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.

Exercise (3) Study of Several Trees. Project (1) Trees

watercolour wash with watercolour pencil on a white support.

(Disappointed that the photograph didn't bring out the intensity of the colour of the original drawing.)

I wanted to capture the graceful sweep of these trees, the smooth tree bark and big dark shiny leaves.

I started with a wash of watercolour, 

(by putting a wash down I find it helps to give me a confidence of line when using the pencil, I know were I am going.)

When that was dry I used several tones of green watercolour pencil, to define the shapes, cross-hatching to consolidate the forms and lastly I added a bit of water to the pencil. 

Not enough darks in the leaves and shadows....or anywhere in fact, and I didn't get the effect I wanted, were the tree trunks, the ground beneath them and the foliage above was all very dark (almost silhouetted) against the sunlight background.

Although not dark enough, I quite liked the way the leaves came out, with the watercolour I had made lots of downward paintbrush strokes, trying to simulate a leaves, then put in pencil, outlining the leaves closest to me and further back attempting those odd shapes, almost triangular in places.

It could have been better, if I had been braver with my darks. 

Exercise (2) Larger Observational Study of an Individual Tree. Project (1) Trees

In spite of all of the drawings I didn't manage to put in any tree roots. I love drawing roots, there is something like the Celtic knot patterns about them, I find them so interesting and fun to draw.

Will try and find some way of squeezing them in somewhere...perhaps.  

Fountain pen and wash.

I think some of the branches worked better then others, the ones going away from the viewer as opposed to the coming forward branches, which are less successful.

Black marker and conté.

watercolour pencil and fountain pen.

watercolour pencil and watercolour.

Three shades of felt tip pen.

Brown pencil.

I think this drawing has some good elements. 

I do like the tree, it is quite unusual and quite beautiful, with it's practically non-existent trunk and odd mishmash of branches (most bolt upright and a few smaller ones at angle.) 

It was interesting to draw.

I think many years ago it must have been coppiced.

Exercise (1) Sketching Individual Trees. Project (1) Trees.

I love drawing trees, and enjoyed these exercises very much... and am looking forward to the rest of the project.

I think trees such a good things to draw, 

I could draw the same tree 100 times and not feel I had done it justice.

In this exercise I wanted to incorporate a range of varied types of tree, using a range of  materials, and see what the best results were.

Fountain pen.

I like this quick sketch,

I am trying to be freer with my lines (as the feedback from my last assignment suggested.) and I think it worked here.

 Two shades of brown watercolour pencils 

(water applied,) and fountain pen.

Don't like this one so much, it seems a bit rigid, it doesn't have much of a flow to it.  

Fountain pen (sepia ink) and wash.

Watercolour and fountain pen.

Marker pen.

Graphite pencil.

Watercolour pencils and water.

This is one of the more worked drawings in this exercise. I have been experimenting with different ways of drawing foliage, and think this is quite a successful way. 

Graphite pencil. 

Don't think I got the lovely sweep to this tree, it had a beautiful curve to it, not too bad a drawing, just a bad drawing of that tree. 

Red chalk pencil. 

Trying my hand at weeping willow's leaves, lots of fun.

Whiteboard marker and watercolour wash.

Fineliner and Conté.

Black felt tip pen and watercolour.

Maybe this was taking the free lines a bit too far? 

Not sure, But it was fun playing with the washes of watercolour, putting a yellow everywhere the strong sun light falls and a blue in all the shadow areas. 

Response to Feedback on Assignment Two.

This is my response to the feedback I have received.

 This is my reworked Assignment Two.

Thumbnail with watercolour pencil.

I had two new and different tries at the Assignment.

I like the second better then the first, the line just got too dark and messy, but it is a lot looser than the original.

Whiteboard marker, fountain pen, watercolour wash, conté sticks and white chalk.

Fountain pen, watercolour washes, (a little black  conté) and white chalk. 

I consider this one better then the above.

I took an even more loose approach (as suggested), trying to describe the form with scribbly fountain pen lines, I like using fountain pen, its so flowing and you can get a variation of line (unlike fineliner)...and trying at all costs to avoid being precious. 

I made the background just a blur of darks, and just lightly indicated the window, 

because I wished to draw more attention to the carving. 

I was interested in tried to get the expression and personality of the carved creature, and I think I was more successful then in the original Assignment.

Thought I might just mention that...

My tutor recommended listening to poetry when working, 

I already did this a bit before, but now I have begun in earnest, mostly the romantic poets, 

I also love to listen to audio-books, in particular the classics. 

It's very interesting how what I am listening to affects my work, sometimes only ever so subtly.