Drawings: OCA Part 3: Landscape Drawing IV - Plotting Space Through Composition and Structure.

Plotting Space Through Composition and Structure

Pencil on Paper

In what way did you simplify and select in your study? Were you able to focus on simple shapes and patterns amid all the visual information available to you?

It gets very difficult when it comes to selecting what elements to include in a drawing, trying to cram everything in just results in a mess. I tried to be consistent with the level of detail in specific drawings, not spending ages on one bit and neglecting another that are supposed to be on the same level. I began to find it easier to identify patterns if I were to sit and think a drawing out before picking up my pencil.

How did you create a sense of distance and form in your sketches?

Thinking about tone before starting helped me to confidently describe the forms in my sketches and lightening the background made the distance seem shift further away.

How did you use light and shade? Was it successful?

Drawing outside came with the problem of an unreliable light source, especially at the time of year I was drawing where one moment direct sunlight would form definite stark shadows and the next it would disappear behind the clouds obscuring the forms. Because of this the shading is slightly off in some of my drawings but the general idea is there.



Drawings: OCA Part 3: Landscape Drawing III - Drawing Cloud Formations

  Drawing Cloud Formations - Calm day

Blue Ink and Wash - A4

 

I produced a number of these sketches in between other drawings over several days to capture the clouds in several different formations. It was definitely most interesting when it was stormy; the clouds seemed to roll on and on dramatically covering the landscape. Representing this on paper was no easy task but I made a few attempts with a couple of fiascos but also some that managed to show some of that drama.

 Drawing Cloud Formations - Cirrus Clouds

Charcoal and Chalk - A4

 

Drawing Cloud Formations - Low Storm Clouds

Charcoal and Chalk - A4

Drawings: OCA Part 3: Landscape Drawing II - 360 Degree Studies

360 Degree Studies - Bossiney Bay

Pencil - 4 x A4

 

In this exercise I needed to be standing in one spot and drawing the view towards the north, east, south and west.  I chose a spot on the cliffs above Bossiney Bay so that I would have four very different drawings, in different directions I could see buildings, trees, rocks and the sea.

Drawings: OCA Part 3: Landscape Drawing I - A Sketchbook Walk

A Sketchbook Walk

Pencil - 4 x A5

The next part of my course is focused on drawing outdoors, the first project of which is landscape drawing, something I do enjoy and can get really enthusiastic about.

For this exercise I had to go on a walk and sketch out four quick little drawings focusing on an individual point of interest. They had to be rapid and I couldn’t rub out any mistakes. It felt good to work so loosely and I can see what it means when it says “fast drawing helps you to concentrate and to see better.”



Drawings: OCA Part 2: Assignment 2

Final Piece

Watercolour and Pencil - A3 

For this assignment I knew I wanted to produce something full of colour, so I started playing around with drawing and sketching different pieces of fruit like onions and chillies, trying out different media as I went.

I initially really liked the idea of the chillies and went ahead with the idea, adding in some green herbs to enhance the colour and using the same view point (from above) that I thought worked well in the fish on plate piece from earlier in the project. I like these pieces but having reviewed the criteria for this assignment again, I was not confident that I had really completed it as well as I could with the composition or colour, probably because I rushed into doing it.

I was not particularly enthusiastic about doing another ink piece at this point so I went back and tried using a combination of pencil and watercolour on some small drawings of fruit. I really liked the way these turned out so I continued with this idea. I also thought a lot longer about the composition I would use, sketching out different ideas first. I added a simple jug that had quite a natural curve like the fruit and eventually a pot plant at the back that gave the arrangement some height and presence. Once I had finalised the composition I produced a couple of studies to make sure I was happy with the lighting and positioning of the all the items and then started on the final piece.

I first sketched the whole thing out in pencil, ensuring that the scale and shading was right. I used the cross-hatching method because I knew it would help to define the shapes well. With the watercolour, I built up layers of separate tones, building it up most where the darker tones were present and leaving the highlighted parts almost bare. It took quite a while to do it this way but I am fairly pleased with the result.

 Study of Red Onions

Watercolour and Biro - A4

 

Initial Studies and Sketches

 

 

First result that I was not happy with

 

 

Starting Over with some Watercolour Studies

 

Playing around with Composition

 

Practice before Final Piece

Watercolour and Pencil

 Pros:

-          My favourite thing about this piece is definitely the colours; I specifically choose the lemons, limes and satsumas because I thought the colours contrasted well, giving each piece of fruit its own separate form.

-          The cross-hatching works well to define the shapes.

Cons:

-          Despite all the planning for it, I’m still not entirely happy with the composition; I think I preferred it in some of the study pieces as opposed to the final drawing.

-          Looking at it now I think I should have thought more about filling in the background to give the piece a better setting.

Drawings OCA Part 2 V: Project - Drawing Animals - Fish on a Plate

Final Piece - Two Mackerel

Ink - A3

 

The name of this exercise is pretty self explanatory, I had to buy a fish, put it on a plate, draw it, job done.

Not being a fish aficionado, I decided on using a couple of mackerels, I quite liked the silvery blue patterns on their skin and the simple profile they have. I started out with a couple of pencil sketches before trying an ink sketch which I really like. I used a couple of different sized nibs to vary the marks I made, using a very fine nib to produce some detailed cross hatching while reserving the larger ones for the areas of heavier and darker tones.

I decided for my last piece to go for a view looking directly down on to the subject, giving a prominent presence to the plate as well as the fish, allowing them to play off against each other, fighting for the viewers attention. I tried to be bold with the colour and line to match the strong composition using a limited palette of blue and black ink, varying the tones by diluting it. I really wanted to produce something eye-catching for this piece and I am definitely not disappointed with the result.

First Sketch

Pencil - A4

Second Sketch

Pencil - A4

 Mackerel in Blue

Ink - A4

 

Learning Log

What were the main challenges of drawing animals?

It was difficult to capture the proportions and to get the anatomy right quickly enough before the animal moved. It was almost impossible to predict how long the subject was going to stay in the pose or even the same place. There were plenty of times I’d look down at my sketch for a second, only to look up again and find that I no longer had a model as they had scarpered.

The texture of animals also presents its own challenges, I tried my best to pick out the details of the fur on the deer’s and smoothness of the fish scales with varying degrees of success.

Which media did you enjoy using most and which did you feel were the best for the subject matter and why?

I am relatively happy with all the media I employed to complete this exercise. When drawing in Richmond Park and other places, pencils and charcoal lent themselves well to the nature of working outside. I needed to use media that would allow me to work quickly and be able to cover a basic sketch without having to stop to clean brushes or allow anything to dry. Charcoal was especially useful for this as well as conveying the texture of fur fairly well.

I enjoyed using inks as well, first in the park where I produced a couple of rough sketches using a nib pen and blue ink (See http://andrewperugia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/drawings-oca-part-2-v-project-drawing.html) I then used inks again for the second exercise of drawing the fish on a plate, where the slightly glossy qualities of the ink were very useful for showing the shiny smooth skin of the fish.

 

Where can you go to draw more animals? Think about the sorts of places that will give you the opportunities for animal drawing. Have you tried drawing a moving animal yet?

I think it would be interesting to try and draw some birds, so by a canal or the local duck pond would be a good place to try and sketch some ducks or swans.

I have not tried drawing a moving animal yet so it would be something to try out in the future.

Drawings OCA Part 2 V: Project - Drawing Animals - Grabbing the Chance

Deer Resting in Richmond Park

Charcoal - A3

 Deer in the Grass, Richmond Park

Charcoal - A4

 

Definitely an easier said than done task, animals don’t tend to want to stay still, especially with me sitting next to them scratching away with a pencil.

Like the last exercise, this is another subject that I am not overly experienced in working with, but after doing a bit of research into artists like Mark Adlington and how they have responded to the subject I at least felt a bit more enthusiastic about tackling it.

My favourite part of this exercise was visiting Richmond Park where the fallow deer were surprisingly accommodating to having me sit and sketch quite close to them. I also quickly learnt that they were more likely to stay still for a longer period if I drew them from behind or while they were dozing in the sun.

There also some more sketches below that I completed for this exercise of a donkey and a puppy.

I really like the loose feeling in the ink and charcoal drawings of the Richmond Park deer, I think this was unintentionally achieved by me adapting to drawing outside with limited tools and the need to capture something quickly before my models ran away.

 Deer Resting, Richmond Park

Blue Ink - A4

Deer Standing, Richmond Park
Blue Ink - A4


Deer in Richmond Park Sketches
Pencil - A4

Sleeping Puppy Sketch

Biro Pen - A4

 

Donkeys Grazing

Pencil - A4

Donkey Resting

Charcoal - A4

Drawings: OCA Part 2 IV: Project - Drawing Plants and Flowers

Exercise: Negative Space in a Plant 

Second Drawing

Biro - A3 Paper

 

First Drawing

Pencil - A3 Paper

 

Flowers and plants are certainly not my favourite subject which is probably why it has taken so long to put these pieces on my blog, I am ashamed to say that I think this lack of enthusiasm for them may show in some of my drawings.

I did find the first exercise quite interesting and it was quite a systematic procedure of just filling in the gaps once the features were planned out. I definitely prefer the second piece in biro; it is more interesting to look at and to complete, probably because it fills the page a lot better than the first.

Coloured pencil is also far from my favourite media to work in so needless to say the combination hasn’t produced my favourite results. I started the A2 piece and right from the beginning I really did not favour this piece one bit, this definitely shows unfortunately. I did come back for a second go, returning with a vengeance and a few sunflowers. I had a lot more determination to produce something better this seems to have worked. I tried a smaller scale and thought about the colours beforehand.

I found some interesting flowers in my garden and did some studies in coloured inks to start the third exercise, I quite like the piece with the three red flowers (I believe they’re tulips) but have mixed feelings about the other results. I experimented with combing coloured pencil with charcoal to produce the very dark piece with the poppies and the jug, the colours work well and I am satisfied with the shading.

 

Exercise: Plants and Flowers in Coloured Pencil. 

 

First Drawing - Poppies

Coloured Pencil - A2

Second Drawing - Sunflowers

Coloured Pencil - A4

Exercise: Drawing with other Coloured Media

 Tulips

Drawing Inks - A3

Daffodils

Drawing Inks - A3

Tulips

Drawing Inks - A3

Flowers in Stone Planter

Drawing Inks - A3

Poppies and Jug

Coloured Pencil and Charcoal - A4

 

Hanging Plant

Drawing Inks - A4

Learning Log

How will your experiments with negative space help your observational drawing in the future?

Concentrating on the negative space has helped me to understand how objects, like plants with their tangled stems, interact on a two dimensional plane. It helped me to start drawing what was actually in front of me more than just what I thought I was seeing.

What techniques did you use to ensure you drew your plants in proportion?

On these particular exercises I would start by deciding on a single feature such as a flower head and from then on I would compare the scale of the other objects and adjust the accordingly. This didn’t always work spectacularly but in a way it did help to maintain the natural feel, like the drawings were growing from a point.

How did you achieve an effect of three-dimensional space in your drawings?

I am not convinced that I did successfully achieve the effect in all of my drawings. It is achieved in some of them where I have controlled the tones and shading to describe shapes and to highlight the features that recede into the drawing and those that project forwards towards the viewer.