Assignment One.

Analysis.

I began this project by choosing a subject. I live in country, so I decided I wanted to explore local landscapes which I see everyday. I chose this farm house for its dynamic shapes. The tall trees the rolling hills create a strong triangular composition. I had previously attempted to draw this view in Drawing (1) and I felt it was a strong image to develop further. As I proceeded to develop this drawing I decided too look at different angles and ways of portraying the view. I took many photographs and looked at different lighting conditions, times of day and weather, and how this effected the composition, colour palette and general mood of the piece. In my exploration stage I also looked at different media, I felt this was helpful in learning how I could use different tones and types of mark making. I looked at landscape and portrait formats and how this affected the composition. While I think some strong images came out of the portrait format sketches I felt this view was very much suited to landscape. 

Next I moved onto doing a few initial studies in acrylic. I  tried out different colour pallettes and different times of day. I was inspired by Turner's colour studies for landscape. Turner's studies allow the viewer to tell the time of day and type of landscape by simply by glancing at the colours, I felt this accuracy of colour was important to my finished piece. I painted from photography, though some of the sketches were painted from life. I decided that my final piece would be capturing a wintery day at about 3 o'clock, on a hazy overcast afternoon. At this time of day the distant trees are a light shade of blue contrasting strongly with the bare dark branches in the foreground creating a sense of space and drama. The fields are green, becoming yellow where the light hits them. I was influenced by Eedward Saego's work and landscape art from the 1930s and 40s more generally. I was attracted to the blocky use of paint and the solid yet expressive images that come out of this way of working.

A more modern artist that inspired me was Andrew Wyeth and his american winter landscapes

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I decided to work on canvas board, The canvas board lends an interesting texture, complimenting the texture of the paint. It is definitely something I would use again. I began with an undercoat of yellow ochre to bring out warmer and earthier colours in the landscape. I sketched in the details lightly in burnt umber acrylic. I then began mixing some of the colour I had created in my colour studies. I began to put in the in the sky and trees and larger details. Gradually putting in more and more definition, trying to work on the painting as a whole. 

I think the finished painting is reasonably successful. I think the buildings appear solid and you get a good sense of depth, with the blueish trees in the distance.  I usually struggle to be more expressive and not get caught up in the details, but I feel I managed here to create something looser and more expressive. If I was to do this again, I might introduce some cooler colours, less strong contrast and subtly of tone. I'm quite disappointed with the sky, I think I could have brought a little more definition and atmosphere to the clouds. Overall I think the positives outweigh the negatives and I feel this is a good step forward for me and very much outside my comfort zone. 

Original drawing from Drawing (1)

Marker pen.

Marker pen.

Dip in pen.

pencil.

 Brush pen thumbnail 

Watercolour thumbnail sketches.

Acrylic paint.

Acrylic paint.

Watercolour 

Acrylic paint.

Acrylic paint.

Colour palette test.

Final piece.

Acrylic paint.

Exercise: Tonal Study On a Dark Ground.

(1)

(2)

(3)

Notes.
I began this exercise by painting the three backgrounds. I decided to choose the colours, brown, blue and grey. I began sketching in the details in dark acrylic and then began to build up the mid tones, using the background for shadowy areas. I finished the pieces by adding the highlights, and finer details. My first piece  (1) I think is the most successful of the three. I think the combination of accurate shapes create a sense of solidity. And the slightly exaggerated colours using blues in the shadows and warmer tones in the highlights create a strong sense of 3d depth. I tried to use a whole spectrum of colours including blues and yellows and reds, which I think keeps the colours from not feeling too muddy.
(2) was also quite successful. The shadows create an interesting sense of depth and tone. However I feel the effect of the blue is quite overpowering. And If I was to make this piece again I might choose to incorporate some other colours.
I feel like (3) is the least successful of the three paintings. I was trying to see how far I could take simplifying of the shapes. I think it ended up looking rather flat and uninteresting. I think if I was to try this piece again I would try using some purer contrasting colours to give it more appeal and a sense of 3d space.

Exercise: Tonal Study On White Ground.

graphite stick preparatory sketches.

Acrylic.

Notes,
I started with a couple of graphite stick preparatory sketches just to find a good composition,
then moved on to the final painting. 
I do find it hard getting a good rang of tones, not my strongest point, and something I really want to improve on.

Never the less, I do think it was reasonably successful, 

I think it was a helpful exercise, by eliminating colour and just working on tone it really shows up that rendering the tones accurately is the really critical factor. Without an accurate interpretation of the tones, the painting will always fall flat. 

Exercise: Monochrome Studies.

Watercolour.

Notes.
I enjoyed this exercise.  I think the result was quite successful. The shapes  and flow of the tree are quite aesthetically pleasing.The interior spaces are more easily understand, because that's the way our brains naturally perceives things, as solid objects.

Acrylic.

Note.
This is image was the image where I was trying to work with negative spaces. Something as complex as a tree with many interweaving branches is pretty difficult to get your head around. It requires a lot of concentration, but I did find it rewarding in the end. I think paying more attention to the negative spaces will definitely have an impact on how accurate my drawing is. 

Exercise: Overlaying Washes.

Watercolour washes.

Notes.
This experimental was really great. I feel like I learned a lot about how paint behaves. The level of control is much greater when the paper is dry. The colour becomes much darker and more opaque as you layer it. Painting over dry paint seems to act in quite an even and predictable way. There is more contrast between the layers at the top of the piece. The wet paint has built up at the bottom due to painting on a slightly sloped surface. This build up of paint has led to a darker base. But there is also less contrast between the layers since the slower drying time has led to more a bleeding and mixing between the layers.

Exercise. Painting With Pastels.

Notes.
I was doubtful at first, of using pastels. I have used them before and found them difficult. The lack control I find quite difficult to deal with. It's difficult to erase marks you have already made. This means you have to think a lot in advance about what you want you want to achieve. I did however enjoy the vibrant colours you can make. I discovered that the reds and yellows on colder blues and greens create a very strong and interesting contrast. A good effect for capturing colour and somehow warmth and heat.

Exercise. Applying Paint Without Brushes.

Notes.
Interesting exercise, one that you can keep doing again and again, as there is no limit to how you can apply paint.
I worked in acrylic paint. I used knives, sponges, old credit cards and tooth-brushes, rags and hands.