Study of Several Trees

Project 1

Exercise 3

For this task I drew a collection of trees in my local park. Much of this group of trees was in shadow, as they were large and their foliage was thick, however, there were some patches of light hitting areas of the trunks, leaves and on the floor surrounding the trees.

Similar to some of the previous exercises, there was an image in my head of what I wanted the final product of this exercise to be, and although what I created wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, I think I’ve still done a fairly effective job.

To begin with, I lightly drew in the areas on the page where the separate trees would be. I found this helpful in a number of ways, but predominantly because I always find it difficult knowing where or how to start a sketch, but this simple technique that I produced out of thin air helped wonders as already, I had the base to my sketch.

After lightly outlining the shape of the trees, I used an oil pastel to colour the areas which jumped out to me the most, which just so happened to be the dark tones. I very much went with the flow of this one, trying not to think about it too much. To begin with I was a bit anxious as I thought the blocks of brown and black and grey over the trunk looked rubbish, however, with perseverance and patience I eventually saw that it was working and I could see the first tree forming.

After slowly building upon the tree trunks in the foreground, I moved onto the ones in the background. I wasn’t sure as to how I would portray the perspective of these trees, as they were metres behind the two at the front.

I decided to experiment with this by adopting a less precise formation of tone and to use larger, wider spread lines to lose some of the detail. As these trees were further away, the detail on them was less prominent and capturing this feature is an aspect that I felt was key to the portrayal of distance and perspective.

Looking at the images below, I feel satisfied that I was able to depict the distance between each individual tree and, also, the distance between myself and the trees. Using lighter colours and less accuracy on the detail and structure of the trees in the background was really beneficial to the piece, and through the use of this technique, I think I’ve captured my perspective of them quite well.

Moving on to the foliage, I began by looking at the different areas of colour, tone and the range in depth. Whilst looking at these areas I noticed that there were a wide range of green shades. Also, the trees weren’t all the same type, so their structure and foliage differed. I used the technique practiced in the previous exercise and used different shades of green oil pastels to scribble and quickly add in the different areas and types of foliage. I think this technique displayed the different types of trees quite well, as well as being mindful to adapt the shape and structures of the trunks for each tree type. I didn’t want to spend a lot of time on these areas, as I am prone to thinking about the fine details too much, and wanted my choices and movements to be very organic, to see what happened. Interestingly, adding very small amounts of a darker shade in particular areas was really effective in showing depth and shadowing. This may be something that is very obvious to others, however, as someone that is new to work around landscapes and trees, I found this really intriguing.

I was able to depict any areas where the light hit by leaving those patches blank or adding very little detail, if any at all. You are able to see this in areas on the left hand side of most of the trees, and I think this simple technique has worked wonders in helping me portray the appearance of sunlight on the the trees. It has also helped me to depict a sense of realism. To display these areas within the foliage I simply darkened the parts where the light doesn’t quite reach. This is shown clearly in the tree closest to me (foreground, right hand side). I did this by colouring areas of light green for the patches in the sun, and displayed the shadowed areas using dark green, layering it to depict thickness in the leaves.

For a while I wanted to leave it as it is above, however, after staring at it for hours and hours I wasn’t getting the feeling of finality that I have felt with other pieces. I sat with it for a while and decided to move on to another task. After a while, I turned my stress toon back to the piece and decided that there was a lot that I could work on.

Using my pastels I accentuated a number of areas – the thick parts of the foliage, the darker tones upon the trunks, the areas around the bottom of each tree, the tonal range of the grass, and the area deep in the foreground. I had also noticed that the shadows cast by the trees looked very basic, and spending some time on them was a decision that did this piece the world of good.

After this last burst of effort and inspiration I’m feeling far more satisfied. It’s amazing to see that I am already making progress within this area of design. As someone who has never really taken much time to sketch a tree or landscape, I was extremely apprehensive about these exercises and wasn’t expecting much from the final outcome. That being said, it’s completely mind blowing to see how much progress I have made in the space of only three exercises.

Re-work

After speaking with my tutor regarding this piece, she advised me on a few tips and techniques to improve upon it. These were things that I hadn’t necessarily thought of, however, now that I am aware of them and have made the changes, I can see that they were really quite important to portraying a successful feel of depth and realism within the piece.

The two main things that my tutor brought to my attention were the trees in the background and the shadows cast by the trees on the ground.

In the previous version of this piece all of the trees maintained the same sort of appearance. For example, the trees in the foreground, middleground and background all had the same texture and sharpness, giving a strong impression that they were all at the same level. To depict a sense of depth and distance my tutor advised that I use a cotton pad to smudge the features of the trees in the background. This worked wonders. You can see that I have applied this technique to all of the trees apart from the two in the foreground. I have subtly smudged the foliage and the trunks to blur them slightly, and lessen the severity of their features. This really helped me portray the depth that I had struggled to show in the previous attempts.

Moving onto the shadows on the ground. My tutor advised me that the black that I had used for these shadows was quite severe and that I should lessen them by adding a shade of green on top. I have done this, however, I’ve also used the same technique as above and used a cotton pad to smooth the pastel and blend it away. This really, really changed the piece. Before it was very sharp and scribbly, but, by smoothing out these severe scribbles and strong colours, I’ve managed to depict an even more effective appearance of the shadows cast by the trees.

Larger Observational Study of an Individual Tree

Coursework

Project 1

Exercise 2

For this task I drew the same tree that I focused on in the previous exercise. It’s easily accessible and it’s a really lovely tree, so looking at it for long stretches of time isn’t too much of a chore!

I began by drawing the outline of the tree’s trunk and working up from there. First, I thought it would be useful to start on the trunk’s markings, and see where that lead me. I focused on the markings, lines and shadows along the surface of the bark, and the twists and knots in the trunk. From the trunk, I was able to work upwards into the foliage, using a similar strategy to exercise 1.

The use of scribbled lines and quick marks was really effective, and by layering the lines on top of each other I was able to achieve the appearance of varied thickness in the leaves.

I worked quickly to create this piece, which, for once, I really enjoyed. It was incredible to be able to scribble and scratch away at the page without even glancing at it, to then look down and see the progress I’d made. I almost think that looking away from the piece and drawing what I was looking at without paying much mind whilst I drew made it better.

After the disappointment I felt after exercise 1, it’s glorious to be able to say that after completing exercise 2, I am feeling really relieved and as though I’ve turned a small but very satisfying corner. I am now able to see how easy it is to create the form and substance of a tree using really simple strategies.

If I were to add anything to this sketch (or re-do it completely) I would focus further on the foliage/leaves. I don’t think I quite managed to depict it’s full thickness, and this is something I’d like to be able to achieve with practice. I’m thrilled that the tree doesn’t seem flat against the page and that I’ve been able to represent its 3-dimensional form fairly well, however, I do think that it would hugely add to the sketch if the foliage had that little bit more depth. As I’ve learnt from this exercise, simply overlapping the lines and markings is a surefire way to create bushy, luscious greenery instead of flat, weedy leaves.

Sketching individual trees

Coursework

Project 1

Exercise 1

In this exercise we sketched a tree in 4 stages.

I’ve never properly drawn a tree, only ever in doodles, so this was a daunting task for me and I didn’t expect a lot from the outcome. Dividing the page into quarters we were asked to then focus on four specific areas, building upon the previous areas in each quarter.

The outline of the tree’s shape
Outlines of basic shapes or shading of foliage
The outlines of the trunk and the branches that I could see
Foliage texture

I’ll start by saying that I found this task extremely annoying and no where near as simple as I thought I would. It was actually very challenging for me and an area that will need a lot of focus.

Currently, I am unable to access a varied option of trees so I settled for the one that I could see in my back garden. It’s a gorgeous tree covered in pink flowers, and I thought it would be fairly simple to re-create. Wrong!

I began by sketching the rough outline of the tree. Not adding any details, just simply outlining the trunk, and outer line of the shape of the head of the tree.

After this, the brief says to add outlined shapes or shaded areas to describe how the foliage forms in different masses around the tree. I took a few attempts at adding outlined shapes, but the technique just didn’t work for me, so I opted for the option of shading.

Using this technique I added shading to display the thickest areas of the tree, or where the leaves/flowers were darker. I quickly added these marks and areas as I was conscious that I shouldn’t spend a great amount of time including them. I was able to see that a tree-like shape was forming and it wasn’t just lines and blobs on a page, which was interesting, and also a relief.

Next, I added the outlines of the trunk and any branches that I was able to see.

In hindsight I think I should have laid off a little bit on the pressure I was applying to the pencil, as I think the appearance would’ve been more appealing if the lines weren’t so dark and severe.

Finally, using scribbled outlines and shading I was able to indicate the the texture in the foliage. I also scribbled the markings and darker areas onto the trunk and branches. This was a pretty impactful technique, and made what felt like disappointing progress seem more lively and successful.

This four-step study was a simple but useful technique that I’m sure will support me hugely in the future.

As mentioned above, I know that I need to work on this area further, but with the use of simple and effective strategies such as this, I feel quite positive that I can build up my technique in forming the shape and structure of trees and foliage. Whilst slightly disheartened with the process and outcome of this task, I’m also feeling keen to continue my practice and to see what else I can produce and how I can improve on it.

Assignment 2

Coursework

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.

Domestic Interiors

Coursework

We were asked to look at the following images in regards to the choice of content, medium, format and how it reflects its context in terms of era, fashion, mood, etc.

https://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/4486/madeline-joscelyne-with-her-son

Anthony Green

The image on the left: Mrs Madeleine Jocelyne with her Son, 1987 by Anthony Green. I think this piece is really interesting, and of the two, it’s my favourite. This piece is extremely unusual, however, the most unusual aspect of it is that the entire room is presented in the image. The artist has thrown the conventional idea of viewpoint and perspective to the wind, and has created a wildly abstract, but amazingly effective piece of art.

This piece is very busy, and on a first glance there seems to be a lot going on within it, although, when you look closer you see that it is simply a scene of a woman and her son in their living area. The features of the living room are all extremely angular, which, I think, gives the piece a psychedelic look. Looking at it is almost too much.

I love the colours used in this piece, as I think they complement each other really well. The whole scene seems very warm and comfortable, which is the mood I assume the artist was going for. On first appearances it’s not apparent, however, it’s a really beautiful and moving piece, created using a variety of soft and gentle materials. I’m not sure, but I think this adds to the sense of relaxation and contentment portrayed in the scene. The choice materials used in this were watercolour paints, oil pastels and pencils – smooth and easy materials, which suit the mood of the piece wonderfully.

The piece was created in 1987. Referring back to the colours again, I think many of the common colours of that particular decade are used within it. When looking at art from the 1900s, it seems that the later on in the decade, the bolder the colours used, as though the world is getting more and more comfortable and bold in our choices and ways in which we express ourselves. The 80s were a very outrageous and eccentric time, which shows in this piece. The abstract nature of it, the popping and vibrant colours, the style in which the living room is furnished, and even the colours that the subjects of the this lovely piece are wearing.

Philip Pearlstein

The image on the right: Male Model with Kimono, Female Model with Mirror, 1985 by Philip Pearlstein. This image is hugely different from the previous one, in a great number of ways. The subjects are still two people, it’s still a very intimate creation, and I can see a great deal of features that provoke thought and inspiration.

I do like this piece, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t make me feel anything like the first one did. The realism is the aspect of this piece of art that strikes me the most – the use of tones, the perspective taken, and the feelings it may portray. I feel like it’s very obvious that this is an extremely intimate piece, however, I don’t feel warmth or love radiating from it. To me, it feels quite cold and almost hostile. I think this may be the positioning of those in it. Although their legs are laid out diagonally across the piece, and towards each other, I feel a tense atmosphere. The woman on the right looks quite rigid and uncomfortable, based on her posture, and the addition of her reflection in the mirror adds a great deal to the piece, as you can see her face doesn’t exactly look positive or as though she is happy. Adding this mirror detail in creates a lot of depth and I don’t think the image would be the same without that added detail.

The perspective taken is from behind the woman and slightly elevated, looking down upon the couple from an angle. The male subject’s face is hidden, which creates a deeper mystery – what has happened? What is the mood supposed to be? What’s going on?

In contrast to the previous piece, you can’t see the room that the couple are sat in, so you’re unable to make much judgement on their surrounding area. I feel that you would be able to make more judgement on the people in this image if you could have a little more insight into their living areas.

One thing that does support the decisions I made about this piece are the small amount of furnishings that you can see – the multicoloured checkerboard rug, the modern looking mirror and the shape/structure of the chair. I think this shows us that this is a fairly contemporary piece. The detail that brought me to this conclusion was predominantly the rug – the bold colours and the pattern scream 80s/90s. Without that small detail, I wouldn’t be sure what exactly the era was.

David Hockney

Whilst scouring the internet for other artists that focus on domestic interiors, I came across the wonderful and extraordinarily talented David Hockney.

I love these pieces that I found, and think that they are beautiful in a very unconventional way. The simplicity of them is charming and gives them an almost childlike appearance. I feel very relaxed when looking at these, and find that they have a calming energy. I think it has a lot to do with the subtle and uncomplicated colour scheme.

I wouldn’t need to know the era in which these images were created to know that they are modern, produced at some time in the 1990s. It’s very clear by the simplistic and effortless way in which the artist has formed it, and I think the sketchbook scribble appearance it has is very popular of art created in the 90s.

These pieces are created using lithography, a method of printing. This is not a technique that I’ve used in the past and I’m actually quite surprised to identify that these images were created using this method. It appears to me as though they artist used coloured pens or pencils.

Like Anthony Green, Hockney has taken a very abstract approach to these interiors and his perspective is very warped. Again, similarly to the the image Mrs Madeleine Jocelyne with her Son, I interpret the mood displayed in them to be very calm and comfortable. The images are not full and don’t seem very busy, but they project a warm and welcoming energy, which makes me enjoy looking at them all the more.

Material Differences

Coursework

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.

Composition – An Interior

Coursework

Project 4

Exercise 2

For this exercise we were asked to look at the composition of an interior, including the angles, areas, viewpoints, and the format of sketch.

I chose to work on an area in my bedroom where I have an assortment of jars, candles and plants on top of the radiator. This radiator is rarely used for heating purposes so it’s predominantly used as a shelf.

To begin with, I took an assortment of pictures of this area. I shot from different distances and viewpoints to give myself a range to choose from and a scope to compare. I also find taking photos of the area I’m sketching useful so that, if needed, I can return back to them at a later date or use them for comparison.

After this, I chose my favourite of the four and sectioned an A3 sheet of paper in my sketchbook into quarters. It was interesting to see that even just shifting viewpoint of the camera changes the image completely, especially with the plant. From each angle, the leaves looked completely different, which was interesting. I think in my head I had decided that the things that I would sketch would look the exact same, only from different angles.

I chose to create these images in HB pencils. I know this is a simple material to use, but I felt most comfortable and happy with a pencil. It also felt nice to work in pencil again, after working with charcoal, pastels and paints.

One of my biggest YES! moments came during this task, as I realised that my structure and shape of curved items and their ellipses was improving.

I am super happy with how these sketches turned out. I took some inspiration from the previous exercise and made a conscious decision not to pay so much attention to perfecting my sketch. I loosely created the sketch and found that I was far more satisfied with the outcome. It looks way more natural and smooth, which is something I’ve found tricky to achieve in the past.

I love all of these views, but if I were to choose, I think I would go for the top-left view. Looking towards the items from slightly above and to the left. It was really interesting to experiment with different viewpoints, as, again, this isn’t something that I’ve focused on much in the past! Usually I would just approach the items head-on, but, I’m now seeing that it makes a piece so much more interesting if you mix things up a bit! Although I didn’t practice all of the different features of composition, I can now see how these features contribute to a piece.

I can now see that the distance between myself and the subjects doesn’t always need to be a comfortable distance. It can be distortedly close up, or even far away, with a large amount of surrounding negative space. A viewpoint can literally be from anywhere you decide, as its YOUR viewpoint and your work, so it’s completely your call where you approach the sketch from.

Quick Sketches Around The House

Coursework

Project 4

Exercise 1

For this exercise I looked at a few different areas in several rooms within my house. I have quite a full house, as there’s around 6 or 7 of us that live here, so there’s many ornaments, objects and household accessories dotted all over the place.

I decided to focus on the living room and hallway of the house, as I found that these areas involved features that could do with some practice, such as differing perspectives and angular lines.

I’m not one that usually works quickly, so the fact that the main focus of this task was to quickly create sketches was something I needed to mentally prepare myself for. I knew I wasn’t to worry about precision and perfection in a task such as this, which is something that I would usually obsess over.

These were the areas that I decided to sketch:

Surprisingly, I was really satisfied with the final product of this exercise.

I chose to sketch using a thin piece of charcoal, and found that the effect it had was really quite impressive. As I was to create these sketches quickly, I felt that they would be rubbish and you wouldn’t be able to tell what the images even were, however, I’m pleasantly surprised.

I’m really happy with the effect the charcoal had, nevertheless, if I were to approach this task again, I would try it with a thick fine liner or a pen brush. This may be something that I experiment with in the future, but, for now, having never attempted interiors before, I’m content with what I’ve produced.

It’s also taught me that my drawings do not have to be perfect! I need to lose this idea that if my products aren’t perfect, they’re rubbish, because it’s not the case at all.

Monochrome

Coursework

Project 3

Exercise 4

In this task, the brief asked that we worked towards creating an image in a single colour, combining both natural and man-made objects. I was super excited for this piece, as it seemed like it was going to be a lot of fun and it gave me chance to try out something I’ve never done before.

Not long before beginning, I spoke with another student and asked for some advice on how I could lift the objects out of the page and bring my creation to life. I was advised to begin by drawing all of the ellipses first, as this would support me in ensuring the curved edges and openings of each item were the same. Previously, I’ve found it tricky to get these parts of any items right, so I took his advice, gave it a whirl, and he was right. It helped me more than I can even explain.

I chose a bottle, an espresso maker, a mug and an apple. All of these items were different shades of red.

First, I drew the ellipses, then once I felt these were accurate, I began to build upon the structure and shape of the objects. After this, I loosely added any lines or features that were important to the form of the object.

I used a paper plate as my palette. As the items I chose were red, I experimented with a range of paints to get a variety of red tones. Using white, black, red and brown I was able to achieve more shades of red than I thought existed, which was really exciting, as I could already see my piece coming together.

For the bottle of rosè I needed a very pale pinky shade, which was easily achieved with a mixture of red and white. The mug and the espresso maker were very similar shades of red, so creating the colours for those was simple. They are very vibrant red, however, the parts of them in shadow became very dark, so combining red and black with a small amount of brown created a burgundy shade. At first, I was unsure as to whether this would be the right tone for those sections, but it ended up working really well and added a lot of realism to the painting.

Being a natural object, the apple had many different tones of red. Parts of it were dark red, others were almost pink, however, much of it was in shadow as I had placed the apple in the mug. I used a combination of all the paint shades I had already created, and it turned out really well. I was able to layer certain colours and darken or lighten them. I even found that adding the tiniest dab of black or white transformed the colours entirely, which was really interesting.

The Final Outcome

For once, I am so happy with the outcome of a piece.

I spent a full day and then part of another day on it, which is the longest I have spent on an exercise. But, I am so glad that I did because the outcome is better than I imagined it would be. Experimenting with a vibrant colour such as red, and exploring with all the different shades I could create, was a lot of fun. It is definitely something I want to focus on again.

The trickiest part of this for me was the espresso maker, as it’s a very tricky shape and structure to form, especially for someone that is very new to this way of creating, however, I think I didn’t do too bad a job. I’d even go as far as saying I did a pretty good job. Watching the whole piece come together by adding light tones, then mid tones, then dark tones was really satisfying and it’s amazing how adding even a small amount of a particular tone to an area works wonders. For instance, the areas where the light is hitting the object most is created using a dash of red with a lot of white in it. This created a pink-ish tone that is almost white. Adding this to the areas that I could see the light hitting transformed the objects and, immediately, it was a completely different piece. I was blown away by the impact this tiny addition had made, and was inspired by the fact that I was the one that had made this huge difference.

My favourite aspect of this piece is the bottle, as I think I’ve accurately captured the shape and structure of it. This is something I have really struggled with in the past, and I truly believe that it’s due to the advice of accurately drawing the ellipses first. This piece doesn’t look flat, which a lot of my other pieces have, so I have a lot to thank this fellow OCA student for. I will definitely be mindful of that tip in all my future pieces now.

Experiment with Mixed Media

Coursework

Project 3

Exercise 3

For this task, we were asked to experiment using traditional art tools and ‘non-art” media.

I branched out massively on this task, and I’m not even sure if the way in which I created this piece is “correct”, however, I took the use of “non-art” media further than I think was suggested.

First of all, I’d like to say that this particular exercise really defeated me. I felt very down in the dumps through the production of it, and began to really compare myself to others. That being said, I decided to push on and try my best. These techniques and forms of creativity are very new to me and way out of my comfort zone, so I guess all I can do is my best. And that is what this is!

In classic Jes style, I got caught up in the process and forgot to take any pictures of my progress!

The Final Outcome

Part of me is really satisfied with the outcome of this piece, however, the other part of me can’t stand it.

I chose a wide range of tools for this piece, including acrylic paint, watercolour paint, oil pastels, tip-ex, wax, lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner, highlighter and fine liner. I told you I went a bit out of the box.

This exercise was potentially one of the most challenging I have faced as of yet. I was really hard on myself with it, which isn’t great, but I had an image in my head of what I wanted it to be, and I struggled to stop at anything other than that image.

Eventually, though, I did stop, and as I mentioned above, I feel a number of ways about the outcome. I will say, I do feel happy with the pepper. I think I did really well to capture the shape, texture and tonal range of it, and I’m pretty chuffed with how it came out. The paintbrush was fairly simple to create, as it was only a small aspect of the piece, and I’m fine with how it looks. The same can’t be said for the rest of the picture, but, frustratingly, I can’t put my finger on what exactly is bothering me so much! I tried really hard with the vase, and managed to display it’s many tones with a range of colours and materials, but it still looks very flat. No matter what I did, I wasn’t able to lift it out of the page and bring it to life.

After speaking with other students, I’ve picked up a lot of tips on how to improve my work. One of the most beneficial pieces of feedback I received was regarding the lighting. In this piece there were many lights on in the room that I was in, and I think a more directional light source would have been helpful, as this piece currently feels a bit all over the place.

Depicting a vase or curved object is something I’m determined to practice, as I’m finding it to be a challenge and frustration in many of the exercises so far.