Project 4
Exercise 3
In this exercise we looked at material differences again, and what kinds of materials or media we may use to depict a particular object. It also states that we should focus on tonal range and how we can portray these different tones using a range of materials. There are many different textures and styles that can be used to create different appearances and I find it really intriguing to experiment with these.
For this task, I decided to focus on the same area of my bedroom as the previous exercise, which was the radiator/shelf with the pots and plant upon it.
First, I lightly sketched out the shape of the objects and the radiator. Recently, I’ve learnt that my light sketches do not need to be perfect or entirely accurate. They are loose and light outlines. Simply, a base to my sketch.
I wasn’t sure where to begin regarding the tones of the piece, so, as instructed, I squinted and found that my eye was drawn towards the potted plant and the area of it most in shadow – the darker tones. The plant pot, to me, was the main focus. The ceramic pot was extremely smooth towards the bottom, and blended upwards into a similarly smooth, but reflective surface. I used a small piece of charcoal to create this tone, blending it with the tip of my finger to show the smooth, creaminess of the ceramic.
Next, I moved up into the darker tones of the leaves. I could see that the leaf in the very centre was far darker than the rest, as it was shadowed by the surrounding leaves. As they are smooth and rubbery looking, I used the same piece of charcoal to show this, and, again, smoothed it along with my fingertip. Then, I lightly lined the edges of the leaves either side, that were ever so slightly in shadow, with the same charcoal.
It’s amazing that even adding detail as small as this already began to transform a simple sketch into something that attracts attention.
Now, I felt that I was in the swing of things so continued on my way with the darker tones. For the pots to the left of the plant, I used a combination of conte sticks. These items were different materials, however, I found that the dark tones of the items didn’t differ much. When an item is heavily shadowed, it almost loses its texture. Just to mix things up a little bit with these two pots, I blended black and grey conte sticks to form the dark tones of each. Then, lightly, using the black conte stick, I lined the rims of the pots.
I’ll admit, this was my least favourite part of this piece. I found it very annoying.
To create the black checkered casing / detailing around the candle holder in the centre, I used a black pastel. The plastic was very dark, and even a piece of black charcoal didn’t seem dark enough. After testing a variety of black materials out in my sketchbook, I found that the black pastel was the darkest and the one that stood out the most. I needed the pastel to show through the shading, as no matter how shadowed the areas of the candle holder were, the details of the plastic surrounding it would show through.
This almost felt like using the mark making technique that we focused on previously, however, in this case, the lines were spaced further apart and I wasn’t using the technique for shading.
Looking at this piece, something didn’t feel quite right until I noticed that the light hitting the glass rim of the candle holder caused a white reflection. Picking up my white conte stick, I subtly added the reflection that I could see. Again, this is another example of how adding what seems like a simple detail can help transform a sketch.
As usual, I forgot that I was meant to be photographing my progress! However, I managed to briefly catch myself.
Using a combination of a black conte stick and oil pastel, I added more definition to the darker tones. As you can see, doing this transformed the previous darker tones into mid tones. I found this really fascinating, as I had previously thought those dark tones were very dark.
I’m really pleased with the effect that the small details on the upper half of the ceramic plant pot had. It really shows the curvature of the pot and all the different areas that the light have hit. To make these areas pop that bit more, I used my white conte stick to go over white areas, bringing those areas of reflected light to attention that bit more. Often, I forget that the darker tones aren’t the most important tones and that the small, light ones, such as the areas of reflected light, are just as crucial to the piece.
The tiny little pot on the left was surrounded by a smooth label, so I took the same approach as I had with the ceramic pot. The texture seemed almost creamy, so I didn’t want too much shine in it. Using a combination of the conte sticks, and blending with my fingers, I was able to portray this.
The Final Outcome
You know me, I always forget to document the full process of my pieces. But here we are!
I used the black conte stick to go over the outlines of the radiator and then smudged some charcoal into the edges to show some depth. I then added the surrounding shadowed areas where the light was blocked, e.g. within the indentations on the radiator, along the top of it, between the items and on the surrounding wall.
The shadows were fairly subtle as the natural light was very soft, so I used a small piece of charcoal and used a similar technique to frottage – gently rubbing the charcoal on it’s side, covering the area in which I could see the shadow. This created a soft, smooth shadow effect, which I really liked! To soften it further, I smoothed it with my hand to blend it along.
I noticed that where we have frequently lit the candle, that it has marked the wall – oops. Using a white conte stick which has become slightly dirtied by the darker materials I’ve used, I smudged this above the candle and I feel pretty happy with the turn-out. Originally, I was going to leave this out, but I thought why? So I added it, and it’s another small detail that adds more depth to the image.
Finally, I went around and added any more small details that I had missed out the first time round, such as the darker, immediate shadowing of the plant pot, and the subtle shadows between the leaves of the plant. Then, looking carefully for any light reflections (these are the ones that I usually end up accidentally skipping out in my pieces) I used a combination of white conte stick and white oil pastel to add these in. No matter how small or easily missed these are, they are VERY important. They add so much more to the objects being drawn, and could be the small difference between a creation that you either don’t care for or take a huge amount of pride in.
Overall, I’m pretty chuffed with how this turned out. I can see real improvement in my work, and I’m feeling quite proud of myself right now. As I’ve mentioned before, I am very much a perfectionist, and can be very critical of my work. I’ve recently taken a new outlook on my work and I am slowly learning to be kinder to myself and to realise that a good piece of art isn’t exactly ‘perfect’ or ‘immaculate’. There are aspects of this that I would change if I were to start over, but for now I’m happy.
I really enjoyed experimenting with a variety of materials. It’s really helpful to be able to use exercises such as this as an experimental task, to find out which materials work best for which items, and to really think about what the material possibilities could be. For example, just because the charcoal worked really well for the shadow cast by the plant doesn’t mean it was the only, or the best, material to use. What might I use instead? Are there any materials that I could use that I wouldn’t think to use, or haven’t thought to use yet?
I’m finding this section of the course really insightful and I’m feeling really excited to see how else I can put what I am learning into practice.
Jesy Gilkes 