Exercise (2) Foreground, Middle-ground and Background. Project (3) Composition.

I chose this drawing from "Exercise (2) Sketchbook Walk."

Graphite stick, pencil, fineliner and a blue-ish watercolour wash and a spot or two of white acrylic paint. 

I began by blocking in areas of tone with a large graphite stick,

then putting in more defined shapes with pencil, like branches, leaves 

and the bridge.

I then started in with a rubber, establishing the light. 

I inked the tree to the right and the hanging down willow leaves to the left, to bring the forward. 

I now had a fairly finished drawing, and could have stopped there, instead I put on a wash of blue watercolour, not because the picture needed it necessarily, but I was interested to see and experiment with how it would affect the depth of the drawing, and if the graphite (soft and easily smudged) would affect the watercolour. 

On the whole, I was reasonably pleased with the outcome of the finished piece, and think I managed to get a feeling of depth to it.

If I were to do it again I would have cropped the left hand side of the drawing as I don't really like the willow leaves, if there were a few, just in the corner, I feel it would have been more effective, but as they are I think they just get in the way and confuse that area.

Maybe it would have actually look better  in portrait rather then landscape.    

Research Point.

Exercise (1) Developing Your Studies. Project (3) Composition.

The drawing below I chose from "Exercise (2) Sketchbook Walk."

I thought it was an interesting scene and the farm buildings formed quite a nice point of interest.    

Fountain pen.

I returned to the location, and took a photograph, 

and did a load more quick sketches of the farm.  

Whiteboard marker.

Whiteboard marker.

Pencil.

Drawn with brush and watercolour.

So now, (at home) I worked from all of these drawings, the photograph as well as memory.

"High Trees Farm." Pencil on a white support.

I began by loosely plotting out were every thing was going to be positioned with a light line drawing.

Then I used the side of my pencil (getting a thickish line) and did my best at getting rendering the drawing.

I was conscious of attempting a certain way of drawing, a style, a bit like how Edward Seago used his pencil.

I like trying to emulate ways that other artists draw... and then mix the styles.

Research Point.

Research Point.

Exercise (3) 360° Studies. Project (2) Landscape.

For my 360° studies I chose the view of the college my father teaches in.

There is a sort of monument at the front of the building, with four sides to it, and convenient steps all the way round. I sat on each of the four sides in turn and draw the view.

I used pen, watercolour washes in a brown sepia and highlights in white acrylic.

West view.

North view.

East view.

South view. 

I quite like some of these drawings, the last one in particular, I like the way the wall and building to the right recede.

Exercise (2) Sketchbook Walk. Project (2) Landscape.

Pen and a bit of coloured pencil.

For my first sketch, I chose a view with a little wooden bridge as the focus point, with dark trees framing it.

I like this composition, not so keen on the execution, too many meaningless lines, it all looks a bit of a mess. If I had used fewer lines, the ones I would have used, would have ended up having to say more.

Watercolour pencil.

This has the same problem as the one before.

With quick sketches I don't really have time to start dealing with complex variations in tone, I can indicate roughly darks and lights, but this just ends up looking like a not very good drawing taking a long time, which it wasn't, it needs to look like a quick drawing, its pointless trying to make a sketch look like a finished work of art. 

Conté and pen.

This one is a bit freer, but I wish I hadn't put pen in the background and just saved it for the foreground, to get depth, as it looks a bit flat.

Fountain pen.

I changed technique on this drawing, I very much like the view, the farm buildings on the hill form a pleasing cluster, and the very tall trees on the left create an interesting horizon-line.

Not sure I got the building to the right very well, they don't seem to work with the rest of the buildings.

Watercolour wash and then watercolour pencil.

I like this one, especially the foliage in around the bottom of the tree. But I wish I had positioned the tree further to the left and darked the tree and fence, so it framed the view beyond.  

I also wish I had worked more on the landscape in the background.

(I know the course work said only four sketches, but I saw this tree and liked the look of it.)

Research Point.

I watched the video at, https://vimeo.com/22299024 
with Vija Celmins talking about her work. 
I like lots of her work, especially the images of cobwebs and the sea surfaces. I like the way, although her drawings are very photo-realistic, there is a touch of mystery and magic about them. She manages to create a pattern and texture with her photo realistic images.

Drawing of cobweb, Vija Celmins.

Exercise (1) Cloud Formations and Tone. Project (2) Landscape.

6B graphite stick.

I covered the page in a in graphite to get a mid-tones then worked back into it with a rubber and more graphite. 

I am a bit disappointed with the result, usually I find it is a good technique for getting form, but this drawing appears quite flat, maybe I just didn't spend enough time on it.

Whiteboard marker with blue watercolour wash.

Felt tip pen.

This (and the one above) were of clouds moving very fast across the sky, so I didn't have much time, but lots of fun.

A few different tones of Conté on a blue support.

Conté, pastels and a touch of white acrylic paint on blue paper. 

Much prefer these attempts, to the  previous ones, they still don't seem to capture the volume of the clouds (to the extent I was after), but its an improvement on the drawings before. 

I really liked using the Conté and pastels on the blue,  

I was pleased with the way the fine, feathery bits, that seem to come off the bigger, more solid looking clouds, came out.

Research Point.

Albrecht Dürer is a favourite artist of mine, and his landscapes are wonderful.

 Albrecht Dürer, View of the Arco Valley in the Tyrol.
The way he designs his landscapes are interesting,

I like the way he doesn't put the hill in the middle of the composition, but slightly to the left, there is something very pleasing about it, as well as the way he distribute the darks across the page, and has those lovely light hills in the background...it really draws the eye in.

The Tres Riches Heures of the Duc de Berry has a detailed landscape for each month, which captures the feeling and mood of the seasons. 

This is from the Duke De Berry's "Book of Hours,"
It is interesting, lots of mediaeval art is drawn from the imagination, therefore the artist is able to design his page like an illustration  and create the ideal. This, I think, is a particularly beautiful example of composition.

I was reading how when Thomas Gainsborough couldn't get out into the landscape, he made them, 
he used coal for big rocks, moss for grass and other greenery, mirrors for water and broccoli for trees, and then paint from them...I love this, so very inventive.


I looked at some of George Shaw's work.

This is an interesting one, the red telephone box is very much juxtaposed against the somewhat sombre and run-down surroundings.