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Project 3

Exercise 2

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For this exercise, I used an image from a previous exercise.
I printed the photograph and sectioned it using a grid. Then, I sectioned an A3 page into equal squares. This was extremely helpful in re-sizing the piece from A4 to A3, as each area of the setting had its own section.

I began my mapping out the areas in the background, middle-ground and foreground. The subjects that are in the background should be out of focus and undefined, which is easy to portray. For this experiment I simply sketched in the areas of colour that I could see – the trees, the fence and the roofs.

The middle-ground should be in better focus, however, not as detailed as subjects in the foreground would be. I started to add differing areas of tone (for example, some shading upon a tree, shadow on the ground, and better defined branches. I could see the difference in the two layers already. It’s interesting that varied pressure and added detail makes such a difference.

For the subjects in the foreground I added a lot more detail. Adding more pressure and fine details to these parts showed great depth in the piece. The trees and areas on the ground that are better defined and clearer to look at seem as though they are right in front of you, and it really puts into contrast the areas furthest away. The blurred subjects in the distance add to that depth, and this really brings the drawing to life.

This was a very quick experimental drawing, so I’m keen to get into creating a more detailed version of it.

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My first version of this piece is created using a range of coloured pencils.

As you can see below, I first mapped out the different areas.
Subtly, I shaded in the background colours to set a base for my drawing. I knew that I could return to these areas later and adapt them, however, for now, mapping in the colours was enough.

After, I began outlining the different trees I could see, both in the middle-ground and foreground. Instead of going straight into the detail of these areas, I felt it was most important to get a general idea of what my final outcome would look like, and then build upon it.

The Final Outcome – 1

I’m pleased with this piece, however, there are parts of it that are bugging me.

I think I’ve done a great job in portraying the depth in the scene.
The background is out of focus, however, you are able to see general colours and shapes there. Moving forward, the middle-ground is better defined and the form of trees and shadows become more prominent.
The trees and areas on the ground in the foreground are extremely defined, and you are able to see the texture of the trees and the range of colours upon them. My favourite aspect of this piece is the tree on the right-hand side. I really like the range of warm colours upon the tree; you’re able to see where the light hits the branches and other areas where the sunlight doesn’t quite reach.

I think this drawing has a very cartoonish appearance. I really like that about this piece, however, I’m wary that, whilst some areas are fairly realistic, other areas lack it.
The shadow in the foreground, and my depiction of the path are a little off.
This is something I would like to work on, as the portrayal of shadows and reflections is something that I have struggled with in the past.

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The Final Outcome – 2

My second attempt at this piece was better.
I used a charcoal for this drawing. I worked in reverse with this piece, mapping out the foreground, then the middle-ground, and finally, the background. I’m far more satisfied with this piece. It was easier to create the depth that I could see in the image through the use of charcoal; the soft, moveable substance of the charcoal was really beneficial in my abilities to form the layers.

The trees in the foreground are far more defined than any other area, and the varied tonal range shows how close these trees are. I used the charcoal to draw the branches, shadows on the ground, and texture on the tree. I barely smudged the branches as I wanted the depth in this piece to be very pronounced.
The middle and background are less defined the further the subjects get from my view, and I think I’ve managed to depict this accurately. Using my fingers I smudged the subjects in the middle-ground subtly, so that their form was still clear, however, the details and textures upon them were unfocused. Any subjects in the foreground are extremely smudged. This accurately shows how unfocused things become the further away they are.

My favourite of these two is probably the second. I think the soft, powdery texture of the charcoal is better for portraying depth in a piece. It’s easily adaptable quality is great for showing the range these layers. Charcoal is a very diverse tool, so I was able to use it for the softer, less-defined areas and also the sharper ones.

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Tacita Dean (b.1965)

Tacita Dean is a British European artist. She works mainly in film, but enjoys exploring the natural world on both a small and large scale. She has a very recognisable and unique style; creating her landscapes predominantly in monochrome, using a variety of media and techniques.

From what I can see, her viewpoints range from eye level to worms eye view to anything between that. I think it’s interesting that she mixes her viewpoints up; not always approaching from the same viewpoint.

The images are created using chalk on a blackboard. They are part of the Fatigue, 2012 series of chalk on board images. The perspectives and approaches on these two differ, however, you can see that they are related. If you look carefully you are able to see that the second image is a small section of the larger landscape. The viewpoint approach on the larger drawing is, I think, two-point. If I were to approach this mountain range as Dean has done (on a very large scale) I would direct my view to the two mountains ascending on each side, which would require two viewpoints.

Her work is extraordinarily moving and beautiful in a very subtle, individual way. I’m reminded of the use of tone and monochrome that we have practiced in previous exercises.
The style in which she works is similar to that of Sarah Woodfine – a landscape artist that works in sculpture; she works mainly in black and white, using paper and card cut outs to form the landscapes. Although their approach is fairly different, they both work in an eerie, abstract and modern way.

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Georges Seurat – 1859-1891

Georges Seurat is a French painter, founder of the 19th-century French school of Neo-Impressionism. He worked predominantly in paint, however, also created pieces with conte crayon. His technique of portraying light using tiny brush strokes of contrasting colours became known as Pointillism.

His portrayal of the house above is very moody and dark. Whilst it’s very interesting to look at, I, personally, find it a little bland. That being said, I like the approach he has taken with it. A great deal of the piece is blacked out. This dark area could be representative of a wall or a shadow.
This use of negative space is uncommon in landscapes; the ones that I have seen anyway. Seurat’s viewpoint in this piece is ground level, which makes me think that he is viewing the house from behind a separating wall.

Similarly to Tacita Dean, he works predominantly in dark and light tones. Whilst Dean works with white against black, Seurat works mainly with black against light. He has also used dark tones and what seems like a smudging technique to create the appearance of mist.

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Wayne Thiebaud (b.1920)

Wayne Thiebaud is an American painter best known for his still lifes of edible treats and everyday objects in his singular illustrative style. I chose an artist that works in bolder colours. I wondered, as well as a drastic change in colour palette, what other differences I could find in this and the other two.

Thiebaud began producing landscapes in the 1960s, using a very vibrant colour palette and abstract perspective, giving his pieces a dream-like quality. His perspective towards these two pieces is very vertiginous; as though he is viewing the scene from an aeroplane or hot air balloon. When looking at these paintings, I am reminded of The Snowman and the landscapes viewed during their flight. They have an almost childlike, storybook nature to them. I think this, along with the energy and impact of the colours used is what is most appealing.

This approach to painting a landscape differs greatly from artist’s of an earlier period.
Many artists from the 19th century and earlier recreate a landscape from ground level; their creative styles were far more naturalistic, and I think this is down to the fact that people living 100 or more years ago live in a very, very different world to that of contemporary artists. You are able to see that as time progresses many artist’s began to develop a more diverse, experimental manner in the way that they displayed a scene. This is extremely evident in Thiebaud’s work; his creative fingerprint is anything but naturalistic.

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I think it’s really useful to research into a range of artist’s with differing techniques and ideas, to gain inspiration for any future pieces of work. I’m able to see features in all of the above pieces of work that I could magpie and enforce in my own work.

For example, I really love the texture that Seurat has developed in his work, however, I would want to add more life to it; using a colour palette similar to that of Thiebaud would be really interesting. I think combining the two techniques would be really interesting. That being said, I really do adore Dean’s style, and would be interested in experimenting with the use of white chalk against black paper.

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Project 3

Exercise 1

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For this exercise, I chose an image that I took for a previous exercise but decided not to use. It is a shot of a gravel road leading up to a stately home near my house. The picture includes many features that I have focused on in this part of the course, and these are features I would love to practice further.

Reflecting on the previous piece of research I completed, I decided I would like to recreate this scene in a similar style to that of Peter Doig. I used a similar technique myself in Cloud Formations and Tone, using pastels to form the tonal areas and shapes of the cloud and then a cotton pad to smudge the areas together.

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Originally, I attempted the drawing in coloured pencils, but as you can see below, I decided against this. I felt that the desired appearance and effect that I wanted would not be achievable with pencils.

One particular sentence in the briefing caught my attention – “Test your growing skills and show that you can work beyond the expected.” In previous exercises there has been a specific sort of guideline, however, in this exercise I felt that I had free rein so I just went for what felt good for me.

I’m satisfied with how this piece turned out. I spent a couple of hours on it, layering and adjusting and smudging it to an outcome that I felt happy with.

I wish very much that I had taken progress photographs, but it always slips my mind, frustratingly.
I began by marking all the areas on the page in the base colours that I would be using. Mapping out these areas helped me wonders. Previously, my tutor advised me against outlining as I tended to strongly rely upon this in my work. I’m sure that beforehand I would have made the decision to loosely outline these areas, but I can see now that simply shading them in was the right approach.

I then began to build upon these areas, adding the areas of darker and lighter colours where I could see and using a cotton pad to smudge them together along the way. I spent a long time layering and layering the different tones and, although this was slightly tedious, I am able to see its effectivity.
Trees are an area that I have struggled with in the past, so I wanted to use this task to experiment with bettering them and seeing how it would be possible to do this. Layering the different shades of greens and adding varied pressure on the different trees worked wonders in the depiction of their form and their perspective in regards to where I was when I took the photo. I tried to show the depth in this piece by smudging the furthest trees more than the ones in the foreground. I also lessened my attention to detail in the trees in the background, to show that the those in the foreground are clearer and more defined to me.
Saying this, I can see now that the bushes are all of similar form and, like the trees, this wouldn’t be the case. I’ve made note to return to this later on to alter this. See below.

My inspiration for this piece, as well as the previous Cloud Formation exercise, was Peter Doig’s series of The Chiltern Hills. As you can see, his work is hazy and distorted. I wanted to achieve a similar effect in this piece, and although I’ve not quite attained as accurate a result as I had in mind, I’m still satisfied with the outcome.

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Alteration

To give the impression of the bushes in the foreground being closer to me, all I needed to do was better define them. The closer a subject is to the viewer, the more focused it will be; I hadn’t accurately depicted this in the previous version of this piece, however, I feel that the drawing is stronger with this alteration.

The varied tones and texture upon the first few bushes, fading out the further the bushes get away from me really added to the depth of the piece, and strengthened the entire thing.

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Monet – 1840-1926

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Monet created many famous and stunning landscapes over the span of his artistic career, and of the range that I looked at, I thought the 4 above were the most striking. He created most of his pieces using oil paint – a medium commonly used by painters in the 18th and 19th century.

Monet’s love of natural light is reflected in his landscapes. As you can see from the examples above, this is a very important aspect of landscapes as, more often than not, they are recreations of outside areas where natural light plays a very big part. Monet studies how light reacts upon touching various surfaces and objects. To me, this is especially evident in The Artist’s Family In The Garden, as you are able to see a great deal of sunlight through the foliage and upon the trunks. This adds a great deal of realism to the piece; I think it looks very alike a photograph.

The feelings I get when looking at Monet’s landscapes are ones of positivity; in particular – cheerfulness, nostalgia, and inspiration. The colours and techniques used are bold and vibrant which is reflective of the mood inflicted on myself as the viewer. Personally I think it’s easy to know when you’re looking at a piece of Monet’s work as he had such a specific and recognisable creative style; using rapid brush strokes combined with broken colour. This is his ‘fingerprint’ in the art world, which is something that I aspire to acquire, as, I’m sure, do all artists.

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Peter Doig – b.1959

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Peter Doig is a Scottish artist best known for his quirky landscape paintings. He is not an artist that I’ve heard of before, and until now I had never seen his work.

After looking through a range of his landscapes, I’m very glad that I was recommended to look at his work.
Similarly to Monet, he works in vibrant and realistic style. That being said, there is definitely a sense of surrealism in his work. Take a look at the piece on the left, for example: this piece lacks strong detail and prominent features; the colours blend and smudge into one another, and the way in which Doig has formed the different shapes and lines gives the painting an abstract, almost psychedelic, quality.

Although there’s not much to use as reference, I think it’s clear that these are contemporary works. The unusual and creative way in which Doig has used colour and tonal range to form these landscapes reminds me of a Wes Anderson film, which makes me appreciate the pieces even more.

Doig once said “I’m not trying to make paintings look like photos”, which I find really interesting.
Until reading that I had this very illogical and bizarre idea that recreating a landscape or a subject was to make it as realistic and recognisable as possible, but this could not be more wrong. Doig uses photograph and views for reference and inspiration, but that’s about it. He works in his own style and in a way that he enjoys.
Learning this obvious but very valuable fact has inspired me a great deal. It may seem silly and very apparent to others, but for someone that struggles to deal with her work being imperfect, this is a wonderful realisation and has motivated me to inject more of my personality and style into my work.

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Nicholas Herbert – b.1955

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Nicholas Herbert is a British mixed media artist that has focused on landscapes since 2012.

The landscapes that he has created since then are part of his ‘Silent Spaces’ body of work. The works above were inspired by his personal experiences and visits to The Chiltern Hills.

He uses a range of tools and techniques to create his work; whilst reading through his personal blog I discovered that he experiments with mark making, layering, tonality and texture. This intrigued me greatly as these are all aspects of creativity that we have been focusing on up to this point in the course.

The colours he uses are very organic and natural, and he often works in acrylic paint, crayon and pencils.

Of all the artists I have looked at for this piece of research, Herbert’s pieces are by far my favourite. Often, I am drawn to vibrancy and colour, however, there’s much about his work that fascinates me. My first thought is that they are all exceptionally moody. They give me a feeling of great unease, and I think their ability to impact me in such a way just goes to show how powerful they are.

His work is imperfect and by no means precise. I get the impression that Herbert works speedily when creating, which is something that I am growing to appreciate in both my own and other artist’s work.

Each piece is individual, despite how similar they all are.
Although the same colours and style are used for each piece, it’s remarkably easy to tell them apart, and to also tell what they are. The way I view these paintings is as though I’m looking at the view through thick fog or mist from a high vantage point. Herbert has blurred, smudged and blended the colours in an almost indecipherable matter, however, he’s maintained the realism and atmosphere of the view.

These particular pieces remind me of a previous exercise we completed in this part of the course.
I used very similar techniques to create my cloud formation experiments, and I find that the two have many comparabilities. I’ve never seen landscapes created in this style before, and I’m really keen to experiment with this approach in my own work.

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Project 2

Exercise 3

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For this exercise we were asked to choose an expansive landscape with an open view in all direction. I completed a 15 minute drawing for each direction that I focused on – north, south, east, and west.

I found this task extremely interesting and really enjoyed it. Two of the views had one-point perspectives, which is something that I have struggled with in the past. I think it was really useful to use this task as an experimental exercise to practice getting this right.

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Completing a task such as this in 15 minutes seemed like a fairly easy and straightforward task, however, it proved quite challenging. To include all the details that I needed to in a allotted amount of time was tricky but I think I did a pretty good job with what I had.

I saw that a fellow student had chosen to use a biro for this exercise and I followed in her footsteps. For this sort of task I would usually choose a pencil, but I thought I’d mix it up a bit. Drawing with biro was really interesting as I’m not used to it, but I loved how smoothly I was able to move the pen and how easy it was to darken lines and create depth. I will definitely be returning to biro use in the future.

If I had to choose a favourite of these 4 I would pick the first one.

I think I’ve depicted an accurate appearance of perspective within this particular section, and I can see the depth that I’ve attempted to portray. The two sketches of the road could do with some work. Especially the first one. There were aspects of these two sketches that I found difficult and made mistakes in, such as the size/shape/proportion of the cars. I found it quite hard to portray the vehicles accurately as they got further away from me. I found issues with the use of biro in regards to these errors, as I was unable to erase my mistakes. That being said, previous exercises have encouraged us to simply go over our mistakes and any lines we wish to change so that’s what I did here. Regardless, I have made note of this as an area for further practice.

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Alteration

I chose to rework piece 2 as I wasn’t happy with it.

I completely messed up the perspective and proportion of it and, as you can see, it just looks a bit wrong. The size of the vehicles in comparison to the houses and the road don’t work together; the houses are too small, the cars are enormous and they seem to take up the entire road even when they’re parked on the side.

So, basically, I felt that I needed to rework this. It wasn’t my best effort and I felt that I needed to give it another go, if only for my peace of mind.

I think I’ve done a far better job here. I wasn’t as particular with the form of the cars and worked faster to create them, I made sure to be mindful of the size of a subject in regards to another (e.g. the cars next to the houses), and I felt like I did a far better job of it. This re-work doesn’t look as clustered and jam-packed with objects, which the other one very much did. I feel that my second depiction of this view is more open and far deeper than the first; I am able to see a lot more than I was able to in my first attempt, which, I feel, is an important part of creating a sketch with a distanced one-point view.

Although the aim of this exercise was to create each sketch in 15 minutes, I think it’s still important to spend time getting the perspective and POV accurate, otherwise the entire piece will be thrown off.

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Project 2

Exercise 2

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For this task we were asked to make four quick sketches of things that interest us or things that we are familiar with whilst on a walk.

I live in a part of London which is fairly suburban – you’re aware that you’re in London, however you’re far enough from the hustle and bustle for it to be quite pleasant. I took my sketchbook and a pencil and decided to see what I was attracted to on my walk.

I was feeling really eager to get stuck into this one as I have quite grown to like the ‘quick sketch’ activities.

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I’m pleased with myself considering the speed I was working at to create them. It’s so true that the quicker you work, the more concentration you apply. I was shutting out the ‘unnecessary noise’, as the brief put it.

I think I’ve managed to depict an accurate sense of depth in the two left-hand pieces. I’ve picked up a few tips on the way on how to portray depth in my drawings, and I feel that I’ve done not too bad of a job here. Accentuating the tone, texture and detail of the subjects closest to me, and being looser with my depiction of the subjects that are further away, has supported me massively in portraying depth.

One thing that I’ve struggled with in the past, but have done quite well with in this exercise, is the perspective. I think working quickly helped a great deal when drawing the alleyway on the left-hand side, and I feel confident in my portrayal of it’s perspective.

I drew these on a sunny day, however, depending where I was, the light hit from different angles. I really enjoyed adding the shadows cast by objects as I feel that these simple additions add so much to a piece. For example, I don’t think the sketch of the alleyway would be anywhere near as effective as it is without the shadowing cast by the walls and the trees.

I chose these views as there was something in each one that interested me. For the park it was the fork in the path; I thought it would be an interesting vantage point to work from regarding perspective. This is an area I’d really like to focus on, so I thought it would be useful to experiment with it in this exercise. For the pond, I saw the thickness of the trees on the left and was drawn to it. This was far harder than I thought it would be, and by far my least favourite of the four sketches. That being said, I think I’ve managed to portray what I could see pretty well. For the alleyway, I loved the point perspective. Something about it reminded me of being back at school and practicing our point perspective. This is an area I’ve always found really challenging and usually my drawings in this style come out a little wonky or just ‘wrong’ looking, but I’m pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this one. Hallelujah! And, finally, for the church, it was the church itself that I was drawn to. I worked on this one a lot faster than the others as I was stood at a crossroads and had streams of people walking past me giving me strange looks, but, again, I think it looks quite effective. I think I’ve managed to show the range of depth in the trees on the left-hand side – some were further in the background, and a couple were just behind the outer wall.

There was only one sketch where I felt it necessary to divide the drawing into foreground, middle ground and background, and this was the alleyway. I began by loosely drawing the lines of the wall towards the furthest point and then worked from there. I sketched in the areas in the foreground that I could see – the flat blocks, the bushes, the pillars, then began working forward towards the middle ground – the steps, the trees just below the steps, and then the doorways and signs. After this, I focused on the subjects closest to me, adding in the larger, more detailed trees, the windows and the very obvious shadows surrounding these things. It was only after I had layered these separate areas in that I then focused on adding the overall shadowing and any minor details that I had missed. I think, in hindsight, it may have been helpful for me to use this technique in the sketch of Queen’s Park, to map out the sketch in layers.

I really enjoyed this exercise. It was really useful to use it as an experimental exercise to practice areas that I am feeling slightly wobbly in. It’s also really interesting to see how effective a quick sketch can be.

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Vija Celmins is a Latvian-American artist best known for her photo-realistic paintings and drawings of natural environments and products such as the ocean, spider webs, star fields, and rocks.

Looking at her work, it’s clear that she mainly works in monochrome which interests me. I also really liked the work of Sarah Woodfine, who also works in monochrome.

I find the piece above so fascinating, as you could be genuinely persuaded into believing that it was an image of the sky at night. The way in which this piece has been created is not complex at all, but the way in which the artist has done it is very impressive. The artist has heavily charcoaled the page, layering thickly around the right hand edges. The artist has then used a rubber putty to lift the charcoal in dots around page to represent the stars. As I say, a simple process but extremely effective.

I think this strategy would be really useful in depicting cloud formations. Seeing how effective lifting charcoal from the page with a rubber eraser is, I would be really keen to put this to practice in my own work. To layer charcoal upon a piece of paper and then lift the area that would be the ‘cloud’ shape or formation could create something really effective, if the piece above is anything to go by. I think this would work best for an overcast sky, with darker and thicker clouds. I’m not quite sure if it would be just as effective for a bright, sunny day with a dappling of clouds, but it will be interesting to experiment.

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Here are a couple more pieces of hers that I observed.

I can clearly see the tonal range within all of her pieces, however, to me this is most obvious in Sky, 1975. This is an extremely intricate drawing. From a distance, the vibe that I was receiving was of emptiness, solitude and, honestly, it made me feel a bit depressed. However, after looking at it for a long period of time (and watching the video of Celmins explaining her work process and thoughts) I was able to see and even feel the care and passion that had gone into perfecting it, which changed my outlook, and after a while I was able to experience it for what it was – a thoroughly created, and enormously moving, work of art.

I was unable to find an explanation as to how exactly she created this piece, but I imagine that it requires layering the material to deepen the tones and leaving blank areas or using a rubber eraser for the lightest tones. It really is remarkable to think that this is simply a sketch; a re-creation of a view.

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After watching a video of the artist (www.vimeo.com/22299024) I felt like I knew her a lot better. It was interesting to watch an artist discuss their work and thought processes whilst creating.

She talks about the movement in her work, explaining that the things that she has drawn or painted are spinning or moving, which is something that I think is really important to capture when you’re re-creating a subject that ‘moves’. For example, when drawing or painting cloud formations I think it will be really important to grasp their movement and path across the sky to realistically display them.

That being said, Vjia Celmins also makes a point of explaining that the point of her art, and art in general, I feel, is not to mimic the piece. She didn’t exactly say this, but I think the point that she was making is that we are creating art in our own minds, with our own personalities, and that it’s important to display that. At one point in the video she says that to ‘copy’ something implies that it’s being done ‘fast’, and she prefers to refer to it as ‘re-describing’.

I think that’s a really insightful way to look at it, and I’m going to keep that in mind from now on. Whilst we are trying to re-create something, we aren’t copying it and we are putting ourselves into our creativity. She also made a strong point in that she doesn’t really care so much if people stop and observe her pieces, but, instead, likes that people may walk past it obliviously. She also doesn’t create a piece to provoke thought, and believes that a person can look at the piece, carry on with their day, and then think about it later if they choose to. I find that this attitude makes me want to inspect her pieces even more, for some reason. She creates purely for her enjoyment, and that’s what it should always be about, really.

Researching this artist has left me feeling quite optimistic and far more confident in my own creativity, and I’m now feeling really eager to crack on with the next step.

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Project 2

Exercise 1

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For this exercise we were asked to concentrate on drawing clouds in the same way as we when we concentrated on trees, creating tonal studies using a range of media – charcoal, oil pastels, conté sticks, and other medias that we have access to.

In true British style, I was able to create a range of skies and cloud formations in just one day, as the weather was feeling a little temperamental throughout the day.

I found this exercise extremely fun and really insightful. I was able to experiment with a great deal of media and styles. Similar to trees, no two clouds are the exact same so it was really enjoyable to be able to experiment with a range of media to see which best suited the subject at hand – the clouds.

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For these I used a range of media and tools, and had a great time in the process.

I created the first two using a range of pastels. You wouldn’t think it but these were created at pretty much the same time of day. One half of the sky was perfect blue with a dappling of white clouds, and the other half was grey and overcast, so it was really useful to just sit for a moment and compare the two.

My tutor advised me that using lindseed oil and turps or a cotton pad to move the pastels around was a really useful blending technique, and for these two I used cotton pads, which was so useful. Oil pastels are tricky to move around as their thick and waxy. I’ve tried to smudge and move pastels around before using my fingers or kitchen roll and it just doesn’t work, however, the softness of the cotton pad just spreads the pastel without picking up too much of it, whilst collecting any excess.

For the lighter tones in these two I used a rubber eraser alongside a white pastel to accentuate this areas. My tutor also advised me to not let the edges of the page or area that I’m working to limit me, so I was mindful to allow the colours and tones to spill over – the cotton bad helped a lot in allowing me to do this.

The edges of the clouds were far lighter, and very wispy and transparent in parts. They were also changing every time I looked up which is interesting. I think I’ve managed to depict the movement in the clouds with the accuracy of the shape of them, especially in the darker of the two. Sweeping the cotton pad in the direction that the clouds were coming from was also helpful in supporting this as it gives the impression of the clouds edges blending out into that direction.

Also, using a slight touch of a darker tone added a lot of depth to the clouds. I found this in the cloud formation on the left. The cloud in the middle looked basically like a flat patch of white nothingness until I added a slight blend of a very light grey, to show the areas where the light wasn’t quite showing through.

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With these two I went a bit more out of the box and out of my comfort zone.

The left-hand piece was created just before a thunderstorm hit, and I was able to see it brewing and darkening right there in front of me. The clouds grew darker and thicker and became more angry, which is what I wanted to show in this piece. I thought I’d experiment with a combination of line-work and blending, to show the severity of the clouds and the different tones within the tones.

I’m still not sure how I feel about this piece. I think I’ve captured the tonal range of this cloud formation quite well as I can see that the tone ranges from black to white and all the colours inbetween, however, I’m not sure that the lines are very effective. It’s definitely an interesting take on the creation of a cloud formation, but I think I prefer the soft blend of the pastels and the cotton pad.

This was created using oil pastels, however, I also used charcoal and conté sticks. Whilst charcoal and conté sticks are easily blended, the combination of the two and oil pastels thickened and set pretty quickly, therefore, after a few seconds I was unable to shift the mixture.

Whilst I’m unsure on this piece, I do think it displays the movement and shape of the clouds. I think it also reflects the mood of the sky, and the uneasiness and tension that builds when a storm is brewing. I’m not sure this would be useful for this particular exercise, but it was an extremely interesting experiment.

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I was really lucky to catch this sunset. I was making dinner and looked up out of the window, saw it, and dropped everything that I was doing.

The combination of the sunny day and the thunderstorm had clearly taken its toll on the day and somehow I was able to catch the perfect mix of the two. The sun was setting behind these large rain clouds, which somehow seemed to enhance the darker tones of the central area of the cloud. To me, this was extraordinarily beautiful but also a little spooky.

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I simply began by adding in the colours that I could see within the sunset before it disappeared. I felt that I could work around these with the darker tones so I wanted to add all that I could see whilst it was fresh and right in front of me. After adding these I grabbed a cotton pad and blended them altogether to show the transition of the colours of the sunset. This technique is one of the best that I’ve learnt and it’s so simple. It’s completely transformed many of my pieces and made them into something far more interesting. Without the blending above the colours are very severe and scribbled, however, once blended you’re able to see what they could be and the way the colours complement each other.

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Next, I added the colouring of the sky surrounding the dark clouds in the centre. I didn’t realise at first but what I am doing here is starting with the lighter tones and making my through to the mid tones and then onto the darker tones. The colours of the sunset were the lighter, softer tones, the mid tones are the shades of blue in the sky and the darker tones are the clouds and the wisps across the sky.

I combined four or five different shades of blue pastel to blend together using a cotton pad, as the range of colour changes from one patch to the next. I thought I would roughly add the blue colours and then go over them again after the clouds were added. The dark clouds took up much of this area of the sky, so I felt that the blue would be blended out and in with the dark colours that I chose to create these.

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For the clouds I used a combination of charcoal and conté sticks.

I began with charcoal to map out the area of the clouds and to layer the darker tones in. The edges of the clouds were still dark, but far lighter than the thicker areas of the clouds, which were predominantly in the middle.

As charcoal is extremely moveable and soft I was able to spread this with my fingers. I also felt that I was able to get a more accurate idea of the view I was looking at by using my fingers. I looked at the sky in front of me and then moved my fingers around without even looking down at the page, simply following the direction along the area of the page.

After this, I used a conté stick to layer upon the charcoal to depict the thicker, darker patches of cloud. I think this was really supportive in showing the texture in the clouds. The conté sticks are denser than the charcoal and less spreadable, so they were perfect for these thick, strong patches of dark, however, the charcoal was easily blended out so it worked really well for the wispier edges of the cloud.

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I’ve recently bought some brown paper so decided to experiment on this.

It was fast approaching nighttime when I started this experiment, but I’m really pleased with the way the sky looked and the effect that I was able to capture. I think the brown paper really adds to the drawing, and made me feel more comfortable in not taking the piece right to the edges.

I used conte sticks and a small amount of charcoal for this piece. Simply scribbling the light tones into the centre, the mid tones around the area surrounding the white, and then the darker tones around the edges of the paper. I think these scribbles were an unusual but intriguing take on cloud formation but I decided against it because it just didn’t feel final to me, and looking at it made me feel slightly uneasy. I also wanted to catch the spookiness in the sky above me, and I felt that blending all the colours together would show that ghostlike scene before me in a more powerful way.

I think this piece is my favourite of the five, as the brown paper really enhances the tones, especially the lighter ones. I’m now feeling really keen to experiment further with the brown paper and to investigate all the different ways in which it can strengthen and maybe even improve my work.

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As an introduction to landscapes it is suggested that we research how artists have portrayed landscapes across different eras. I felt extremely excited to research into this and to see how the landscapes differ and what changes are made over time.

To begin with, I researched Albrecht Dürer.

One of his drawings that recurred within my search was Landscape with a Cannon.

This is an extraordinary piece with some of the most intricate detailing I have ever seen. The artist created this through the technique of etching – the art of scratching detail upon a varnished metal plate. This seems like an extremely interesting process, and I would be keen to look into this further.

I found that once I had laid eyes on this piece, I couldn’t stop looking at it for a long while. The artist has portrayed the landscape he is viewing so beautifully and accurately that it feels as though I am inside it. It seems as though a new detail that I somehow missed before jumps out at me each time I look at it.

No colour has been used in the piece, which is something that I thought would be a crucial detail to include in a landscape, however, I am able to see now that this isn’t necessarily true. The artist here has not used any colour here and the piece is still as powerful as it would be with it. Through the use of detail, layering and a range of tone Dürer has captured a great deal of depth and personality with just a single colour.

I mentioned in a previous area of research that I loved work from the Renaissance period, and this continues to be true after viewing this. Created in 1518, this piece somehow seems timeless. Although it was created hundreds of years ago, there’s something quite modern about it. I think it’s the severity and bluntness of the lines in which it’s been created with. Whilst many of the other works of art from this era are very soft in both colour and design, this piece is very sharp and strong.

In many of his other landscapes he incorporates a range of colours and tones, however, maintains the strength within his work through the continuous use of sharp lines and unblended colours. The difference in the pieces below is their lack of real depth. I can see that the landscapes go far into the distance, however, the way in which this has been shown is almost cartoon-ish. For example, the landscape of the houses on the right is extremely detailed, however, the perspective seems a little messed up as the houses maintain the same level of detail and colouring, whereas, the further away they get, the less clear they would become.

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Next, I looked into the work of Claude Lorrain, an artist within the Baroque era.

Many of the ideas that he produced as drawings were later adapted into oil paintings. These incredible pieces of art remind me something that I would see in a book of fairytales or in a Shakespearian production.

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Here I can see a stronger sense of realism being introduced. Whilst both artists create using a strong and clear amount of detail, Lorrain‘s combination of colour, tone and technique gives the impression of a photographed scene or as though you are seeing the actual view, and not an image.

In contrast to the sharpness of Dürer‘s work, Lorrain depicts his scenes very softly. Looking at these pieces instils in me a feeling of calm and warmth; I think this is due to the blending of colours, the depiction of depth and the warm colours used. The thing that makes these paintings so powerful is the attention to perspective used. Looking at all of the pieces above, I can see that the features in the foreground are clearly detailed and the ranges of tone on them are obvious and precise, however, the further away the features get, the subtler those details and the smoother and smudgier they become. The items in the far background have very few details and the range of tone used is very minimal, as they would be more difficult to see and less clear to the artist.

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Moving into the twentieth century, I focused on L.S. Lowry.

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Now, I’m not sure why, but these pieces make me feel sad. I think it’s maybe due to their lack of colour and life. They just seem very empty and a bit depressing.

Don’t get me wrong, the use of colour is definitely there. I am able to see a variety of red and green and yellow – colours that are usually deemed quite bold and vibrant, however, in these pieces the coloured details are so very small that they get lost in the expanse of white or, in the case of Hillside in Wales, the colour is just so dull that it’s not even really noticeable.

As the years have progressed it’s clear that abstract creativity is becoming more and more popular, which is a very interesting take on creativity. I love to think about an artist’s conscious decision on how they will create a particular piece, such as a landscape. For Lowry, I think he’s balanced the two very well, when often an artist will go for one or the other. At a glance you would be fooled into thinking this were a photograph, but on closer inspection it becomes clear that it’s a very intricate oil painting. I say intricate because, although there are huge spaces of nothingness, the finer details are so minuscule and detailed that you almost miss them. The artist has portrayed these aspects fantastically through their precise and strong use of perspective; looking at the scene from a birds-eye view and being so exact in their recreation of what they are seeing or what they have formed in their mind that you are tricked by how realistic it is.

It’s funny, I began this by saying that these pieces make me feel sad, which they still do, but the more I look at them, the more they interest me and the more I like them. I think they’re quite childlike and very British, so I feel inclined to enjoy them just that bit more.

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A more urban and modern artist, George Shaw.

I was absolutely mindblown to discover that these two paintings were exactly that – paintings. I was so convinced that they were photographs that I had to seriously inspect them to find any clue that they were paintings, and that was a challenge, believe me.

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Again, these are very British, which is only one reason that I love them. They show Britain in a very honest and raw light, and the detail in which this is displayed is outstanding.

This artist has no boundaries, as you can see. These images differ in many ways, but predominantly in their use of colour and tone. The left image is of a blossom tree in broad daylight, with a house and garden wall behind it. The accuracy of the perspective, colour, tone, textures, and each fine detail are so precise that you wouldn’t think this a painting. To me, it feels flawless which is quite ironic considering that what it is portraying is anything but that.

Looking at the second painting – a larger tree and houses in a darker, gloomier setting, I feel a conflict of emotion towards it. Again, its details are exact and the precision in the creation of it is some of the most incredible work I have seen, yet, it makes me feel pretty uncomfortable. It gives me the impression of a Goosebumps story book, an unsettling and disturbing scene.

I can see the use of layers within this piece, something that I’ve discussed with fellow students and have found a tricky concept in the past. Seeing this, it still seems extremely daunting, however, it’s clear to see that its a very achievable thing and something that adds a great deal to a piece, so I’m keen to keep that in mind and focus on this artist in the future if and when the need for this arises.

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To conclude, I looked at the work of Sarah Woodfine – a modern, fantastical sculpture.

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An extremely imaginative and abstract approach to the creation of spaces and landscapes. I think these are wonderful and so fascinating. I’m very much reminded of Tim Burton and his animations when I look at the sculptures above, due to the colour choices and the ways in which their used. Somehow, these sculptures feel both eerie and childlike, which is similar to the animations of TB.

I particularly like the piece on the right. I really enjoy the strong and large use of black blank space. Although it is exactly that – a blank space, the artist has portrayed a strong feel of depth with the use of the poles/lines behind the caravan. As these pieces get closer together, the impression of them getting further away is created and when they disappear altogether it’s as though the darkness has swallowed them. I feel that the dark space in this piece could go on for miles and miles more than I can see, which is what makes it such an intriguing piece.

The artist uses flat pieces of card or paper to create these 3-D pieces, but the fact you’re looking at a combination of cut out pieces of paper isn’t something you even consider. She combines realism and fantasy so incredibly that the two become one. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that there is no colour used in these pieces, because it’s just not something that is needed or matters in regards to Sarah Woodfine‘s work. The depth and intimacy portrayed in the two examples above is done so in a monochrome, using only black, white, and grey shades, showing that the use of colour is not exactly necessary when creating a landscape. Through the use of tone Woodfine has been able to show all that she needed to show – depth, texture, shadows – without the use of colour.

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Feedback and Reflection

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I’m feeling pleased with the feedback that I have received from my tutor. It was really helpful to sit and discuss all the aspects that I have done well in, and the ones that need improvement or medicating. It was really encouraging to see that I am making improvement, and to have this recognised by someone other than myself.

I’m branching out a lot in the use of sketchbook and the experimentation process, which is extremely handy in the creation of my work. These small exercises and tasks may not seem important, but they really are. With the experimentation of material and technique I am able to narrow down my options and make a conscious choice on what would be best and how to effectively apply it to my work.

I’ve been experimenting with colour a lot in part 2 and my tutor advised me that I am doing well in my coloured exercises, and to keep at this.

One thing that did pop up a few times in our discussion was my reliance on outlining. I have a habit of outlining the items and focuses of my drawings and then working within those lines, however, I had recently recognised that strong outlines was flattening my drawings and taking much of the realism away. My tutor advised me that whilst it is good to map out my drawings with a pencil, I shouldn’t rely on the outlines that I am creating and I should be using tones to build upon a piece, working the tones and colours towards the edges of items, rather than relying on the outlines that I have created.

We’ve both been able to see that my ellipses are improving hugely, however, have agreed that I should continue practice on these areas. The stronger the ellipse, the stronger the object!

I’ve picked up a lot of tips and ways in which I can improve my work from the advice that I’ve received from my tutor, and I’m feeling really eager to continue and see where my drawing journey takes me.

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