The brief for this assignment was designed to pull together the fine observation and practice that I have worked on through part two of the course. Being free to choose my own source material and media, based on a few factors. These factors were:
- The use of colour in drawing
- The most appropriate medium for the subject
- Composition and context
- Mark-making and contrasts of line and tone
- Accurate and expressive depiction of form
- Experimentation with idea, material and method
I pondered over the choice of an interior scene or a still life, and whether to combine the two or not. In the end, I found an image of a variety of yellow ceramic pots and something felt perfect about it. With this arrangement of items I would be able to involve all the things that I have worked on in part two – experimentation with material, still life using line, and working with colour in drawing, specifically in monochrome, which I enjoyed hugely.
Chosen image:
Experimentation
Ceramic items have a very smooth, soft texture so I had a little think about what materials would portray that softness the best. The options that I felt were the best were these two: coloured pencils and oil pastels.
Coloured pencils because the appearance of them was very soft and creamy looking, which reflected the texture of the pots beautifully.
Oil pastels because the texture of the actual material is very smooth and silky, which was very similar to that of the ceramic. To me, this was the most suitable as I felt a stronger connection between the material used to create the material of the subject.
Final Piece
Reflection on Assignment
Use of colour in drawing:
I think I’ve pretty much nailed the use of colour in drawing here. For the first time in my drawing life, not once did I pick up a graphite pencil. This entire piece is created using a range of yellow oil pastels, which was a very strange but enjoyable concept for me. I had a lot of fun drawing this, as it was something that was unusual to me but in a very positive way. I loved experimenting with colour in drawing, and also in monochrome. Intimacy was a really likeable drawing journey – my favourite part being the monochrome exercise where I created a still life piece in a range of the same colour, red. Revisiting that part of the course in a different colour was exciting and very enjoyable.
The most appropriate medium for the subject:
As mentioned above, I experimented with materials that reflected the texture of the ceramic. The coloured pencils portrayed the soft appearance of the objects, however, the oil pastels reflected the creaminess in its substance.
I’m unsure as to whether I chose the right material to create this piece. I picked oil pastels as I really liked the connection between the texture of the two materials, however, I think this would be easily missed if you weren’t aware of the reason for my choices. The coloured pencils had a very smooth, fluid appearance which, I think, reflected the surface of the objects very well.
At points I wanted to soften the pastels using a blending stump, but I didn’t want to lose the effect given by my use of crosshatching. That being said, I’m still pleased with my choice of medium.
Composition and context:
I drew this piece from an image, therefore, didn’t have the option of different viewpoints. I’ve taken all of this into consideration, and I’m really pleased with the composition and context of this piece. The context and composition of these objects match very well. The colour scheme, textures, positioning and viewpoint is simple and gentle, which is reflective in the way that it made me feel; the uncomplicated and mild appearance of the image felt very soothing and mellow.
Mark-making and contrasts of line and tone:
This is an aspect that I think I did really well at. I created this entire piece using lines in varying tones. The tonal range of the subjects within the image was fairly simple due to the texture and shape of the objects, and I found the use of crosshatching to create these tones really enjoyable.
It’s very obvious that I have used this technique to build up this piece, and I feel that it makes it more interesting. Yes, it’s powerful for an image to have solid, well blended areas of tone, however, I think the appearance of block tones looks equally as powerful in my piece. It even makes it more interesting to me, which might be another reason why I opted for the use of oil pastels as it made the use of crosshatch more pronounced.
Accurate and expressive depiction of form:
I try to be very accurate in my depiction of form when drawing, but I have recently started to be less harsh on myself in regard to this. That being said, I’m pleased with the way I have formed the majority of this piece.
The pot on the left was slightly more challenging due to the angular structure of it, however, I made sure not to rush the process (which can be a downfall of mine). Creating the ellipses of the objects first supported me hugely in forming them. This is a fairly new strategy of mine, suggested by a fellow student, and it’s completely changed my creativity process, adding way more realism than I was achieving before.
There are aspects of this piece that I would change, such as the accuracy of some of the lines on the two pots, but I think I have done a pretty good job of the sphere, which is the piece I thought I would struggle with the most.
This is an area that I am able to see the most improvement in.
Experimentation with idea, material and method:
As mentioned above, ceramic items have a very smooth texture so I experimented with both coloured pencils and oil pastels – two materials that I felt would reflect this texture best.
I did think about the option of an interior scene or a still life, but opted for a still life. This was mainly because I wanted to have another go at creating a monochrome piece. Working with a range of yellow pastels was exciting because I have always (narrow-mindedly) considered drawing to be a graphite pencil activity. Silly me!
The method of crosshatching was a way of showing the previously practiced technique of mark making. Forming an entire image using this technique was really intriguing and I feel that I’ve shown it fairly well.
Experimenting with the use of mixed media was a huge learning curve for me, and I don’t think I’ve depicted it in this image, but I do feel that I have demonstrated a willingness to experiment and try things new to me through part two, even if they haven’t turned out exactly as hoped.
Reflection on my progress:
Looking back at the course aims and outcomes, I am pleased to note that I am achieving many of them, and so early into the course as well!
I have definitely developed my drawing skills, branching out into territory unfamiliar to me. Usually, I draw in a more tattoo-esque kind of style, so focusing entirely on still life and interiors was completely new to me, and a very daunting concept. Looking through the work that I have created on the few months of this course, I can see that I have improved greatly in this new style of drawing. Even experimenting with a variety of media and methods is something I have achieved, shown in my work above. That being said, I would really like to branch out further on the materials that I use and have plans to scour the internet for a wider range.
Developing visual and artistic awareness is something that I have very recently began to look at, experimenting with varying viewpoints and perspectives. This is something that I think I need to expand on a little more, and step out of my comfort zone with. I’m going to work on really mixing up the perspective and view I take on a scene or a display, and prevent myself from taking the easy route in the future. For example, when I look at something from a few different angles, I will push myself to select the trickiest viewpoint and practice all the skills that I am learning on it in a way that is more challenging for me.
I think I am developing self-reflective and critical skills throughout this course, especially during Intimacy. At times I’ve been extremely harsh on myself, and at others I have learnt to put a more positive spin on it. This has been supportive in my journey, as I’m slowly learning to be gentler on myself, whilst also pushing myself to do the best that I can or to adapt my creative process in ways that would improve my work.
Overall, I’m happy with the progress that I am making, and feel extremely positive about what’s to come.
Re-work
There were a couple of aspects within the design and uploading of this piece that my tutor advised me with.
Whilst she felt that I had shown good use of mark making and colours, she felt that I had lost something within the piece by cropping the negative space above the objects away. After re-working and re-uploading this piece, I can really see what she means. The space above the objects is crucial to the strength behind this piece. It gives it a wider, stronger appearance and I think I lost a lot of that by cropping it.
We also discussed the conscious decision I had made to remove the flower from the design. I just didn’t feel that it was necessary, and both myself and my tutor agreed that this was a good decision to make. The sketch itself gives an appearance of industrialism, and adding this flower would have spoiled it. I also love the blank space that the absence of the flower leaves above the objects. Your eyes are drawn to the area where the objects gather, and I’m not quite sure why but I just feel that the negative space around the objects is really impactful.
The next point that my tutor made was that the marks made in the areas around the images was weak compared to the marks made upon the actual items. She referred to the white areas in these places as ‘white noise’ and said that whilst I have clearly been very mindful in the mark making on the objects, I’ve been slightly neglectful of the background and surface that the items are upon. I hadn’t even noticed this, however, once this was brought to my attention I couldn’t stop seeing it. I had left a lot of white patches within the crosshatches that I had made, which I hadn’t done on the objects. Layering upon these crosshatches was the simple cure to this problem, and something that I should have been mindful to do originally. I think, perhaps, in my mind the area around the objects wasn’t as important as the objects themselves. I can see now that this is not true at all, and all the small individual areas and aspects of the piece need to be strong for the entirety of it to be strong.
Jesy Gilkes 