocial behaviour so we bid one another adieu for a while at least.
Exercise 1: Experimenting with expressive lines and marks
I spent quite some time procrastinating over this exercise. I came up with a plan of study for the next 8 weeks giving myself deadlines for each exercise in this section.
Although this was a useful exercise in itself, I felt I was putting off making my first real mark on paper. Very little in the way of actual drawing was happening. This led me to examine the nature of procrastination. I concluded that my choice of emotion (to add to the other three already determined by the coursework) would have to be FEAR.
Looking closely at the following image I can see that I did not enjoy this emotion and did not wish to stay with it for longer than absolutely necessary – hence the images do not take up the whole of the space available. To me, fear is a jagged, hesitant and uncomfortable emotion. It is one which I live with most of the time and manifests itself as putting things off or avoiding certain situations and people.
I began with willow charcoal. All the while the voice in my head was questioning whether I was doing this right. I was fearful of not being fearful enough. The second panel is black ink on the pointy end of a paintbrush. Bottom left is oil pastel, and bottom right is a large stick of graphite. Afterwards the following poured forth from my head.
At the end of this I quite reasonably asked myself the question, ”why do I entertain this particular emotion so readily?”
I failed to come up with a satisfactory answer to this question.
It’s 18:02 on Sunday 20th October 2019 and I’m just back from my first ever visit to the Learning Resources Centre at University of Hertfordshire. Of the five books on the reading list for Drawing 1 four appear in their catalogue and two were available on the shelves. One of which, Hoptman, L, ed (2002) ”Drawing Now Eight Propositions”, kept me occupied until the moment we were booted out at 17:00 sharp as only had visitor’s passes. I have a feeling that this place will become a favourite haunt.
Maureen Walker's blog: An Artist's Journey 