tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36183162820148531742024-02-08T05:27:44.270-08:00OCA Learning Blog - Drawing 1Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-30616497257132595282012-05-29T06:04:00.000-07:002012-05-30T07:26:41.194-07:00Drawing 1 - End of CourseMy course work has now been submitted and I can reflect on the course. It has been really tough at times and I'm so relieved I managed to finish. Doing the course while working full time and having a baby maybe wasn't the greatest idea I've ever had! There were so many times I nearly gave up, getting time to work has caused a lot of stress but now I've finished and I'm proud<br />
<br />
I have learnt so much on this course. I feel I have progressed more than the Painting I course and my artistic skills have improved more which is strange because I'm sure I spent more time working on the last course. The previous course had more theory in it though or at least that how I remember it. I have to say this blog has also been a lifesaver, I much prefer this to
writing up a log book and I've been able to write a paragraph or two
during my lunch hour which is helpful. <br />
<br />
One of the things I can take away from this course is now I know how to compose a picture. I started out plonking the subject in the middle of the paper surrounded by white. Now I know I can draw in the background and know that it improves the drawing. I've also learnt that I have to be a bit braver and make changes and add things. I have this fear of ruining the drawing but each time I made the changes my tutor suggested the drawings were improved greatly. I suppose I just have to do this without my tutor now! <br />
<br />
I would like to do more courses, but I'm going to leave it for a while and enjoy some family time just now. I know I'll get probably get itchy feet soon though!<br />
<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-68478025543405503482012-04-21T09:07:00.001-07:002012-04-21T09:07:30.771-07:00Tutor feedback - Assignment 5Assignment 5 - Tutor feedback<br />
<br />
I had great feedback for this assignment. Here is some of what she said...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>"The final drawings are
wonderful and beautifully drawn. Your own comments in your blog
explain that the thinking and consideration behind your decisions is
all well thought out. I don’t need to add anything.</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>The sitting crouching
pose = Only one change: perhaps to try to get rid of the white
highlighting line along the shoulder. The highlight works really
well, and is well though out, especially with the darker opposite
side. Can you merge the line into the shading so it doesn’t look
like a line.</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>The foreshortened pose
= just the same comment for the dark line on the right hand side
along his trousers."</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I wasn't sure what my tutor was referring too so I emailed for confirmation and she she replied...<i> </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Can you see the definite line edging the right hand - his
left one. - shoulder? It was really observant and advanced of you to
emphasise this darker edge by lightening the back ground, but i just
want to ensure you've done this as well as you can.<br />
You need to merge your marks. That's all.<br />
</span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I immediately saw what she was talking about so I tried to blend it in and make the line less obvious.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FDDWGotauqI/T5LNi7eGunI/AAAAAAAABKc/Yzmux3IMgkc/s1600/IMG_1353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FDDWGotauqI/T5LNi7eGunI/AAAAAAAABKc/Yzmux3IMgkc/s400/IMG_1353.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>For the second drawing I did a bit more and had to stop myself from making more changes when I started! <i> </i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uv669OeUBKU/T0npWBWI9LI/AAAAAAAAA7E/NTPQGuI1LJU/s1600/IMG_4132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uv669OeUBKU/T0npWBWI9LI/AAAAAAAAA7E/NTPQGuI1LJU/s320/IMG_4132.JPG" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A2 Original Pastel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cfFxm1ZJpGQ/T4Gj_YaNl2I/AAAAAAAABJQ/0Kt6D6-nvqc/s1600/IMG_4281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cfFxm1ZJpGQ/T4Gj_YaNl2I/AAAAAAAABJQ/0Kt6D6-nvqc/s320/IMG_4281.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Changed A2 pastel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I got rid of the dark line along his right trouser leg but I felt it still needed some darkening so I introduced a bit of the reddish brown I'd used in other parts. The cover looked a bit odd so I tried to make it look like his weight was pushing it down. I also added some of the red into the shadows on his face and arms as they had become over blended and needed something to freshen them up a bit. Overall not too many changes.<i> </i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i> </i></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I was really happy that my tutor likes this assignment as I had put a lot of work into it. I also received blog of the week from the OCA. The piece said that my blog was laid out well and easy to navigate through for tutors. I'm so glad because it's something I've spent some thought on. When I set the blog up I was quite frustrated with the limitations set by the application. I felt the time line wasn't very understandable for this course so I'm glad I've managed to make it easier to navigate through.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i> </i></div>Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-21161265715376703422012-04-21T09:07:00.000-07:002012-04-21T09:07:21.178-07:00Tutor Feedback - Assignment 4Assignment 4 - Tutor feedback<br />
<br />
From assignment 4 my tutor gave me some good advice.... <br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">"A
hint to help you with your next work Try to get into the habit off
varying the lines as you sketch. Use those initial lines to show
light and dark sides and tones. E.g. draw heavy lines on one side of
the house, and the lightest hint of a line on the opposite side,
then, in two lines you have made a note of tone, light, surface and
shading for later. Try some experiments to note as much as you can in
as few lines........you
can vary the strength of the line , including density, and width to
show tone."</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've
actually been told this before in my local art class but I always
forget to adhere to it. I had been drawing a plant and she had suggested
that I tired varying the heaviness of the line round leaves etc. It
struck me then as a good idea but I immediately forgot. I find it
difficult to remember to do these things when I get immersed in a
drawing, I guess the more you hear them though the more likely you will
remember. </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I did a couple of experiments using this method........ </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2zU0rdvWrMk/T3gfpykeW8I/AAAAAAAABFM/yW5l1H2LJzo/s1600/IMG_1316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2zU0rdvWrMk/T3gfpykeW8I/AAAAAAAABFM/yW5l1H2LJzo/s320/IMG_1316.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My tutor also gave me some suggestions for my line drawing of the townscape.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aSiYau_4TrU/Tv8_4WiS7EI/AAAAAAAAAl8/GV9QYb9b2Ro/s400/IMG_1156.JPG" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before changes A3 Bockingford paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
think I've taken the instruction "line" a bit too literally. My first
attempt at this section had been too much of a tonal drawing but this
attempt maybe needed a bit more than just outline. I need to try and get
something in the middle. My tutor has recommended....</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">"The
blanket shading of the windows could be varied to show light touching
the glass. You can show the direction of the light one the recess by
heavy lines on one side of the pane and lighter or broken or just
suggestions of lines, on the other. The walls can show texture with a
few stony lines on what would be shaded areas. Some houses will
shade others and this can be shown with only a few well placed lines."</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've tried to follow these suggestions and I think the changes have improved the drawing. Rather than an outline exercise it's more interesting and has more texture. Making the top and side of the windows darker has made a huge difference to the sense of depth in the drawing. I wouldn't have believed it until I compared the before and after photos. I'm so surprised at the difference that such a simple and obvious thing makes I don't think I'll forget to do this now!</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JK3FeEa0O9w/T3gfb8GPypI/AAAAAAAABFE/YHOytDPRbSU/s1600/IMG_1315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JK3FeEa0O9w/T3gfb8GPypI/AAAAAAAABFE/YHOytDPRbSU/s640/IMG_1315.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's a zoom in of part of the drawing showing how I've indicated brickwork on the houses and increased the tone one the top and left of the windows and tried to indicate the glass by making diagonal hatching.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h8osrI3MMFk/T3gfKAM14eI/AAAAAAAABFc/0prM2w7qAo8/s1600/IMG_1314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h8osrI3MMFk/T3gfKAM14eI/AAAAAAAABFc/0prM2w7qAo8/s320/IMG_1314.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2zU0rdvWrMk/T3gfpykeW8I/AAAAAAAABFM/yW5l1H2LJzo/s1600/IMG_1316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Looking at the drawing now I should have made the outlines of the mountains much lighter. This would have demonstrated the distance. I wish I could lighten then a bit. I may try to experiment with white pencil or something!</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Development of a Sketchbook townscape</span></span></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My tutor had this to say.... </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #000090; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">"Your development of a sketchbook townscape is planned well. You
have suggested light, solidity and many other factors well. The building is tonally finished and the
remainder could match in quality with just a few strokes.</span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #000090; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> Try some rubbed out streaks to lighten the
side of the tree tonally, and give perspective and solidity. A well used rubber
( not rubbing out, but lightening the tone,) can give more variations to the
branches too. If this is a whole piece for submission a well executed drawing
should cover the whole page, so bring the detail to the front rather than
scattered around as suggestions. Then it will be fine."</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q4OhAW0vuSk/TwLDzHDcM_I/AAAAAAAAAo0/pAP8jZ5gW3Q/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q4OhAW0vuSk/TwLDzHDcM_I/AAAAAAAAAo0/pAP8jZ5gW3Q/s320/IMG_1180.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original A4 pencil on paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #000090; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I had struggled a lot with the tree in the background but this was before I had done the section on trees so I felt a bit more confidence looking at it again. Unfortunately I has sprayed the drawing with fixative so it was difficult to lighten up the tree but I did a bit. I also tried to fix the branches a bit. The original was very dark and I had obviously randomly laid down squiggles hoping it would look like branches. I think I was overwhelmed with the enormity of the job trying to draw every tiny branch and tried to rush it. Having completed the section on drawing trees I realise that you can't rush it and you have to study how the branches intertwine. I think it I had at spent a bit more time at least on the front most branches I could have indicated the furthest away ones more quickly. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #000090; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Anyway I tried to lighten the trunk and fix the branches a bit. I also added in the detail at the front. I had a look at some pictures of grassy areas and realised the differences in tones you can get in an area such as a lawn or park, even if it is cut short. As this was a graveyard the ground was naturally quite bumpy so I tried to show this with some shading and picking out the detail in the grass. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #000090; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I also added a kerb to the path. I don't think there was one but it added some detail. I pleased with the changed, they've improved the drawing. </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IpCTo6gIKwo/T5LXNBPP2fI/AAAAAAAABK8/uVGLbJb49xU/s1600/IMG_1356-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IpCTo6gIKwo/T5LXNBPP2fI/AAAAAAAABK8/uVGLbJb49xU/s320/IMG_1356-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Changed A4 pencil on paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #000090; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><b><span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Drawing Trees</span></span></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn't have much to do for this section. My tutor suggested that I looked at the grass in my individual tree....</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #000090; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">"Your individual tree is glorious. Do ensure that the grass
matches in quality.</span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #000090; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Your collection of trees is
lovely. No tweaking at all."</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KyMwrvN46S0/TwnqiwZAM7I/AAAAAAAAAqM/oLf-pvrBj5Y/s1600/IMG_1193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KyMwrvN46S0/TwnqiwZAM7I/AAAAAAAAAqM/oLf-pvrBj5Y/s320/IMG_1193.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original A3 pencil on paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I saw immediately where I had rushed my finish and just made some scribbly marks to show the foreground. Again my impatience to finish a drawing is the problem. I had a go at putting some more detail in the grass and drew in a small tree (not sure if this detracts). The detail makes the drawing seems more finished and complete.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9_cdpgE_OUo/T5LNmsSTY-I/AAAAAAAABKk/giV1fuqVaTA/s1600/IMG_1352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9_cdpgE_OUo/T5LNmsSTY-I/AAAAAAAABKk/giV1fuqVaTA/s400/IMG_1352.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Changed A3 pencil on paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vj0p_ofAmWQ/T5LWb6jjTrI/AAAAAAAABK0/jKSOw7M6-vU/s1600/IMG_1356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #000090;"><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span> </span></span></div>Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-13751770097536357912012-04-04T15:42:00.001-07:002012-04-04T15:42:48.589-07:00Degas at the Burrell CollectionI've visited the Burrell Collection in Glasgow many times but today I went with an interest in Degas' pastels. Following my last assignment done in pastels I have a new found interest in the medium and I wanted to have another look at his drawings. It was very interesting and seeing them in person allowed me to study his technique much better than from the pictures on the Internet. I've seen these drawings before but I was able to take a lot more from them this time.<br />
<br />
The main thing I noticed was the way he layered his pastels on top of each other but still allowing the colour of the ground to shine through. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dP1YCYn4aUY/T3zBK6k8dBI/AAAAAAAABHA/0LMz0q1Xvlk/s1600/Dancers-in-a-Box-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dP1YCYn4aUY/T3zBK6k8dBI/AAAAAAAABHA/0LMz0q1Xvlk/s320/Dancers-in-a-Box-large.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Degas - Dancers in a Box <span itemprop="dateCreated">1884</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KJZkPGGC2tE/T3zBLzRVogI/AAAAAAAABHI/YhBXkP4eiyI/s1600/woman+in+her+bath+1884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KJZkPGGC2tE/T3zBLzRVogI/AAAAAAAABHI/YhBXkP4eiyI/s320/woman+in+her+bath+1884.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Degas - Woman in her bath 1884</td></tr>
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He applies the pastels in a very directional way, with different areas having different direction of strokes. In "Dancers in a Box" the bright orange and the highlights on the figures are laid down in horizontal hatching and I noticed he would often have a different colour underneath with the opposite stroke direction. He wouldn't use this hatching on all parts of a drawing though. The pinky highlights on the shoulders and left arm of the figure in "Woman in her Bath" are much more natural. They seem to be applied in a rounder motion but still allow the darker colour underneath to shine through. None of his marks appear to be blended very much, they still have a new, unpolluted feel to them.<br />
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In "Woman in her Bath" it is possible to see pentimenti where he has made changes to the woman's arms and legs. He hasn't made much effort to hide these changes which is interesting in itself. It's as if he has left them so they become part of the drawing suggesting movement and change.<br />
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There was an unfinished drawing there, "Woman at her Toilette" c1897 (I wasn't able to find an image of this) which demonstrated how Degas started a drawing. Unusually, this drawing was done on a canvas rather than paper, possibly this is why he didn't complete it. His method was to draw the outline of the figure in with charcoal first and then to block in the areas of colour with broad strokes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4kY7VB2NRw/T3zGg9ttnMI/AAAAAAAABHQ/NUqK8b0aRQ8/s1600/the+green+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4kY7VB2NRw/T3zGg9ttnMI/AAAAAAAABHQ/NUqK8b0aRQ8/s320/the+green+dress.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Degas - The Green Dress <span class="text">c. 1897-1901<br />
45 x 37 cm</span></td></tr>
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The other interesting thing that I found out was that Degas would draw on tracing paper and then stick this to board, as in "The Green Dress". From what I can find out, it seems he would frequently use tracing paper possibly to combine elements of different drawings to make new compositions.<br />
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The drawing that impressed me most was his beautiful drawing " The Red Ballet Skirts". The reason for this was the colour of the skirts. Rather than a red though is was more and orangey pink. Nonetheless it was vibrant and striking unfortunately this reproduction cannot convey. The colour had been laid down in vertical strokes. I think it was this top layer of unblended pastel that gave the drawing its brilliance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a0UnLtgKkPs/T3zL7_hdd3I/AAAAAAAABHY/xG2VfHToysc/s1600/Edgar-Degas-The-Red-Ballet-Skirts-c.-1895-1900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a0UnLtgKkPs/T3zL7_hdd3I/AAAAAAAABHY/xG2VfHToysc/s320/Edgar-Degas-The-Red-Ballet-Skirts-c.-1895-1900.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edgar Degas - The Red Ballet Skirts 1895-1901 Pastel on tracing paper 81.3 x 62.2 cm</td></tr>
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Looking at this drawing, there's not much too it. He hasn't spent ages describing tiny details. Rather it is the accurately placed quick strokes and his choice of colours that convey the flesh and the texture of the figures and their dresses. <br />
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Degas strikes me as a very sensible person, not afraid to use aid like photography and tracing paper that other artists would possibly see as cheats, in order to use his time and media to its best advantage. He seems to be economical with his technique as if he was eager to try new things out and always thinking about the next drawing or step in his development as an artist.<br />
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<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-54152937881362994782012-03-10T06:59:00.001-08:002012-04-08T05:52:07.842-07:00Assignment 5 Option 2 - Final Piece<b>Final Piece</b><br />
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Preparatory work has helped my decide that I want to do a full length figure using a darkish paper and do this in pastels. I plan to start by laying in the highlights and then start bringing in the darker tones and working on detail.<br />
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<b>Studies for final piece</b><br />
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Years ago I did a painting of my husband crouched almost in a circle. I really liked this pose and I thought at the time I'd like to revisit this so I tried drawing this pose again. <b> </b><br />
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I think the original painting was at a different angle, I seem to remember it being more front on. Although I still like this pose I think its too difficult for the model to hold for such a long time. <br />
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I decided on an easier seated pose and tried a couple of angles.<br />
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I toyed with the last pose and I liked the triangular composition. I knew the face would cause problems so I tried a close up to practise. <br />
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I was quite pleased with the profile, I think this is the most life like I've ever drawn my husband. Ultimately I decided that I preferred the first pose though. I like the way he was twisting rather than straight on.<br />
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<b>Final Piece</b><br />
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For the final piece I chose a dark brownish/purple paper.<br />
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First of all I drew out the figure using pencil in order to get the proportions correct. I then laid out the highlights using a white pastel. I quite like it just like this, without finishing it!<br />
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I then added more colours, a creamy yellow and an orange/red. I love the way this orange colour makes the shadows come alive. I knew this couldn't be the final colour for the shadows or it would look like he was sitting next to a fire but hoped this colour would eventually show through the darker colours. There was some reflected highlights from the white furniture on his left arm which I've included. <br />
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I then started on the purple cover he was sitting on. I chose purple because of my experiment with purple paper in the tonal piece. I knew there wouldn't be much paper showing though in the final piece so rather than use a coloured paper I thought including the colour in my drawing might increase the intensity of the yellow tones in the figure.<br />
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At this stage I realised I stopped and looked at the drawing from a
distance. I realised that I'd made the figure too thin so I had to go
back and erase some of the cover.<br />
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I'd placed the model so that the light wall behind would form a background for the shaded side and the door way through into the dark cupboard would be behind his side that was highlighted. This would make the shaded side seem darker and the lighter side seem lighter and thereby create drama. <br />
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I spent the rest of the time finishing off the drawing and trying to get the face right. I knew it would cause problems! I finished by adding some light hatching over some of the areas like I'd seen in Degas and Rego's pastels. I put small amount of blue and purple in the shadows which really helped to make them recede. I used a yellow pastel to bring out the highlights on the purple fabric. Then I put a "glaze" over the lighter areas with yellow which didn't work so well so I stopped at that point before I ruined it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final Piece - </td></tr>
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I wanted the mood of the drawing to be quite contemplative to match his thoughtful pose. To this end I wanted to keep the colours quite muted which I think I've done. I faintly drew in the chest of drawers in the cupboard and I think it's worked really well. It gives a sense of depth to the drawing and makes the viewer wonder what is in that room that the model is turned away from. In actual fact the left side of the door frame should be there but I've left this out so as not to confuse the composition and detract from the figure. <br />
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I'm quite pleased with this drawing. It's certainly the best I've done with pastel and I've enjoyed working with this medium. In future I would like to develop my technique and become more brave with the colours, learning which ones work on top of others to give broken colour. I would also like to learn how to use fixative. I've just used a spray fixative but I've read it's possible to use liquid ones and to use turpentine while you are drawing to give different effects.<br />
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<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-78073877055004596302012-03-10T05:35:00.000-08:002012-03-10T05:35:11.162-08:00Assignment 5: Option 2 Preparatory Work<b>Preparatory Work</b><b> for Final Piece</b><br />
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Before I decided on my final piece there was a lot of ideas floating round my head. I had surprisingly enjoyed using pastels in the tonal piece, more than I had before and I thought I would, and I found them particularly good at describing the roundness of the figure because of they way they blend together. I wondered about doing a close up study of head and shoulders but I wasn't sure which media to choose for this. A close up would require a degree of detail which would be difficult to do with pastels (in my hands anyway). Because I wanted to stick with the pastels I decided a pose with the full figure would work best. <br />
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I've previously studied Expressionism and had a go at trying to paint more expressively. Although this style of painting is one of my favourites I didn't have much success in my own attempts. I can't seem to make that break from painting what I see to painting what I feel. I'm still not entirely sure what that would entail even though I can understand the concept. So my aims for the drawing lean more towards the analytical side. I would however like to create a drawing that evokes a feeling, hopefully calm and tranquillity.<br />
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I'm not keen on using props in the drawing, I just want the figure to be the main focus. My previous work in this course however has shown the importance of including a background so I think that's important. The figure has to sit in place and mustn't seem like its floating. I didn't want the background to say much though, just to be there and support the figure. I want to use natural light if possible and for the light to come from one side to cast interesting shadows.<br />
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<b>Quick Studies of Figures</b><br />
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I started out with some drawings of figures, just playing around before I decided on a pose.<br />
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I loved the way the pen could be used quickly to show the folds in fabric and show the roundness of the figure. I tried to work as fast as possible and didn't worry about mistakes and extra lines. <br />
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<b>Studies of Faces</b><br />
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One of the things that still frustrates me is getting a likeness. I find it so hard to make someone look like they do in real life so I wanted to practise this.<b> </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 pencil</td></tr>
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I'm very pleased with the pencil drawing above although it still looks different from the person! I did this from a photo which gave allowed me to take my time and concentrate on the detail which helps. <br />
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I've always liked Peter Howson's paintings and I spent some time looking at these. His figures are always quite distorted and exaggerated so I thought I'd have a go and exaggerating a portrait. <br />
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My first attempt looked far to normal although I'd really tried to distort the features.<br />
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The second attempt just looked daft so I gave up at this point! I guess you have to learn to do it correctly first before you start breaking the rules!<br />
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<b>Studies with Different Media</b><br />
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I thought I wanted to do my final piece using pastels but I decided to have a play using ink washes. I've seen some lovely figure studies done in this way. <br />
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I think the key to using ink washes effectively is being able to look at the figure and pick out the darkest shadows and shapes. The resultant drawings are so simple and delicate. I realised that this technique would require quite a lot of practise so I decided not to choose this technique for the final piece.<br />
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I thought about doing a pencil drawing as I've had some success with this before. The trouble with this is that it would end up being a very detailed drawing and I wanted something on a larger scale so not only would it take a long time and be very laborious, it would also be very tight and I wanted to do something looser and more expressive. <br />
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So I went back to pastels and opted for them.<br />
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<b>Studies on Dark Paper</b><br />
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Following the tonal piece in the last section I wanted to experiment with different papers and colours. I also used this opportunity to do some close-ups of hands and feet as I'd been itching to do this.<br />
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I'd seen a couple of charcoal drawing in the past on white paper and the artist has laid down the charcoal over the majority of the sheet and left the white to shine though for the lighter areas. I tried this method out with a close up of hand that were quite heavily shaded and wrapped up in fabric.<br />
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This experiment was OK but was more difficult that I though. It's really hard to leave the light areas light and still see what you are doing. Hands are difficult at the best of times but even more so like this!<br />
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I then bought a pad with black paper so that I could skip all the messy bit with charcoal and just use a light pastel to pick out the highlights.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 Oil pastels</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 pastels</td></tr>
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I enjoyed these studies and thought the light on dark method was quite effective.<br />
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SO<br />
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After these studies I've decided.....<br />
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To do a full length figure, to use pastels, and to use a dark paper<br />
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</div>Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-54449425587489296512012-03-10T05:30:00.001-08:002012-03-10T05:30:31.665-08:00Assignment 5 Option 2 - Research Hockney + Degas<b>David Hockney - Coloured pencil</b><br />
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For the previous section on line drawing I had a look at Hockney's drawings and since then I've come across him constantly. Because of the current exhibition there's been a couple of programmes and items in magazines. This has mainly focused on his recent landscapes so it's interesting to have a look at his drawings.<br />
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He strikes me as an artist that not afraid to experiment and try out different media. He appears to draw constantly, always sketching everywhere he goes and now he takes his iPad with him for that. His coloured pencil drawings are beautiful. I love the way he focuses on one area and leaves the rest apparently unfinished. He often uses the medium to hint at the colour of the clothes, only colouring the shaded area of the fabric rather than the whole area, which is an interesting technique and gives the effect of bleaching the drawing out.<br />
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The drawings remind me of photos and film where everything is black and white except one figure which has colour (I think Schindlers List has the little girl in the red coat). It seems to focus the eye on the subject and ignores the rest which the artist thought unimportant.<br />
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I've always found coloured pencil a bit difficult to work with so its interesting to see how he has used this medium in such an effective way. The brief mentions how he demonstrated the wonderfully expressive potential of this medium and I would certainly agree. The drawings seem to communicate the attitude of the sitters. They all seem thoughtful and distant, he's managed to show that they are all in another world. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4rYEKCwX7-A/T1OOItJbHOI/AAAAAAAABCI/VOuFHNSXfdw/s1600/Man-Ray+1973+coloured+pencil+17x14in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4rYEKCwX7-A/T1OOItJbHOI/AAAAAAAABCI/VOuFHNSXfdw/s320/Man-Ray+1973+coloured+pencil+17x14in.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hockney - Man-Ray 1973 coloured pencil 17x14in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pKbeLZe_Now/T1OOJIWHHgI/AAAAAAAABCQ/FLOmhHQ5hJk/s1600/david-hockney-Joe-McDonald+1975+coloured+pencil+17x13in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pKbeLZe_Now/T1OOJIWHHgI/AAAAAAAABCQ/FLOmhHQ5hJk/s320/david-hockney-Joe-McDonald+1975+coloured+pencil+17x13in.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hockney - Joe McDonald 1975 coloured pencil 17x13in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CYr3TEl7VdY/T1OOKF_UpmI/AAAAAAAABCU/NZRaEuNtOrU/s1600/david-hockney-jacques-de-bascher-de-beaumarchais.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CYr3TEl7VdY/T1OOKF_UpmI/AAAAAAAABCU/NZRaEuNtOrU/s320/david-hockney-jacques-de-bascher-de-beaumarchais.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hockney - Jacques De Bascher De Beaumarchais</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8XiD77WkjWo/T1OOKsP-93I/AAAAAAAABCc/R_TfBFEFY6g/s1600/john+st+clair+coloured+pencil+17x14in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8XiD77WkjWo/T1OOKsP-93I/AAAAAAAABCc/R_TfBFEFY6g/s1600/john+st+clair+coloured+pencil+17x14in.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hockney - John St Clair coloured pencil 17x14in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j3wYDjxBH28/T1OOLDxVvaI/AAAAAAAABCk/PLzjTI_x1kE/s1600/my_father_paris+jan+74+crayon+25x19in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j3wYDjxBH28/T1OOLDxVvaI/AAAAAAAABCk/PLzjTI_x1kE/s1600/my_father_paris+jan+74+crayon+25x19in.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hockney - My Father, Paris Jan 74 crayon 25x19in</td></tr>
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<b>Degas</b><br />
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Degas was a reluctant Impressionism, preferring to call himself a Realist or independent. He was famous for his paintings and pastels of horses and dancers. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8FHv2QEmLw/T1S9xoTmOWI/AAAAAAAABDI/W08YCtp2K1A/s1600/416px-Edgar_Degas_%25281834-1917%2529_-_%2527The_Bath-_Woman_Supporting_her_Back%2527%252C_pastel_on_paper%252C_c._1887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8FHv2QEmLw/T1S9xoTmOWI/AAAAAAAABDI/W08YCtp2K1A/s320/416px-Edgar_Degas_%25281834-1917%2529_-_%2527The_Bath-_Woman_Supporting_her_Back%2527%252C_pastel_on_paper%252C_c._1887.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Degas - The Bath - Woman Supporting her Back pastel on paper 1887</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8MBZ7lEd2c/T1Yc5c1NUEI/AAAAAAAABDQ/KDipTgTuGPA/s1600/After+the+Bath,+Woman+Drying+her+Nape+1898+62,2+%C3%97+65+cm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8MBZ7lEd2c/T1Yc5c1NUEI/AAAAAAAABDQ/KDipTgTuGPA/s320/After+the+Bath,+Woman+Drying+her+Nape+1898+62,2+%C3%97+65+cm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Degas - After the Bath, Woman Drying her Nape 1898 62 × 65 cm </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Degas - Woman in the Bath, pastel 1886 70x70cm </td></tr>
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One of the things I notice about Degas pastels is the texture of his marks. He lays down the pastels with directional hatching strokes appearing to lay these layers on top of each other which allows the underneath layer to shine through. The vibrancy of the colours is also noticeable. He doesn't seem to blend too much (at least the top layer) and this keeps the colours bright and fresh.<br />
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Degas was apparently very experimental with his media. He would sometimes use more than one medium in the same piece e.g. oils and pastels or pastels over charcoal. Analysis has found that he would mix the pastels with a liquid fixative sometimes to the point that they formed a paste.<br />
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Often his choice of colours is interesting. In "After the Bath, Woman
Drying her Nape" he has used contrasting colours as highlights, for
instance, the shadows on her back and hair have green areas on top of
reddish orange. Interestingly I've subsequently found out that his eyes
were beginning to deteriorate when he worked on this drawing so possibly
at this stage he was using brighter colours because of his sight.<br />
<span style="color: red;"> </span>Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-57429204127391036582012-03-09T06:58:00.000-08:002012-03-10T07:05:12.617-08:00Assignment 5 Option 2 - Review of AssignmentsReview of Assignment 2 and 5<br />
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Looking back over all my work from Assignments 2 and 5, my favourites are the large blue Conte drawing of the figure lying face down which was the final piece from Assignment 2 and the pastel of the figure lying with his arms behind his head which was the Tonal study from Assignment 5.<br />
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These are both very similar poses and I think that is the reason I chose them. I love the foreshortening not just from the challenge of drawing but also because I think it make a very interesting piece. Putting them next to each other I can see that the pastel drawing is inaccurate because his upper body should be smaller. The proportions on the drawing on the left are better.<br />
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Both are also done in a similar media. The conte pencil is much harder but still has that soft nature that is nice to blend and good for describing form. <br />
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I'm also pleased with the sketches from of the pencil drawing with the figure supported on one elbow and the charcoal of the figure sitting in the "thinker" pose, both from Assignment 2 - Structure. From Assignment 5 I like the drawing of the figure on the sofa from "quick studies" section.<br />
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I like these for different reasons. The middle one of the "thinker" I like because of the pose and the way the foot comes towards you. The highlights and shading are also good on this one. The other two are much quicker poses and I like the way I've managed to get the weight and shape of the figure quickly without it being overworked and detailed. They seem spontaneous and looser.<br />
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There are some aspects of other drawings that I like but something (usually the face) lets the drawing down.<br />
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Looking at my drawings I can see my progress throughout the course. I feeling I'm getting better at proportions although I still make mistakes. When I'm drawing, I find it comes much easier to me. I used to labour over certain poses whereas now I can get the correct anatomy much faster and without the effort I used to put in. I think one of the main things that helped me with this are the line drawing exercises. They made me look properly and spend the time to get the proportions correct.<br />
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I really like doing close ups. I find these much easier than doing smaller studies. I find it easier to get a likeness if I do a close up of the face. This is also a feature in the conte and pastel drawings I chose above which both have a large part of the drawing taken up by the feet which I'm pleased with.<br />
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Regarding media I enjoy doing detailed close ups like portraits, using pencil. For full figures I prefer a softer medium but I also like doing sketches using pen. I think pen is really useful for doing quick figure studies. <br />
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<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-76002722754991479282012-03-04T04:09:00.001-08:002012-03-04T04:09:39.202-08:00Assignment 5 - Drawing Figures - Tonal Study<b>Tonal Study</b><br />
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For this exercise I wanted to do a lying pose with the models feet covering a large part
of the paper and having the interest and difficulty of foreshortening. I did a few poses using the cylinder approach from the last section.<br />
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The last pose I thought was really interesting and would be a challenge but I felt it was a bit too flattened and unnatural. However I liked the straight-on approach so I opted for the second last pose. <br />
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I wanted to try out using pastels which I'm not very keen on and haven't had much success with in the past. I felt they would provide a good medium for a tonal study because you can blend so easily. The brief suggests using coloured sugar paper so I chose a purple sheet for my initial drawing. This was dark enough to give a nice mid tone and I was interested how the colour would shine through.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A2 Pastels on sugar paper</td></tr>
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For this first attempt I didn't spend enough time getting the measurements correct before firing on with the drawing and this is obvious in the incorrect size of the upper body. I also struggled with the legs because of the foreshortening. <br />
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Unfortunately I didn't have any more purple paper left so I chose an orangey brown for the final drawing.<br />
I spent a bit more time getting the measurements right this time. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A2 Pastels on sugar paper</td></tr>
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<b>Check and Log</b><br />
<br />
<i>1. When you have completed this exercise assess your drawing. Make notes in your learning log on the effectiveness of you technique and choice of media.</i><br />
<br />
The first pastel drawing was the perfect example of how the brain tries to correct what the eye
is actually seeing - the head can't really be half the size of the feet
etc. It did however give me great practise with the pastels and although the
sizes are all out, I'm pleased with the effects, I especially like the
feet. The purple was a great colour and it shone through and gave
colours (especially the yellows) a bit more intensity.<br />
<br />
The sketch allowed me to get the measurements right for final drawing although I still didn't quite get the legs right, I think looking at it they
need to be a bit shorter. Again I'm happy with the feet, pastels seem to
lend themselves to feet! I'm not so happy with the shading on the arms.
They've ended up looking a bit flat and no matter what I tried I
couldn't make them come out. Something I've found with pastels is that
you can't go over them too often of you lose their vibrancy and they
look muddy. Perhaps that's what's happened here.<br />
<br />
Pastels are a good choice for a tonal drawing because the blend so easily. They are relatively fixable if you make mistakes too, although up to a point as I've mentioned above. They work very well with a coloured paper and I think it would be interesting to play with different colours depending on the main colours of your drawing. So purple paper would shine through nicely with mainly yellows and orange would be good for mainly blues etc. <br />
<br />
Overall
I'm happy with the drawing. It's much better than my previous efforts
with pastels so I feel I've found a new medium to play with. <br />
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<i>2. Have you made a convincing tonal study of the figure?</i><br />
<br />
I think I have, the only part I'm not happy with are the arms which need something to make them appear more round. I think because they are further away and were more shaded it was difficult to pick the right colours to shade them.<br />
<br />
The feet have worked well and as usual with bits of drawings that work well, they were the easiest bits and were finished really quickly! I was able to pick out the darkest shades and the highlights on each toe and I think this is why they've worked. The arms are a much larger area and don't have the small highlights which help show that a subject is rounded.<br />
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<i>3. Have you conveyed the volume and proportions of the figure?</i><br />
<br />
The volume is described though shading and making the figure look rounded so yes I think overall I have. The proportions were harder to get right and I think the legs could be a bit shorter, but overall I think the proportions are not bad. I think the fabric made this task more difficult. It the model had been nude it would have been easier to get the highlights and shading right but the folds of the clothes made this a bit complicated.<br />
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<i>4. What have you learned?</i><br />
<br />
I've learned that I don't have to be scared of pastels and they are actually a good medium to describe the shading of the figure. I think they (and I) work best close up so I would like to do some studies of feet and hands to experiment.<br />
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I've also found that working on coloured paper can give really good effects and I like drawing "in the reverse" - rather than starting with a white sheet of paper and leaving the lighter areas blank, starting with the highlights using a light colour and laying them down first. <br />
<br />
Needless to say this exercise has also been great practise in getting the proportions correct and how initial sketches are a practise area to get this right and to play with the medium.<br />
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<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-14826058673969041752012-03-02T04:53:00.000-08:002012-03-02T04:53:43.820-08:00Assignment 5 - Drawing Figures - Analyse Form<b>Analyse Form: Simplified Figures</b><br />
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This exercise asked to break the figure into connected cylinders. I found this very useful for simplifying the shape and is a method which I will use in the future to simplify the shapes. If this is done in your initial sketches I think it's more likely that the proportions will be right and the angles will be correct. <br />
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I then added tone to the cylinders to give them a roundness. The charcoal sketch has worked better for this I think.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b>Check and Log</b><br />
<br />
Look at your drawings and note down what you have learned from this exercise in your learning log how you experienced this exercise.<br />
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I have learned an effective technique of establishing the main shapes of the figure with this exercise. I think it's an observational change, rather than looking at the model and thinking of them as a rounded form with arms and legs and shadows and highlights, it helps to simplify that data into cylinders from which you can examine and decide the overall position of each of the limbs in relation to the rest of the body. I found this very useful and hopefully I can use this techniques at the initial stages of a sketch even if only very lightly or indeed just in my head.Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-20229674158299722532012-03-01T15:13:00.000-08:002012-03-10T07:14:41.195-08:00Assignment 5 - research - David, Ingres, DegasThe brief asks to look at the work of Ingres, David and Degas to
examine their linear elements. I am very familiar with Ingres and David
as I studied French Neoclassical painters in high school. Even though it
was such a long time ago I remember being so impressed with the way
they painted the human form. This was probably when I first discovered
my love of figurative art. A few years later, I was very lucky to go to
the Louvre to see these paintings and was in awe at the size of them and
the amount of work that had gone into these highly rendered paintings.<br />
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<b><u>Jaques-Louis David</u></b> <b style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">(1748 - 1825)</b><br />
<br />
He
was thought to be one of the most important painters of the French
Neoclassical era. He was influenced with the Italian masters,
particularly Raphael and he wanted to participate in the Classical
revival that was occurring at the time. His work shows how he believed
that simplicity of line was central to the classical ideal in drawing.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MeSbmjZtdCk/T0ovI5sxEJI/AAAAAAAAA_g/3ZIBnDwt8WA/s1600/Jacques-Louis_David,+the+oath+of+the+Horatii+1784-85+329x424cm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MeSbmjZtdCk/T0ovI5sxEJI/AAAAAAAAA_g/3ZIBnDwt8WA/s320/Jacques-Louis_David,+the+oath+of+the+Horatii+1784-85+329x424cm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David - The Oath of the Horatii (1784-85) 329 x 424cm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Later he became involved with political
events and was a supporter of the attack against Louis XVI and the
French Revolution. His paintings became propaganda for this cause.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Uhr0Co5VZQ/T0ovMh3PiuI/AAAAAAAAA_w/fBqVPUqLoB8/s1600/David+-+Le_Serment_du_Jeu_de_paume+1789+101x66cm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Uhr0Co5VZQ/T0ovMh3PiuI/AAAAAAAAA_w/fBqVPUqLoB8/s320/David+-+Le_Serment_du_Jeu_de_paume+1789+101x66cm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David -Sketch for Oath of the Tennis Court (1789) 101x66cm</td></tr>
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The sketch above was a depiction of an oath taken by
the National Assembly which was performed in a makeshift conference room
inside a tennis court. It signified the first time that French citizens
formally stood in opposition to Louis XVI. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-59Nq65Zl3r8/T0ovNU2i8YI/AAAAAAAAA_0/c2cLaa2e7vY/s1600/Death_of_Marat_by_David+1793+165x128cm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-59Nq65Zl3r8/T0ovNU2i8YI/AAAAAAAAA_0/c2cLaa2e7vY/s320/Death_of_Marat_by_David+1793+165x128cm.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David - Death of Marat (1793) 165 x 128cm</td></tr>
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Marat, a friend of David and member of the National
Assembly was murdered in his bath and this, one of his most famous
paintings has been called the Pietà of the revolution and created a
political martyr in Marat. <br />
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<br />
<b>Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres</b> 1780 - 1867<br />
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Ingres
was also a French Neoclassical painter and a staunch advocate of the
classical style. He was very resistant to the emerging popularity of the
romantic movement. He studied with David in Paris. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mffjzwmc64w/T0o_zJvXzOI/AAAAAAAABAI/m0tBdACC1x8/s1600/Jean_Auguste_Dominique_Ingres,_La_Grande_Odalisque,_1814.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mffjzwmc64w/T0o_zJvXzOI/AAAAAAAABAI/m0tBdACC1x8/s320/Jean_Auguste_Dominique_Ingres,_La_Grande_Odalisque,_1814.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inges - Le Grande Odalisque 1814 </td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qc1k96qEvMI/T0o_0VRF7YI/AAAAAAAABAM/2kw-PWduQ0U/s1600/Le_Bain_Turc,_by_Jean_Auguste_Dominique_Ingres.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qc1k96qEvMI/T0o_0VRF7YI/AAAAAAAABAM/2kw-PWduQ0U/s320/Le_Bain_Turc,_by_Jean_Auguste_Dominique_Ingres.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1GlGDxtW25E/T0o_yGd7_UI/AAAAAAAABAA/OeCJPRioxcE/s1600/Ingres,_The_source+1856.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1GlGDxtW25E/T0o_yGd7_UI/AAAAAAAABAA/OeCJPRioxcE/s320/Ingres,_The_source+1856.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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<b>Degas </b>(1834–1917)<br />
<br />
Degas met Ingres,
whom he revered, and whose advice he never forgot: "Draw lines, young
man, and still more lines, both from life and from memory, and you will
become a good artist."<br />
<br />
He is most well known for his
fascination with picturing movement and paintings of ballet dancers. He
is also one of the first artist to use photography as a tool in his art.
He is often called an impressionist painter but this is a label he
rejected as he felt he did not work spontaneously and would criticise
those artists working <i>en plein air</i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JyJCJmkmUvw/T1Ob44RiDBI/AAAAAAAABCw/oCxDeHJB7Sc/s1600/538px-Edgar_Germain_Hilaire_Degas_021.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JyJCJmkmUvw/T1Ob44RiDBI/AAAAAAAABCw/oCxDeHJB7Sc/s320/538px-Edgar_Germain_Hilaire_Degas_021.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Dance Class</i> (La Classe de Danse),1873–1876, oil on canvas, </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FsSYth1wQpI/T1OcJ3dhmmI/AAAAAAAABC4/j0TWK9CKCmE/s1600/575px-Edgar_Germain_Hilaire_Degas_029.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FsSYth1wQpI/T1OcJ3dhmmI/AAAAAAAABC4/j0TWK9CKCmE/s320/575px-Edgar_Germain_Hilaire_Degas_029.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>La Toilette</i> (Woman Combing Her Hair), c. 1884–1886, pastel on paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Looking at all of these artists
and their drawings it is possible to see the importance of line for
these artists through the very simplicity of the contours. <br />
<br />
David Drawings <br />
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Ingres Drawings<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ah01QwkmPg0/T0uJCHcyp4I/AAAAAAAABAY/zGkdSMbNbqU/s1600/study+for+venus+a+paphos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ah01QwkmPg0/T0uJCHcyp4I/AAAAAAAABAY/zGkdSMbNbqU/s320/study+for+venus+a+paphos.jpg" width="208" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7vmiS7v8MI0/T0uJC3V56EI/AAAAAAAABAc/bJp36m4ktlI/s1600/the+architect+Andre-Marie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7vmiS7v8MI0/T0uJC3V56EI/AAAAAAAABAc/bJp36m4ktlI/s320/the+architect+Andre-Marie.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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Degas drawings <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lT4NwbrUWmU/T0uJQFupgbI/AAAAAAAABAw/VHMDXmq1qiM/s1600/Ballet+Dancer+Standing+Degas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lT4NwbrUWmU/T0uJQFupgbI/AAAAAAAABAw/VHMDXmq1qiM/s320/Ballet+Dancer+Standing+Degas.jpg" width="254" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OpKBIPzNy44/T0uJPPFwEYI/AAAAAAAABAo/3ZC0Q3QjsLM/s1600/32-degas6-450.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OpKBIPzNy44/T0uJPPFwEYI/AAAAAAAABAo/3ZC0Q3QjsLM/s320/32-degas6-450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Degas is much looser than the others but his absolute importance of obtaining the accurate contours of the human figure is cle<span style="font-size: small;">a<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">r. </span></span><br />
<br />
In
order to show the difference I looked out a couple of drawings from
other artists for which line was less important that form. Seurat was
fascinated with tonal differences and his drawings contained few lines.
Van Gogh was interested in texture and technique and Matisse's painting
below shows his interest in tone and colour. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9_xucNu1bRA/T09-MKgMMCI/AAAAAAAABBI/Me2Zc6RWdd0/s1600/00014501.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9_xucNu1bRA/T09-MKgMMCI/AAAAAAAABBI/Me2Zc6RWdd0/s1600/00014501.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Van Gogh - Portrait of Joseph Roulin</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4wl70pmBe7s/TTreYsAVsrI/AAAAAAAAAAw/1AoudrtlXOU/s1600/madame-seurat-g-seurat-getty-musee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4wl70pmBe7s/TTreYsAVsrI/AAAAAAAAAAw/1AoudrtlXOU/s320/madame-seurat-g-seurat-getty-musee.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seurat - <span class="nav">Artist's Mother </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6AlbrVwurjQ/T1Oe-L5vzeI/AAAAAAAABDA/-s2c8rL-9v8/s1600/andre+derain+by+matisse+1905+oil+55x47cm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6AlbrVwurjQ/T1Oe-L5vzeI/AAAAAAAABDA/-s2c8rL-9v8/s1600/andre+derain+by+matisse+1905+oil+55x47cm.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andre Derain by Matisse 1905 oil 55x47cm</td></tr>
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<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-89729566175038240252012-03-01T14:21:00.002-08:002012-03-10T07:13:59.253-08:00Assignment 5 - Drawing Figures - Line drawing of the whole figure<b>Line drawing of the whole figure</b><br />
<br />
I'd been
caught out by this task before in previous sections, so this time I was
determined I was going to do a proper line drawing and not get embroiled in
detail and shading.<br />
<br />
<br />
When I actually set down
to do this I found it quite easy and satisfying and I'm quite pleased
with the result. This technique of concentrating on line and contours is
something I would never have done previous to this course and I think
it's been a really useful exercise to help me establish the correct
proportions in a drawing. <br />
<br />
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<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-46759260412423247572012-02-25T07:10:00.000-08:002012-03-10T07:11:44.405-08:00Assignment 5 - Research Point - Giacometti/ Hockney<u><b>Giacometti </b></u><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jORFkFD3yZE/TzkRrpFMS4I/AAAAAAAAA4k/QZhY9eBwKRw/s1600/giacometti+standing+woman+1958-9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jORFkFD3yZE/TzkRrpFMS4I/AAAAAAAAA4k/QZhY9eBwKRw/s320/giacometti+standing+woman+1958-9.jpg" width="99" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giacometti Standing Woman 1958-9</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UUB0XgltOqA/TzkRmDZ9JsI/AAAAAAAAA4U/8mkDgldPBwc/s1600/giacometti+caroline+1965.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UUB0XgltOqA/TzkRmDZ9JsI/AAAAAAAAA4U/8mkDgldPBwc/s320/giacometti+caroline+1965.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giacometti Caroline 1965</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) was a Swiss sculptor,
painter, draughtsman, and print maker. He is known for his distinctive
elongated figures both in sculpture and paintings.<br />
<br />
His
portraits are as distinctive as his sculptures. He would repeatedly draw
over the same lines and rework lines while erasing others until the
paper would become worn underneath. He typically would draw his sitter
front on and and use a rapid energetic technique encircling the eyes
with heavy lines.It looks like he has drawn the figure using a
continuous line as in this exercise, possibly not looking at the paper
much while drawing or lifting the pen from the surface. His lines are
full of energy and action e.g the lines describing the sitters neck in
the drawing below (Portrait d'homme) are very expressive and appear to
have been carried out in seconds with little effort but are hugely
descriptive.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hs7LNgKUeTQ/TzkRnj9J9LI/AAAAAAAAA4c/0lB6O3l9DlU/s1600/giacometti-drawing7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hs7LNgKUeTQ/TzkRnj9J9LI/AAAAAAAAA4c/0lB6O3l9DlU/s320/giacometti-drawing7.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Giacometti Portrait d'homme</span></h3>
</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BMyvwKsjiWQ/TzkY6IvVM7I/AAAAAAAAA4s/LlkXhnGwN6U/s1600/giacometti+Femme+debout+et+t%C3%AAte+d%27homme,+1960-63,.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BMyvwKsjiWQ/TzkY6IvVM7I/AAAAAAAAA4s/LlkXhnGwN6U/s320/giacometti+Femme+debout+et+t%C3%AAte+d%27homme,+1960-63,.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giacometti Femme debout et tête d'homme, 1960-63,</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dJe4vnLTDxs/TzkY6jA1GpI/AAAAAAAAA4w/9wTP0GkjRZg/s1600/giacometti+silvio+1950.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dJe4vnLTDxs/TzkY6jA1GpI/AAAAAAAAA4w/9wTP0GkjRZg/s320/giacometti+silvio+1950.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giacometti Silvio 1950</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HufrQyPIdM0/TzkY7dOVF-I/AAAAAAAAA5E/To7-X9Gkx58/s1600/giacometti_tete+d%27homme+I+%28diego%29+1964.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HufrQyPIdM0/TzkY7dOVF-I/AAAAAAAAA5E/To7-X9Gkx58/s320/giacometti_tete+d%27homme+I+%28diego%29+1964.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giacometti Tete d'homme I (Diego) 1964</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fyWJ8CZZHiM/TzkY8qVsboI/AAAAAAAAA5I/JNHS7rG-H6c/s1600/portrait+de+jean+genet+1955.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fyWJ8CZZHiM/TzkY8qVsboI/AAAAAAAAA5I/JNHS7rG-H6c/s320/portrait+de+jean+genet+1955.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait De Jean Genet 1955</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7du_3sHYH0U/T0T-P1t2mSI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/KDepl76jDOM/s1600/Giacometti_John-Lord_rescanned-e1294407877309-300x230.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7du_3sHYH0U/T0T-P1t2mSI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/KDepl76jDOM/s1600/Giacometti_John-Lord_rescanned-e1294407877309-300x230.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giacometti - James Lord </td></tr>
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The above portrait of James Lord took Giacometti 18
straight days of sitting to complete. He reworked and reworked the
figure till he was happy. The sitter, James Lord wrote a book about his
experience and Giacometti's technique. I've not read it but it's
definitely on the list for the future.<br />
<br />
From looking on
the web it seems that Giacometti had a specific technique for drawing
and painting figures. I've not been able to find out specifically what
this was but he was certainly interested in the space around the sitter
and how they are placed in it. He often included horizontal and vertical
lines in the background which seem to place the figure in the setting
but with no detail. I would definitely like to find out more about this
and try to understand what he was trying to achieve.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Hockney</b></u><br />
<br />
David
Hockney (born 1937) is described as one of the most influential British
artists of the twentieth century. He is most famous for his Pop art
paintings of the 60s and 70s predominantly concentrating on figures but
recently he has become known for his large landscape works and his use
of digital media to create works of art. He currently has a major
exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts of new
landscape works. This exhibition includes vivid large-scale paintings
inspired
by the East Yorkshire landscape and a display of his iPad drawings.
Recently the OCA held a study day at this exhibition and there is a
report of this on the website. <br />
<br />
I hadn't really seen
many of Hockney's drawing before and I found them quite interesting in
their style. I found many examples of "contour drawing" style where he
has described the outlines of the figure but there is no shading. They
couldn't be more different from Giacometti's style of over laying lines
on top of each other and never erasing anything. I find Hockney's style
to be quite deliberate and thought out which is very different from
Giacometti. Interestingly from what I can gather, while Giacometti
appeared to work quickly and very spontaneously and Hockney seems more
rigid and slow, Hockey is a very fast worker while Giacometti would work
and rework and spend a lot of time pondering his drawings.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NTy4qReSccU/T0jtaoXeH9I/AAAAAAAAA5g/4R2mwEgnYiw/s1600/charles_alan_69+ink+17x14in.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NTy4qReSccU/T0jtaoXeH9I/AAAAAAAAA5g/4R2mwEgnYiw/s1600/charles_alan_69+ink+17x14in.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hockney - Charles Alan 1969 ink 17x14 in </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yZOdrHkJQr4/T0juaneg4TI/AAAAAAAAA5o/2G7sxzFcmNE/s1600/sheridan+sleeping+and+cushion_68.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yZOdrHkJQr4/T0juaneg4TI/AAAAAAAAA5o/2G7sxzFcmNE/s320/sheridan+sleeping+and+cushion_68.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hockney - Sheridan sleeping and cushion 1968</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These drawings have pared the figures down to their
essential elements. Small lines can describe the fold in clothing
perfectly and uninteresting sections are just left blank.<br />
<br />
Later
Hockney starts to draw portraits with more detail but sometimes keeps
the work on the face but leaves the rest of the body with very little
detail.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zV82zmj7oIY/T0jva0CbF3I/AAAAAAAAA5w/PhIUV8_eF0g/s1600/portrait_henry+XI_85+pencil+30x22.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zV82zmj7oIY/T0jva0CbF3I/AAAAAAAAA5w/PhIUV8_eF0g/s1600/portrait_henry+XI_85+pencil+30x22.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hockney - Portrait Henry XI 1985 pencil 30x22in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gd1Efx2hjTQ/T0jvu5vJf7I/AAAAAAAAA54/a2U9vzjYyg4/s1600/jeff_burkhart_94+crayon+30x22.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gd1Efx2hjTQ/T0jvu5vJf7I/AAAAAAAAA54/a2U9vzjYyg4/s1600/jeff_burkhart_94+crayon+30x22.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hockney - Jeff Burkhart 1994 crayon 30x22in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-9201359162926737132012-02-25T06:37:00.001-08:002012-03-10T07:11:22.600-08:00Assignment 5 - Drawing Figures - Continuous Line, Giacometti, HockneyContinuous Line<br />
<br />
I enjoyed this task, it was good fun to try and draw the figure without looking at the paper. It was really difficult to stop myself glancing down, it was automatic to look at the paper. I used a variety of pens or pencils but I found that pens were better and gave more movement.<br />
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Check and Log<br />
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1. This challenging exercise is likely to frustrate you. Instead of worrying about it reflect on what you have gained from it and make notes in your learning log.<br />
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I found overall my drawings were OK but sometimes I would look down and I had got something completely wrong. I found this particularly with the facial features. I guess this was because I must have been lifting the pen off the paper too much without realising, in order to place the features in the middle of the face. <br />
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In some of the drawings I tried to show the shadows in order to help describe the form but I found this didn't work very well with this technique. I noticed that it was sometimes helpful to concentrate on the negative spaces which helped to pick out the forms correctly. I also found that using a wiggly line to draw the folds in clothes was quite effective to show the form. <br />
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Overall this technique was really good to help me pick out the important shapes in a quick way. A figure can be described with sometimes only a few lines and this section helped to focus the mind on the essential lines. I found that I wanted to go over the same area again and I had to try to stop myself doing this as it would create a mess and ruin the first lines.<br />
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2. Find some examples of artists such as Giacometti and David Hockney, who work fluidly with loose line and note them down for reference.<br />
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See research point in next post... <br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-71495329392320768342012-02-08T06:09:00.000-08:002012-02-08T06:09:37.515-08:00Assignment 5 - Drawing Figures - Quick StudiesQuick Studies<br />
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For this assignment I chose to go back to figure drawing. Some the other subjects might have been easier, both logistically
because I need a model and also small mistakes seem so much more
noticeable in figure drawing. This is, however, the subject I enjoy drawing and painting most and I think when you enjoy it you're more likely to do it better. <br />
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I like these short sketches as they are easier for me to fit in when I get a spare half hour (not very often at the moment) but I had to chop and change my models because of this. <br />
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<br />I tried to keep these sketches as short as possible but I would invariable lose track of time. I tried to be as fast as I could. <br />
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Check and Log<br />
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1. Think about and write up the challenges you met in doing these studies<br />
The biggest challenge was to draw fast and get the essential lines down fast and then leave it. I find it hard to do this and some of them are too detailed which defeats the purpose. I think this is a skill in itself and I do think that I am much better at this than I used to be. <br />
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2. In what way has your drawing improved from earlier assignments?<br />
To continue from the above question, I think I'm faster than I used to be. I seem to be able to judge sizes and angles better so that I don't have to rework things as often. This is something that I have noticed throughout the course compared with previous courses and it's so rewarding to be able to draw more accurately <br />
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3. What are your current biggest challenges in drawing figures?<br />
My biggest challenge is the face, I really struggle to get the face to look like the person I'm drawing. It's very frustrating. In the past I've had problems with limb lengths and angles or foreshortening but I always find that if I keep looking I'll eventually get it right. The face however is so hard to do this. It's easier on a larger scale as you can measure easier but if the face is smaller e.g. on a full figure study I find it very difficult to draw a couple of lines and pick out the features accurately. Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-51679275507838550062012-01-29T11:44:00.000-08:002012-03-10T07:37:03.083-08:00Assignment 4 Drawing Outdoors - Final PieceThe final piece for this section was really quite specific in it's requirements. Because of this I struggled to find the right place to draw from. The brief asks that you select a view from a window or open door and the view should include some natural objects and should also allow you to demonstrate atmospheric or linear perspective. I painted the views from the front and back of my house for STP and didn't enjoy it much so I wasn't overjoyed at this as my garden is in a pretty bad state. I gave it a go however and tried to do some sketches of some potential views. After perching on the edge of the bed and straining my neck and then sitting in front of the continually opening living room door, I gave up and decided the job was a bad one. Leaving the kitchen door open in December and sitting there would probably result in divorce so that wasn't an option.<br />
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After a week or two of stress and pulling my hair out I was visiting my mums and remembered the great view from my old bedroom window. Logistically it was quite hard trying to get time to draw while visiting especially since it starts getting dark about 3.30 at the moment, but I managed to do some sketches and took some photos to work from to work out compositions.<br />
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I had initially thought that a view looking down the hill would be good but after seeing the sketches I decided on another view with a white house being the focus. From the photos I did a line drawing to work out the composition and I did some tonal studies using inks and colour pencils.<br />
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I had been flicking through the latest copy of Artists and Illustrators and found an article about an artist who drew beautiful pen and watercolour drawings of Plymouth.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4-pPQeYpIzE/TxgcgY_LkOI/AAAAAAAAArw/q2IATnXX7yE/s1600/richard+allman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4-pPQeYpIzE/TxgcgY_LkOI/AAAAAAAAArw/q2IATnXX7yE/s200/richard+allman.JPG" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard Allman</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AuCw1CBZUcM/TxlomkoJToI/AAAAAAAAAr4/TF5IGx86a2Y/s1600/richard+allman+harbour+wall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AuCw1CBZUcM/TxlomkoJToI/AAAAAAAAAr4/TF5IGx86a2Y/s200/richard+allman+harbour+wall.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard Allman - Harbour wall - Ink and acrylic 70x50cm</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard Allman</td></tr>
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There was one particular tonal drawing that I really liked (unfortunately I can't find an image of it on the net to put on here). I tried to do a pen and wash study using tones in a similar vein, but stupidly did this in my sketchbook so the paper was far to thin for washes and it didn't work. It did however help me to pick out the darkest a lightest tones for my drawing. Richard Allman does these drawings on quite a large format (approx A1 size) which makes a difference to the approach. He seems to keep the line very fine and delicate and overlays this many
times to create darker lines. He uses the colours to create the tones
mostly. I also tried using a white oil pastel for the white house but it came out too creamy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 pen and ink wash + white oil pastel</td></tr>
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I then did a sketch using coloured inks. I was quite pleased with this and I liked the effects produced by the inks. The bushes and trees have worked quite well. I used the coloured pencils to bring out the colours although the green is a bit artificial - better for summer, not the green of winter!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BlSsAxa5w7Y/T1txtZs2BHI/AAAAAAAABDo/8OliUkFy5fE/s1600/IMG_4092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BlSsAxa5w7Y/T1txtZs2BHI/AAAAAAAABDo/8OliUkFy5fE/s320/IMG_4092.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 pen and coloured inks and coloured pencil</td></tr>
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I decided to do my main drawing using my black Rotring pen which I can use washes with to bring out the tones. I wanted to use coloured inks and Inktense water-colour pencils too to create a similar effect to Richard Allmans above (although this is done with watercolours or acrylics). The thing I struggled with is my range of coloured inks. I discovered that I didn't have a decent brown and because the red is very pinky all my mixes came out a bit strange. My green ink is also quite synthetic and limey but I managed to dampen that down with some blue. I also used my inktense water-soluble pencils to give more colour. These are much better than my old set of pencil and the pigment really flows (sometimes too much!). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9gileApMe1s/TyWU7LXhAuI/AAAAAAAAAto/ZuDQpf9YWVQ/s1600/IMG_4050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9gileApMe1s/TyWU7LXhAuI/AAAAAAAAAto/ZuDQpf9YWVQ/s400/IMG_4050.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A3 Bockingford paper Mixed Media</td></tr>
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I'm not sure about the final result. I like parts of it and other parts annoy me. The smaller sketch is actually better in some respects, the colours seem better although they are greener than real life. I wanted a washed out appearance but I think it could do with a bit more intensity of colours. I think I've also used too much black or it's run too much in the washes. The hills in the background are example. It would have been better if there was no hard line showing their shape like in the ink sketch. The vague wash helps to show atmospheric perspective. Maybe a water-insoluble pen would be better to make the initial line drawing in future.<br />
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I am happy with how the trees have come out though. I was trying to show the different tree types. The large bush on the left is a rhododendron with large glossy leaves reflecting the light more while the tree above it had a much smaller leaf. I'm not sure what it was, it actually looked like a deciduous leaf but couldn't have been in December. The trees across the road where leylandii and needed a different approach again. I think these turned out a bit better in my sketch though as the pencil lines showed up under the wash and give the foliage a diagonal direction.<br />
<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-31159079584210844692012-01-24T05:49:00.000-08:002012-03-10T07:15:58.675-08:00Research - townscapesPatricia Cain is a local artist of whom I have visited a couple of exhibitions. She concentrates on construction in the urban environment and does large format paintings, drawings and etchings of very complex structures. She recently had a solo exhibition at the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow focusing on the construction of the Riverside Museum which opened in November 2011. This building holds the Museum of Transport and was designed by
internationally-renowned architect, Zaha Hadid.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="font" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3618316282014853174">Laying Out</a> <i>Pastel 84 x 59cm</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dzrsJE-QjBg/Tx60vhdw0JI/AAAAAAAAAs8/gmNDy8p3dVU/s1600/Partick_Redevelopment__No.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dzrsJE-QjBg/Tx60vhdw0JI/AAAAAAAAAs8/gmNDy8p3dVU/s320/Partick_Redevelopment__No.2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="font" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3618316282014853174">Partick Redevelopment No.2 - Cream</a> <i>Ink 84 x 59 cm</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzbGO4rHi58/Tx60wColSqI/AAAAAAAAAtE/1xVnojmHSbE/s1600/Riverside_Museum__VII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzbGO4rHi58/Tx60wColSqI/AAAAAAAAAtE/1xVnojmHSbE/s320/Riverside_Museum__VII.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riverside Museum VII
<span class="style5">Pastel and Acrylic 170 x 122 cm 2009</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-peyFo3_q91k/Tx60wg67BEI/AAAAAAAAAtM/CE0ybGuWPg0/s1600/Riverside_Scaffolding_V.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-peyFo3_q91k/Tx60wg67BEI/AAAAAAAAAtM/CE0ybGuWPg0/s320/Riverside_Scaffolding_V.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="font" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3618316282014853174">Riverside Scaffolding V</a> <i>Pastel 140 x 122cm</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6dpRmhAPTCw/Tx60xTGzdLI/AAAAAAAAAtY/p-vWZEEsnLA/s1600/Riverside_Triptych_II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6dpRmhAPTCw/Tx60xTGzdLI/AAAAAAAAAtY/p-vWZEEsnLA/s320/Riverside_Triptych_II.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="font" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3618316282014853174">Riverside Triptych II</a> <i>Pastel 315 x 170cm</i></td></tr>
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The drawings are amazingly complicated and I think doing something like that would drive me potty but I can really appreciate the work that's gone into them. She uses pastel a lot which is interesting for this type of subject, you wouldn't normally associate pastels with subjects requiring lots of perfect lines and edges. I would love to know her technique. I guess she could use masking tape to create these edges. I think I would just end up with a big mess!<br />
<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-32843370337435334682012-01-08T15:30:00.000-08:002012-03-10T07:16:46.577-08:00Research TreesI came across a drawing of a tree by Piet Mondrian which I loved<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tL8767P_P2Y/TyqOZS5VMQI/AAAAAAAAA3U/nLoEjT_64uI/s1600/mondrian_the-grey-tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tL8767P_P2Y/TyqOZS5VMQI/AAAAAAAAA3U/nLoEjT_64uI/s320/mondrian_the-grey-tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piet Mondrian Grey Tree 1912, oil on canvas, 78.5 × 107.5 cm</td></tr>
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Mondrian has broken the form of the branches down and simplified it into basic shapes. You can see the characteristic shape of the branches and would still possibly be able to identify the type from this however. The curves of the branches and the way they repeated is very pleasing. I love the monochrome nature of this painting as well.<br />
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I then did some research and found that he actually did a series of tree paintings and it's possible to see the way he has progressed through the stages of abstraction to his simple grid shapes that we are more familiar with. He seems to analyse the branches and then break them down into squares and regular shapes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yb49ChTQukI/TyqOisxiQGI/AAAAAAAAA38/bgd82dqCDy0/s1600/Piet+Mondrian-546722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yb49ChTQukI/TyqOisxiQGI/AAAAAAAAA38/bgd82dqCDy0/s320/Piet+Mondrian-546722.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mondrian</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tFKme5Dt4R0/TyqObLwvQBI/AAAAAAAAA3c/g89aYh7xjno/s1600/mondrian_trees-in-blossom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tFKme5Dt4R0/TyqObLwvQBI/AAAAAAAAA3c/g89aYh7xjno/s320/mondrian_trees-in-blossom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mondrian Trees in Blossom 1912. Oil on canvas.65 x 75 cm.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FwM9oOAa8EM/TyqOdUuhffI/AAAAAAAAA3k/RncMHGNoaA0/s1600/mondrian_composition-trees-ii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FwM9oOAa8EM/TyqOdUuhffI/AAAAAAAAA3k/RncMHGNoaA0/s320/mondrian_composition-trees-ii.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mondrian Composition Trees II</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vl_YANF7faU/TyqOd2ED20I/AAAAAAAAA3o/1r3qBQT5t-w/s1600/mondrian_composition-no6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vl_YANF7faU/TyqOd2ED20I/AAAAAAAAA3o/1r3qBQT5t-w/s320/mondrian_composition-no6.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mondrian Composition</td></tr>
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Mondrian ultimately was a contributor to the De Stijl art movement founded by Theo van Doesburg. This style was termed Neo-Plasticism and consisted of the grid of vertical and horizontal black lines on a white ground with the three primary colours. It was round about the time he painted these trees he became influenced by cubism and moved away from traditional styles of painting.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian#cite_note-0"></a><br />
<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-26098250360544589922012-01-08T11:32:00.000-08:002012-01-09T13:59:34.126-08:00Assignment 4 - Drawing trees<u>Sketching an individual tree</u><br />
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I started out drawing an old tree at a nearby country park. I tried pencil and charcoal and used my rotring pen with some water to make washes. I think this method has worked quite well to show the knobbly branches.<br />
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I also wanted to do a close up of some of the lovely branches and a gnarled trunk of another tree.<br />
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<u>Larger study of an individual tree </u><br />
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My sketches above gave me an inkling that I wanted to do a detailed study of an old tree with really interesting shapes and forms. I chose this old tree. I'm not sure what kind it is because there's no leaves on it but I take reckon it's an oak or a beech. The way the smaller branches come out of the larger ones and have grown out of the trunk are quite strange and must be a characteristic of a specific tree species.<br />
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I started with a 2B and drew the shapes of the trunk and main branches. I then carried on using softer pencils to put in the shadows and main tones of the branches and then more detail. This detailed kind of drawing does not come easy to me as I get very impatient but I made myself slow down and concentrate. I love the branches and how they all relate to each other in 3 dimensions but I struggled to stay focused on it all. I'm so glad I did as I really like this drawing now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A3 pencil (2-4B)</td></tr>
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<u>Study of several trees</u><br />
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For the study of several trees I knew I wanted to draw a scene from where we walk our dog. We're very lucky to live close to a path in the local woods and I love the way the path meanders through the woods and the trees lean over the path. The trees are predominantly silver birches.<br />
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I had a lot of fun doing the first sketch using my rotring pen and a brush with a water reservoir so I thought I'd try this again. There were a lot of branches in the background that gave a much darker tone that I didn't include because I wanted the trees to stand out. I think I may have overdone it with the wash though and I could have left more paper white to show the highlights.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A3 Bockingford Paper and Rotring pen with wash</td></tr>
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Check and Log<br />
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1. How many different tree types have you drawn<br />
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I think I've drawn about 5 tree types. It's difficult to tell without the foliage but I think the first sketches were of a beech or oak and I know the tall narrow one is some variety of cherry blossom. I think the individual tree study is a beech or oak and the study of several trees is mainly silver birches.<br />
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2. What techniques did you use to distinguish each type?<br />
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Because the trees have no foliage I've had to look for other distinguishing characteristics. The silver birches were easy because their bark is very characteristic. It is a silvery grey with dark bracelet type marks around the circumference. I also found it had lots of lichen type and other dark marks over it. To show this I used a wash to show the main shape and shadows and then once that dried I drew in the irregular bracelet marks.<br />
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The tree in the single study was very different with lots of gnarled branches and lumps and bumps. The trunk had lots of small branches growing from it which had intertwined and created a strange pattern seemingly attached to the bark.I felt this kind of tree with all these irregularities should be drawn with lots of detail so I used a pencil which I kept as sharp as possible.<br />
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The tall cherry tree was very distinctive and I just drew the branches as they all followed the same vertical layout.<br />
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3. What did you do to convey the mass of foliage?<br />
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None of the trees I drew had any foliage which I was quite pleased about. I found that I had already tackled drawing trees with masses of foliage and I'd developed my scribbley technique to show the mass of the foliage quite well. I wanted to try showing the complicated branches and detail that required. I found drawing trees in the summer much much easier as you don't have to worry about detail and observing every small intertwining branch.<br />
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Here are some sketches of trees I previously did in full foliage.<br />
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4. How did you handle the light on the trees? Was it successful? If not, what would work better?<br />
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Working in the winter gives lovely long shadows so it's quite easy to show the light on the trunks. I tried to show the forms of the branches by drawing in the shadowed side and leaving the side in the sunlight either with white paper showing through or slightly shaded depending on the level of shade. I'm quite pleased with this technique over all, although I think the study of a several trees could do with more white paper showing through.<br />
If the trees has been full of foliage it would have been a bit more difficult to describe the light shining on the leaves. Previously I just treated the groups of leaves as kind of irregular balls which have a shaded area and a highlighted area.<br />
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5. Did you manage to select and simplify? Look at your drawings and make notes on how you did this.<br />
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I definitely had to simplify these drawings because of the sheer number of branches. If I had tried to draw all of the branches I would still be there and would possible on the verge of madness! I concentrated on the main branches and just drew a few small ones to describe the overall shape. The most difficult one to do this with was the single study. Because of the way the main branches had grown there was a central area with no large branches but had several small ones and lots and lots of tiny tendrils. Rather than go into such great detail I just left the larger branches and omitted any of the tiny ones. I also decided to zoom in a bit on this drawing so I've just left the end of the branches out. I'm pleased with this effect, I think it works better and make a more interesting composition. I wanted to include the main bits of interest but not to make it a perfect copy of the tree (the ends of the branches are also the most difficult and finicky!).Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-38280301403201094482012-01-02T15:08:00.000-08:002012-01-08T14:46:48.227-08:00Assignment 4 - Townscapes<u>Study of a townscape using line</u><br />
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I'd looked through this section before my visit to Italy and I was inspired by the student drawing in the instructions of rooftops which looks very Mediterranean. I was able to visit Lucca in Tuscany and from the bell tower in the town there is an amazing view of the rooftops of the town. I did some sketches and took some photos to work from later. <br />
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The preliminary drawings in my sketchbook above were useful to get a feel for the drawing. My first attempt of the study I realised was too detailed and I hadn't concentrated on line rather than tone so I did another study of a different view and concentrated solely on line. I like both studies in the end but I prefer the more detailed one and I liked putting in an ink wash over the buildings and background. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 Bockingford Nib pen and inks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aSiYau_4TrU/Tv8_4WiS7EI/AAAAAAAAAl8/GV9QYb9b2Ro/s1600/IMG_1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aSiYau_4TrU/Tv8_4WiS7EI/AAAAAAAAAl8/GV9QYb9b2Ro/s320/IMG_1156.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A3 black pen</td></tr>
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<u>Developing a sketchbook of townscape drawings</u><br />
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For this exercise I chose a small local church which is very pretty. The brief mentions "the sense of place" and if the building does "evoke an emotional response". Not many buildings really do this so I thought I need to choose a building that had a bit of history and character. It's a small country church and it was quite deserted when I visited. It is surrounded by an old graveyard with many fallen head stones and this adds to the spookiness.<br />
At times the angles were a bit odd because the church grounds are on a hill and I had to look up towards it at times. I don't know much about architecture but it seemed to me quite odd, possibly because it is so small. The simple building has a central steeple or bell tower and there are beautiful windows on each side. It's made of sandstone and the bricks are large and unevenly spaced. I like the texture of these bricks and the pale colouring.<br />
There were strong shadows and the right side of the building was in shade. The darkest tones were in these shadows while the roof and windows were the mid tones and the lightest tones were found at the front of the building.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KavXDh1H1v4/TwLDSNS2f-I/AAAAAAAAAoQ/hghYVpq7t5U/s1600/IMG_1177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KavXDh1H1v4/TwLDSNS2f-I/AAAAAAAAAoQ/hghYVpq7t5U/s320/IMG_1177.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 Sketchbook</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YX3e4WMT0iY/TwLDbdyjTcI/AAAAAAAAAoY/TPLfUVr_8Hc/s1600/IMG_1178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YX3e4WMT0iY/TwLDbdyjTcI/AAAAAAAAAoY/TPLfUVr_8Hc/s320/IMG_1178.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 Sketchbook</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4f6oKSqK34/TwLDs4MX_lI/AAAAAAAAAow/UpfYMGmor5U/s1600/IMG_1179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4f6oKSqK34/TwLDs4MX_lI/AAAAAAAAAow/UpfYMGmor5U/s320/IMG_1179.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 Sketchbook</td></tr>
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I tried a few different angles but decided on the first one I chose. With regards to leaving some things out, I decided to omit the two benches at the front of the church and I also cut out some of the gravestones in front of the church as they just seemed to confuse things. I included one in the background and a small stone that was falling down as I felt this added to the feeling of history and age.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q4OhAW0vuSk/TwLDzHDcM_I/AAAAAAAAAo0/pAP8jZ5gW3Q/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q4OhAW0vuSk/TwLDzHDcM_I/AAAAAAAAAo0/pAP8jZ5gW3Q/s400/IMG_1180.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 pencil</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aOoBBwHp_x0/Tv8_HUmDOdI/AAAAAAAAAlo/Ema_kv5F_dA/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aOoBBwHp_x0/Tv8_HUmDOdI/AAAAAAAAAlo/Ema_kv5F_dA/s320/IMG_1154.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 tissue paper on drawing paper with egg shell, mixed media</td></tr>
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This last drawing above was a fun experiment with texture. I'd heard about using tissue paper stuck onto paper and then given a wash to describe the texture of stone. The ink wash sticks to the wrinkles in the tissue and gives the effect of cracks in the brickwork. I indicated with a black pen some of the bricks. I used charcoal to show the windows and doors, using oil pastels to keep the white surrounds clean(ish) before an ink wash. I think the tissue was really effective and I would use this again. I also tried out gluing broken egg shells on to the area in front of the building to create the effect of small stones. I wasn't very happy with this and it didn't do what I wanted it to. I think this would work better on a larger scale and if they were painted over with a coat of white acrylic or something before applying colour.<br />
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<u>A limited palette study of a townscape from your sketches</u><br />
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I chose conte pastel pencils to do this. I chose the darkest brown I had (which wasn't very dark), an orangy red and black on white paper. In hindsight I should have chosen paper with more tooth for the pastels.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VCfbXHBNYmc/TwnuBBOVscI/AAAAAAAAAqc/n5PBHLKKvqI/s1600/IMG_1196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VCfbXHBNYmc/TwnuBBOVscI/AAAAAAAAAqc/n5PBHLKKvqI/s320/IMG_1196.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 conte pastels</td></tr>
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I started using the black to define the lines and shapes and then I planned to use the brown for the darker tones and the orange for the lighter tones. Not sure it really worked out that way though as the brown wasn't dark enough. I definitely found myself looking for other colours to get more tonal variation so it was a good challenge to do this study. If I were to try again I would chose two colours that had more variation in tone and I would use less black to start off.<br />
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<u>Drawing statues</u><br />
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I chose for this study my favourite piece of sculpture "Motherless" by George Lawson which is at the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow. I've been visiting the Kelvingrove since I was a small child and I've always been drawn to this. It is an incredibly poignant piece, I've always found it incredible how the sculptor could instill so much emotion out of stone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O9EDxxqETQY/Twob1-h5IGI/AAAAAAAAArk/YESCV5KZ1fI/s1600/IMG_1199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O9EDxxqETQY/Twob1-h5IGI/AAAAAAAAArk/YESCV5KZ1fI/s320/IMG_1199.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 Sketchbook</td></tr>
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I concentrated on the overall outlines and tried to focus on the negative shapes too. This was easier that with another object like a plant or something because the solidity of the statue contrasted so much with its surroundings. I was surprised at how the drawing ended up looking like a statue rather than real people sitting on a chair.<br />
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<u>Check and Log</u><br />
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1. How did you use the limited colour palette to create a sense of depth?<br />
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The closer objects should have more detail. I've used the black to show individual blades of grass at the front of the drawing at the bottom of the gravestones. I should of however not used so much black on the group of trees behind the church. They maybe should have been brown. I used the brown to describe the forms of the evergreen trees on the left side and only used black for the trunks that are in deep shadow. I've left the horizon vague and left than in the paler tone to indicate this is further away.<br />
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2. How did you use your preliminary sketches in your sketchbook give you enough information for you final pieces of work?<br />
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My preliminary sketches allowed me to work out the best compositions and they showed which angles were too difficult to show on paper. Sketching helps me practise the object I am drawing, without these preliminary sketches I wouldn't be able to work out the problems in the subject that I didn't even realise. For example, in the sketches of the church I struggled with the angles of the bell tower, so for the final piece I'd worked out how to do this.<br />
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It also give you a chance to work out what things add to the composition and what things complicate it and could be left out.<br />
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Additionally I was able to try different media to figure out what was the best one to use for the subject in my drawing of the rooftops.<br />
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3. In what ways is the drawing from this project better or worse than the last?<br />
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I wasn't sure what project to compare this to so I'll compare it to both Perspective and to Landscape drawing.<br />
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I think the perspective drawing has helped remind myself of the rules and hopefully this project should be better because of that. It has certainly made it much easier to complete. I'm glad to say that sketching buildings has now become a pleasure compared to a nightmare previously mainly because I can now figure out the angles much easier using the rules of perspective.<br />
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If I compare this project to the landscape drawing section it's more difficult as these two subjects are very different. The angles of buildings required me to pay a bit more attention (in the final pieces certainly) while the landscape drawings involved more undefined greenery and vague fields. I think this section has been better because I enjoyed applying the rules of perspective to the drawings and this helped me get a more accurate picture of what I was drawing.<br />
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4. Is the scale of the buildings right? Make notes on what worked and what didn't.<br />
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I have a tendency to exaggerate the angles I think and this has given a kind of "fisheye" view of the buildings sometimes (the limited palette study) so in thin respect the scale has sometimes been off. It was hard in my rooftops drawings to get the scale right particularly the towers but in my final pieces I think it seems ok. If I give myself enough time to measure properly I can get the scale correct. <br />
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5. Have you captured the colour and atmosphere in your studies? How did you do this?<br />
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The monochrome pencil study of the church has worked well to capture the atmosphere I think. This is a subject that lends itself well to black and white probably due to our learned associations with spooky movies and haunted graveyards at night. If I where to do this in colour I would keep them very muted.<br />
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The colour studies of the rooftops was done so fast it's fairly rubbish and I only used one colour on the roofs when in actual fact there are many colours. I used ink washes in the first rooftop piece and I think this has created some atmosphere.<br />
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I'm quite happy with the colours of the extra drawing I did using the tissue paper. The different inks have created quite a good mottled effect that mimics stone. The mottled effect makes the stone look old and therefore more atmospheric. <br />
<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-78401699007535589702012-01-02T14:34:00.000-08:002012-01-02T14:34:34.506-08:00Assignment 4 Perspective<u>Parallel Perspective - an interior view</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 sketchbook</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 sketchbook</td></tr>
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This drawing was done from my bathroom looking through the door to my bedroom where I conveniently have a rug at the doorway. I have previously studied perspective in the Painting 1 course and I really struggled to get it right so I was dreading this section and thought it would take ages. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy I found it though, and most of my angles were correct or not far off. I'm glad I've progressed and learned something!<br />
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<u>Angular Perspective - buildings or books</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 sketchbook</td></tr>
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I had some problems with the angles of all of the windows with this one which probably would have been helped if i'd done this on a larger scale or if I'd had a ruler to measure sizes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 sketchbook Rome 1910 - after Sir Muirhead Bone</td></tr>
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I tried to simplify this drawing abit and didn't include all of the detailing in the original but I tried to include the major elements.<br />
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<u>Check and Log</u><br />
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1. What problems did you find in executing perspective drawings?<br />
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The most difficult thing was to get the angles correct. When the line is small it's much easier to get the angle wrong and then this can confuse the rest of the drawing especially if you use that line to measure other parts. Also with longer lines you have to keep the straight.<br />
I find I always err on the side of an angle being too wide and needs to be corrected to be more acute. <br />
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2. Make note on the merits of using, or not using rulers to guide you.<br />
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I much prefer using a ruler to get the lines straight and to help it look accurate and real. In the drawing above of the corner buildings the windows were a mess and all wiggley because I didn't use a ruler. On the other hand a ruler always makes it look more clinical and less natural. The ideal solution is to have a really steady hand and lots of patience.<br />
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<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-36654958216322296832011-10-11T06:00:00.000-07:002011-11-15T05:14:49.327-08:00Research Point - Landscape Drawing<i>Look at and research different artists depictions of landscapes. For example look at Durer's landscapes which are some of the earliest recordings of the northern Renaissance world or Claude's designed landscapes using classical proportions and finally look at Lowry's industrial images. Make notes in your learning log.</i><br />
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There is a huge number and variety of landscape artists. I started out looking at the suggested artists and their very different styles. I have concentrated on their drawings rather than paintings but in the case of Durer I have looked at his watercolours and engravings.</div>
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<b>Albrecht Durer</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hAXMx4XdJa0/TpAc2PonKpI/AAAAAAAAAgo/Wees0SkjrDk/s1600/durer+landscape+with+a+pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hAXMx4XdJa0/TpAc2PonKpI/AAAAAAAAAgo/Wees0SkjrDk/s400/durer+landscape+with+a+pool.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Durer Landscape with Woodland Pool</td></tr>
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Durer was know one of the first European landscape artists. He has many engravings but also was one of the first artists to use watercolour. I've chosen 3 drawings, all quite quite different from each other. The first, Landscape with a Woodland Pool, is actually a watercolour, This image appears to be a monochrome study but I think the original is actually in colour. The picture is very peaceful image. The technique is a mixture of detailed strokes in the trees and foreground and more broad brush strokes for the clouds and water. The picture is actually unfinished as seen in the bottom right corner which is possibly done on purpose to suggest immediacy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79D6bu_J-fM/TpAb5V4irJI/AAAAAAAAAgk/CzBdyAzGW4c/s1600/ALBRECHT-DURER-LANDSCAPE-WITH-CANNON.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79D6bu_J-fM/TpAb5V4irJI/AAAAAAAAAgk/CzBdyAzGW4c/s400/ALBRECHT-DURER-LANDSCAPE-WITH-CANNON.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Durer Landscape with a Cannon</td></tr>
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The next landscape of Durer's is an etching and is totally different from the first. It is the largest of Durer's etchings. It's very detailed and has a huge amount of information on it, you could spend a long time studying all of the details. </div>
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In the foreground is the cannon and several figures. A magnificent tree trunk provides a border up the left side while the centre and right section is taken up by an expansive landscape. The landscape is drawn from a high vantage point and Durer has used a path to guide the eye down through a field to a collection of buildings or a small village. Beyond that in the distance are mountains and what appears to be the sea. </div>
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For the purposes of this section, to investigate fore, middle and background, this etching is very interesting. Durer has certainly included each but maybe not in the way I would have attempted. Usually the further away the subject is, the less detail that the viewer can see but in this etching, Durer has put in a lot of detail even in the furthest away areas, leaving a complicated scene which at first seems to have the wrong perspective. This is possibly a result of the technique of etching in which you can't do lighter lines.</div>
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Apparently this etching was Durer's last, possibly because he was unhappy with the technique of using an etched iron plate. He was able to achieve much more detail with engraving. In fact if you look at this etching closely, you can see that the acid used to burn the lines has left lines of uniform thickness meaning the outlines of the shapes are the same heaviness that the lines inside. This means that some details are missed when you look at it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fHplQGWOUfQ/TpAbDo0eMLI/AAAAAAAAAgg/5Ix4OxCcaEU/s1600/View-of-the-Arco-Valley-in-the-Tyrol-1495-Albrecht-Durer-304548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="395" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fHplQGWOUfQ/TpAbDo0eMLI/AAAAAAAAAgg/5Ix4OxCcaEU/s400/View-of-the-Arco-Valley-in-the-Tyrol-1495-Albrecht-Durer-304548.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Durer View of the Arco Valley</td></tr>
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<span class="txtContent">Durer's watercolour "View of the Arco Valley", 1495, is one of Durer's best landscapes. It was done among 14 other watercolours, on a trip from Venice to Nuremeburg. It is though that he finished off the foreground details at a later date.</span></div>
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<span class="txtContent">His use of pale colours and delicate detail give a much more subtle and evocative image than the engraving above. Unlike the engraving, the watercolour has allowed the further away images to appear more delicate and vague as you would see in real life. Interestingly the majority of detail is in the middle ground. The foreground is represented as an area of brown scrub ground and like in the engraving above, Durer has used what looks like a snaking path to lead the eye up to the village on the mountain which has been portrayed in great detail. On the far right the distant road and fields are shown in a much paler and lighter way with no clear lines. This clearly describes an area far away using methods of atmospheric perspective. Having most of the detail in the middle ground is an odd approach as usually the majority of detail would be in the foreground. In this instance though, Durer has ignored the uninteresting foreground and zoomed in on the area with trees and buildings only leaving a small part of the drawing for the background.</span></div>
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<b><span class="txtContent">Claude Lorrain (1600-1682)</span></b></div>
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Claude Lorrain is traditionally known as just Claude in English but also known as Claude Gellée, his real name. He was a Baroque artist of French birth but later lived in Italy where he was known for his landscape painting. He was so popular at the time that a so called "Claude glass" which was a convex tinted mirror, was sold to travellers on the Grand Tour. They would turn
their backs to the view and look at it's reflection in the mirror, seeing it transformed into something like a Claude painting.</div>
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The landscape and sky are the predominant focus of his paintings even though they often contain figures. Apparently he used to ask other artists to paint in the figures and would say to his patrons that he sold them the landscape; the figures were <i>gratis</i>.</div>
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Claude's landscape drawings were very popular with the English aristocracy who where visiting France and Italy on their grand tours. Thus there are many of these sepia drawings and etching within English art collections. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claude Lorrain, Landscape with Country Dance</td></tr>
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Lorrain's Landscape with Country Dance is a pen and ink drawing with areas of brown and grey wash. The subject is a group of figures dancing while in the foreground animals graze (although one appears to be caught in the moment of falling off a cliff which is a bit odd). He has drawn in the details in the pen and ink and then gone over certain areas with a wash. The figures and front area have a grey wash applied in contrast to the foreground and trees that frame the image which have a darker, brown wash (which seems to tonally encircle the area with the figure in it). I'm not sure whether this is an effect of ageing but the grey area just don't look quite right. The grey wash has made these areas seem as if there is a fog over them. The actual detail is lovely though. From the foreground, the lines formed by the cliff edge and then the foliage and bridge behind for a zig-zag thet leads the viewer toward the castle in the distance and then to the area of sky where the sun is setting. Both of these techniques (using tone to frame the area of interest and using lines to lead the eye to it) are something I would like to use in my drawings. I notice looking back that the use of a darker tone to frame the image is not a technique that Durer applied in the drawings above, but I think it works quite well.<br />
This is one of a series of drawings in a sketchbook named "the Book of Truth" which he kept to ensure against forgeries.I've included the painting below as I though it was very interesting how he developed the composition and the changes he made. I wasn't even sure this was the painting that the sketch above refers too but it seems to be. One of the images appears to have been reversed as you can see the trees are mirror images. He has cropped the right hand side of the drawing off and he seems to have decided against the drama of the falling goat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ehpy17oZJz4/TpLmVZQjuWI/AAAAAAAAAgs/owLXCB4obFE/s1600/lorrian+landscape+with+a+country+dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ehpy17oZJz4/TpLmVZQjuWI/AAAAAAAAAgs/owLXCB4obFE/s320/lorrian+landscape+with+a+country+dance.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claude Lorrain, Landscape with a Country Dance</td></tr>
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The two drawing below I included becasue they both seemed more sketchy and show how Claude would carry out the drawing. He appeared have two stages, a pen and ink stage and a ink or watercolour wash either underneath or on top of the pen and ink. The first one "Landscape with ruins, pastoral and trees" shows how he has described the feature of the foreground using the pen and ink thus giving a defined edges but the more distant he has left with the wash only and thus looks further away. The focal point interestingly is the tower in the distance which is not clearly drawn but all of the other elements frame this and the eye is led to this central point.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oivJmUt-me0/TsJIKhtKzCI/AAAAAAAAAjI/sd62Ng1aIsk/s1600/Claude+Landscape+with+ruins+pastoral+figures+and+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oivJmUt-me0/TsJIKhtKzCI/AAAAAAAAAjI/sd62Ng1aIsk/s320/Claude+Landscape+with+ruins+pastoral+figures+and+trees.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claude - Landscape with ruins, pastoral figures and trees</td></tr>
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The drawing below is very different in his approach. He seems to have done a pen and ink drawing and then used a sepia ink wash over some of the foreground. It looks a bit like he'd started using the wash but then changed his mind. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tpOtwZtlNF8/TsJIQ81qMEI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/SKEGdly59Ow/s1600/Claude+Pastoral+Landscape+with+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tpOtwZtlNF8/TsJIQ81qMEI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/SKEGdly59Ow/s320/Claude+Pastoral+Landscape+with+trees.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claude - Pastoral Landscape with trees</td></tr>
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The next drawing "Landscape with a Rider and an Idealized View of Tivoli" is a lovely and very dramatic description of a landscape with a bridge in centre. The setting sun (or rising) is breaking through clouds and a horse and rider is dramatically silhouetted crossing the bridge. Using the lighting he has been able to make this drawing exciting. The contrasts between the dark shadows and the light highlights conveys emotion and drama. </div>
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The focal point of the drawing is central and he has framed this with trees and rocks on either side.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1xzkS0ob-c/TsJIbQpAANI/AAAAAAAAAjY/_j2ItYSjL2o/s1600/claude-drawing-rider-tivoli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1xzkS0ob-c/TsJIbQpAANI/AAAAAAAAAjY/_j2ItYSjL2o/s320/claude-drawing-rider-tivoli.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landscape with a Rider and an Idealized View of Tivoli, 1642. Pen and brown ink with dark brown wash on white paper</td></tr>
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<b>LS Lowry</b><br />
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Lowry is an artist I know very little about so I was looking forward to finding out more. He has a very distintive style and is one of the most well known British artists of the 20th Century. He is well know for his depictions of working life in Manchester and his simplistic matchstick figures.<br />
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Lowry would always do quick sketchs of things that caught his eye on any paper he could lay his hands on. He would build atmosphere is his drawings by smudging, erasing and rubbing the lines on the paper. He would then compose his paintings back at home, carefully placing figures in the correct spot. <br />
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Below are some of Lowry's drawings.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OmhZjHZfurU/TojZjgemTAI/AAAAAAAAAgU/-aVisq3jC6w/s1600/lowry+a+study+for+the+steps+Irk+place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OmhZjHZfurU/TojZjgemTAI/AAAAAAAAAgU/-aVisq3jC6w/s320/lowry+a+study+for+the+steps+Irk+place.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lowry - a study for the steps Irk place</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh1n_73SKqY/TojZkIT6N4I/AAAAAAAAAgY/c1Pow4WdeQw/s1600/lowry+LANCASHIRESCENE1925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh1n_73SKqY/TojZkIT6N4I/AAAAAAAAAgY/c1Pow4WdeQw/s320/lowry+LANCASHIRESCENE1925.JPG" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lowry - Lancashire Scene 1925</td></tr>
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The two drawings above are quite similar in line but because of the different media are very different style. The drawing on the right appears to have been done using charcoal while the left one is pencil (I think) giving a mich cleaner line. The city subject is typical for Lowry with the ever present chimney and smoke in the background. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-umnFY-NDMm8/TojZk-xcmcI/AAAAAAAAAgc/aMBjivDEqQI/s1600/lowry+PENDLEBURY1936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-umnFY-NDMm8/TojZk-xcmcI/AAAAAAAAAgc/aMBjivDEqQI/s320/lowry+PENDLEBURY1936.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lowry - Pendlebury1936</td></tr>
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In the drawing above he has chosen a more countryside scene with the industrial buildings on the horizon. His use of line and tone is really interesting. He seems to change the pressure applied to the pencil to give lines that are thick and dark in places and light in others. This is a geat technique for creating interest and useful for defining objects in the foreground from those in the middle ground. Unlike Claude's drawing above (and indeed in Lowrys other sketches above) where he depicts the objects in the distance using a much lighter touch and more vague outlines, Lowry has shown his industrial skyline as one of the darkest and most defined areas of the drawing. It works though and does not seem out of perspective. In fact you get the impression that the buildings are on the top of a hill and the middle ground is a valley. </div>
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<span style="color: black;">Lowry also manages to convey emotion in his drawings. The figures often seem to be stooped and battling against the cold. The countryside above shown a bleak winter landscape. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-79251744869828941202011-10-02T13:15:00.000-07:002011-10-02T13:15:21.946-07:00Research Point - Pentimenti<i>Mistakes in master drawings are known as pentimenti and the drawings are often more valuable if they contain pentimenti - find out about pentimenti and restatementsand find examples of them in famous drawings. Log your findings.</i><br />
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<b>Wikipedia - </b></div>
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<b>A </b><b>pentimento (plural </b><b>pentimenti) is an alteration in a
painting, evidenced by traces of previous work, showing that the artist
has changed his mind as to the composition during the process of
painting. The word derives from the Italian pentirsi, meaning to repent.</b><br />
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Most information regarding pentimenti is of those discovered in paintings. These pentimenti <span style="color: black;">are usually hidden beneath a
subsequent paint layer and are often discovered because this top layer of paint becomes more transparent with time but many are now being seen</span> in paintings since the advent of such methods as x-ray and infra-red which can detect different pigments in the underpainting due to their different chemical compositions.</div>
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I couldn't find much about pentimenti in drawings on the net (maybe becasue they are so obvious and common) so I decided to have a look at some drawings myself. I found many small pentimenti in Michelangelo's sketches. His study of Adam shows clearly multiple lines over the top of his left thigh where he has altered the width of his leg. Also there are fainter marks showing his left hand much lower. Whether this is a true pentimento or just another sketch of Adam's hand I'm not sure. In the second study (I'm not sure of the title of this) it is possible to see lines of the models arm slightly to the left of the final drawing where the srtist seems to have repositioned it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LSyrP5WXYwU/Toi1tLs24_I/AAAAAAAAAfs/KeQlnSjn_fI/s1600/michelangelo+adam+study.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LSyrP5WXYwU/Toi1tLs24_I/AAAAAAAAAfs/KeQlnSjn_fI/s320/michelangelo+adam+study.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cv-B4K2as6Y/Toi3AYbjM3I/AAAAAAAAAfw/B_JBqGFyT14/s1600/michelangelo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cv-B4K2as6Y/Toi3AYbjM3I/AAAAAAAAAfw/B_JBqGFyT14/s320/michelangelo.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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Michelangelo's sketch of The Lamentation over the Dead Christ shows many pentimenti according to the British Museum (they're not all visible looking at the image on the screen). They can be seen in the knees and in the face (the latter are turned more towards the
viewer) and they indicate a change of the artist`s viewpoint in relation
to the model. There are also marks in black chalk around the hip area which are though to be adjustments by Michelangelo. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X436EhqhNLo/Toi6-Lyd26I/AAAAAAAAAf0/hTBA4WtQzm8/s1600/michelangelo+christ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X436EhqhNLo/Toi6-Lyd26I/AAAAAAAAAf0/hTBA4WtQzm8/s320/michelangelo+christ.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lamentation over the Dead Christ - Michelangelo</td></tr>
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Young Girl in Profile in Renaissance Dress by Da Vinci (although this is a matter of contention) apparently shows numerous pentimenti but annoyingly I haven't been able to find out exactly where these are and as they were detected using infra-red, they aren't visible to the naked eye. Wikipedia have kindly circled a fingerprint in the image below - don't think this is classed as pentimenti but is quite interesting! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yorn0hWoLdc/Toi-Dp_PbII/AAAAAAAAAf4/PGV-FtXxUzA/s1600/Vinci%252C_Leonardo_da_%2528attributed%2529_-_La_Bella_Principessa_-_16th_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yorn0hWoLdc/Toi-Dp_PbII/AAAAAAAAAf4/PGV-FtXxUzA/s320/Vinci%252C_Leonardo_da_%2528attributed%2529_-_La_Bella_Principessa_-_16th_c.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Young Girl in Profile in Renaissance Dress - Da Vinci</b></i></td></tr>
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I also found a great pentimento surfing for more Leonardo drawings. I'm not sure what the title of this study is but it's really obvious how the artist has completely changed the position of the sitter's hands and lifted the right hand much higher instead of clasped together.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVS0bON0MWY/TojBNsVc0mI/AAAAAAAAAf8/8ZbHhUjj-LY/s1600/hands+leonardo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVS0bON0MWY/TojBNsVc0mI/AAAAAAAAAf8/8ZbHhUjj-LY/s320/hands+leonardo.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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Below are some paintings with pentimento are below. The portrait of Jacques de Norvins by Ingres was<br />
painted in 1811–12. The sitter was at that time Napoleon's
Chief of Police in Rome and the painting originally was thought to have the bust of Napoleon's son on the left of the sitter. The bust has been painted out and covered by the curtain on the left but it is still possible to see the bust, it's chin level with the sitters head. Because of the reason for the change, it could be argued that this change is not pentimenti however.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WD6hO9_b8a0/ToioWod5acI/AAAAAAAAAfo/2GCiXNE_uvs/s1600/Jean-Auguste-Dominique-Ingres-Jacques-Marquet-Baron-de-Montbreton-de-Norvins-Oil-Painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WD6hO9_b8a0/ToioWod5acI/AAAAAAAAAfo/2GCiXNE_uvs/s200/Jean-Auguste-Dominique-Ingres-Jacques-Marquet-Baron-de-Montbreton-de-Norvins-Oil-Painting.jpg" width="159" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacques de Norvins by Ingres</td></tr>
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<b> </b>In Caravaggio's, <i>The Cardsharps</i> there are a number of small changes which were revealed with infra-red reflectograms. They show that the artist changed the position of the
figure on the right. Caravaggio was known to have composed his paintings straight onto the canvas without the aid of preliminary drawings. Such artists tend to have more pentiment in their paintings due to this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="160" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Cardsharps.jpg/220px-Cardsharps.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="220" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cardsharps by Caravaggio</td></tr>
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<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword">One</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">of</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">the</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">most</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">famous</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">examples</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">is</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">a</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">double</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">hat</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">brim</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">in</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">Rembrandt's</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">"Flora"</span>. I think this is the right picture below but there are several versions of Flora. It is possible to see a darker area which is possibly the change to make the hat much smaller.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-29IzsFA3_IU/TojExTxDtGI/AAAAAAAAAgA/eFvKjpaXf5s/s1600/rembrandt+flora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-29IzsFA3_IU/TojExTxDtGI/AAAAAAAAAgA/eFvKjpaXf5s/s320/rembrandt+flora.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rembrandt - Flora</td></tr>
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<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-23125311760050235332011-09-11T08:45:00.000-07:002012-01-02T14:09:51.123-08:00Assignment 4 - Landscape Drawing<b><u>Sketchbook Walk</u></b><br />
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I had to do this over several walks due to the miserable weather and had to take some photos so that I could complete it. The first few sketches were too detailed I think so I then tried to do quicker sketches. For this section I made notes on the back of the pages since they were only A5 and didn't have much space.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oPypDmqxB5s/Tv9AGsvCAiI/AAAAAAAAAng/wYXqB9TVOwA/s1600/IMG_1157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oPypDmqxB5s/Tv9AGsvCAiI/AAAAAAAAAng/wYXqB9TVOwA/s320/IMG_1157.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A5 pen</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This sketch above is looking from our local canal path over a boggy field of reeds towards a hillside with a section of trees and pylons. The sky was mostly clear with some clouds and the evening sun was quite low in the sky and casting long shadows. There was no wind. The focal point was the treeline leading up to the pylons. The ploughed lines on the field led the eye up towards the pylons in the distance as did the treeline which serves as the middle ground. The foreground showed the bull rushes (I think that's what they are) coming up out of the grass. </i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gwe8VXvULTs/Tv9AN-RIJTI/AAAAAAAAAnk/OYZC86iaQlg/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gwe8VXvULTs/Tv9AN-RIJTI/AAAAAAAAAnk/OYZC86iaQlg/s320/IMG_1158.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A5 pen</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This sketch was done from a photo of Birnie Loch. I liked the way the trees were hanging over the water and causing shadows over the water. It had been a cloudy day with some sun coming from the right. I spent a bit too loch trying to show the leaves on the trees. I think this has worked but I've taken too long and should have just shown the basic shapes. </i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hHkDsNGUM10/Tv9AjZ4hQbI/AAAAAAAAAns/KPN2iprXQqg/s1600/IMG_1160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hHkDsNGUM10/Tv9AjZ4hQbI/AAAAAAAAAns/KPN2iprXQqg/s320/IMG_1160.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A5 pen</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The above sketch is a local path where we walk the dog. You can see the church spire in the distance while there are groups of trees in the middle and foreground. The focal point are the trees in the middle ground which the path leads the eye too. I think the composition of this sketch has worked and could be worked up to a larger painting. The weather was getting quite dull as the clouds were coming over. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hd730-81iMI/Tv9Aau6x29I/AAAAAAAAAno/t7t0B1egwvs/s1600/IMG_1159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hd730-81iMI/Tv9Aau6x29I/AAAAAAAAAno/t7t0B1egwvs/s320/IMG_1159.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A5 pen</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is another view on our normal walk. The path leads the eye to the trees and school building in the distance. I just scribbled a lot to get the shadows under the trees. The path would be nicer if it wasn't so straight I think. The sun came out for this sketch and was casting strong shadows of the wall and the trees.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>After doing these sketches I felt they were too detailed and I should have worked faster. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EkLWq2vtRig/Tv9A475bhWI/AAAAAAAAAn0/UbzZXBc-q5Y/s1600/IMG_1162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EkLWq2vtRig/Tv9A475bhWI/AAAAAAAAAn0/UbzZXBc-q5Y/s320/IMG_1162.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A5 pencil</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The above sketch of a group of trees is a very simple composition. I tried to simplify the shapes of the trees and just scribbled in the tones. The trees are the focal point and there's not much else to it. The weather was cloudy with some sunny spells. I've written on the back that the background and foreground was a mid tone while the fields in the mid ground were lighter. I think I've made the distance too dark however. Distant objects should be fainter and mistier. I think the problems been that the field was maybe a crop that was lighter in tone and reflecting the sun too.</i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XcvxfbRmHaY/Tv9AuXI9GOI/AAAAAAAAAmg/q0khPAiOfJs/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XcvxfbRmHaY/Tv9AuXI9GOI/AAAAAAAAAmg/q0khPAiOfJs/s320/IMG_1161.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A5 pencil - View from window</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The above thumbnail sketches were an attempt to do some drawing from my window once the rain started (and hasn't stopped since!). I tried to work as quickly as possible. The problem with these are the difficulty to find an interesting subject. The first sketch would be better and less complicated if I had just omitted the tree in my garden and concentrated on my neighbours. </i></span><br />
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<u><b>360 Studies</b></u><br />
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I was on holiday in Italy staying with my in-laws in Genova so I took the opportunity to get some sketching done while making use of the babysitters. Their apartment has lovely grounds with a wide variety of different tree types. I was able to sit in a clearing on the grass and move round to see all the views below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RoMcMjGVGGg/Tv9BELaMv_I/AAAAAAAAAnA/51_Sbs-GNPo/s1600/IMG_1163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RoMcMjGVGGg/Tv9BELaMv_I/AAAAAAAAAnA/51_Sbs-GNPo/s320/IMG_1163.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A5 pen - View south west</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_1eh--5cdWI/Tv9BP9quzFI/AAAAAAAAAn8/URnUd5q9Hx8/s1600/IMG_1164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_1eh--5cdWI/Tv9BP9quzFI/AAAAAAAAAn8/URnUd5q9Hx8/s320/IMG_1164.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A5 pen - View North East </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k81KVXQ0eyk/Tv9BaexrF2I/AAAAAAAAAoE/pxrJW--6nR4/s1600/IMG_1166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k81KVXQ0eyk/Tv9BaexrF2I/AAAAAAAAAoE/pxrJW--6nR4/s320/IMG_1166.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A5 pen - View north west</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qWN9JbwrHLU/Tv9BgMLj3EI/AAAAAAAAAoM/II1ro3tYko4/s1600/IMG_1165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qWN9JbwrHLU/Tv9BgMLj3EI/AAAAAAAAAoM/II1ro3tYko4/s320/IMG_1165.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A5 pen - View South east</td></tr>
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<b><u>Drawing cloud formations</u></b><br />
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It's very hard to get to sketch anything other than rain clouds living in the west of Scotland. Before I did this exercise I didn't realise how featureless and boring the cloud cover is here most of the time. I spent weeks getting really frustrated whenever I was out and about and saw more interesting clouds but wasn't able to sketch them and then the weekends had permanent rain. So I didn't get a huge variety of cloud types and had to work from photos in places.The majority of cloud types were low cumulus or stratus I think. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fkPBcgkZ1Wg/Tv881pvopyI/AAAAAAAAAj0/JFOSfGcT2iY/s1600/IMG_1142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fkPBcgkZ1Wg/Tv881pvopyI/AAAAAAAAAj0/JFOSfGcT2iY/s320/IMG_1142.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A3 sketchbook Charcoal, oil pastels, conte, pastels</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 oil pastels on coloured pencil</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 sketchbook pastels and compressed charcoal</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 sketchbook oil pastels and carre pastels on coloured pencil</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_nrVz-g52Gk/Tv89jnSCmdI/AAAAAAAAAkA/y7aa3pvqCXo/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_nrVz-g52Gk/Tv89jnSCmdI/AAAAAAAAAkA/y7aa3pvqCXo/s320/IMG_1144.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 charcoal in sketchbook</td></tr>
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<b><u>Plotting Space through composition and structure</u></b><br />
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I chose for this section, a photo I had taken from Kinnoul Hill near Perth. The view is fantastic and looks over the Tay river winding though the fields.This drawing took me ages to complete. Doing a large (ish) drawing in pencil with pencil I found really hard and time consuming. The gorse bush in the foreground was particularly difficult. I tried to keep the spiky nature of the leaves by doing a scribbley technique. <br />
I'm not really happy with it, it's a bit pale and doesn't have a central point of interest. I thought the river would provide this but it hasn't really worked. I was a bit confused with the instructions which mentioned water soluble pencils so I tried using some water soluble colour pencils but I quickly realised this looked very odd and stopped.<br />
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This photo is particularly washed out compared to the original but it still didn't have a focus that I could darken. I guess this is when you have to use artistic licence a bit and not draw exactly what you see. It was however not half as bad as I thought it would be when I kept stopping and starting so I'm very glad I finished it even if I wouldn't put it up on the wall!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A2 Pencil </td></tr>
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<b><u>Check and Log</u></b><br />
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1. In what way did you simplify and select in your study? Were you able to focus on simple shapes and patterns amid all the visual information.<br />
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I found this quite difficult when I started especially with trees and I tried to show the shapes of the leaves and their shadows. I found the quickest way of doing this was to use a scribbley technique which I found worked quite well with pen and was quite effective. I tried simplifying the trees to their basic shapes but they tend to look very simple and childlike. Buildings are much easier to simplify into basic shapes. <br />
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2. How did you create a sense of distance and form in your sketches<br />
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Tonal differences are very useful to show distance and form. Atmospheric perspective says that objects in the distant background will be lighter in tone and will be slightly misty and out of focus. I have done this in the larger drawing from Kinnoul Hill but not so much in the small sketches. I think however, even in these sketches I have shown the difference between more distant objects and the foreground. Primarily I have done this by size and overlaying objects in front. <br />
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3. How did you use light and shade? Was it successful?<br />
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This is more difficult if there is no sun to create shadows. In the drawings I did in Italy the shadows are more evident because of the stronger sun. Under the trees I have created areas of shade and the tree trunks are much darker. The white paper showing through seems like highlights where the sun is reflecting off something. <br />
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The larger drawing from Kinnoul hill hasn't been so successful in this respect. This is why it looks so washed out. The photo was taken on a bright day so there wasn't much shadows. I chose this photo because it had the bushes in the foreground and the hill in the background and the river and fields served as the middle ground. These areas however are are still quite distant though which removes a lot of the detail in which light and shade can be shown.<br />
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4. What additional preliminary work would have been helpful towards the larger study?<br />
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I think my main problem with this drawing was the lack of a focal point and the lack of tonal variations in the middle ground. The dark area of the bushes in the foreground seem to need something else in the composition to balance them. If I was to do it again I would look for something I could place in the middle ground to attract the eye that would provide a darker area. Alternatively I could darken the areas with the trees on the hills in the middle ground. I'm a bit scared to do that for fear of ruining the drawing completely. The trees were the same tone as the fields in the photo but I wonder if this definition has been lost.<br />
So in essence some preliminary sketches would have helped in the composition and to study the area properly to find a better viewpoint.<br />
<br />Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618316282014853174.post-85423394285146649322011-09-11T08:24:00.001-07:002012-03-10T07:50:21.866-08:00Research point - Cloud Formations<i>Look up information about cloud types and make some notes on the different formations in your sketchbook.</i><br />
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I found this great cartoon of the main cloud types:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kATzItmo8I8/TwXSj9r9UmI/AAAAAAAAAo8/2l715v07LFo/s1600/cloudchart.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kATzItmo8I8/TwXSj9r9UmI/AAAAAAAAAo8/2l715v07LFo/s320/cloudchart.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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It seems there are 3 main layers of cloud types: low clouds include stratus, cumulus and stratocumulus; middle layer clouds include altostratus and altocumulus and high level clouds include the wispy cirrus, cirrocumulus and cumulonimbus. There are other types too but these are the main types. Cumulus have "vertical displacement" and can therefore occur at any level and are the big bubbly clouds you tend to see associated with thunder storms.<br />
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Looking at this cartoon I think the majority of clouds I've drawn have been the low level types, mainly cumulus.<br />
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Possibly some altocumulus above (bottom right). Rest are probably cumulus.<br />
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These two above look like typical cumulus clouds.<br />
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This last one is stratus and I think our most common cloud type here in Glasgow (when its not pouring).<br />
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I experimented using pastels on black paper. I think it's worked quite well. The pastels are good at creating the fluffy edges of the cumulus clouds. The dark paper shows through and creates a great effect and the white highlights on the clouds are more dramatic on the dark paper. Other colours of paper would be interesting to experiment with. If there was a lot of blue sky, an orange paper would be great to make the blue sky really vibrant. Similarly if it was a sunset and the clouds were coloured yellow or orange, a purple or blue paper would work quite well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Cf5zb-a4UY/T1t2nlWEYFI/AAAAAAAABDw/85Hc1Gj2jis/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Cf5zb-a4UY/T1t2nlWEYFI/AAAAAAAABDw/85Hc1Gj2jis/s320/IMG_1268.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A4 pastels on black paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kappletohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17052721639203453651noreply@blogger.com0