Exercise Four- Energy

For this exercise we were asked to get our model to adopt with a dynamic position, such as lifting an arm, twisting hips, running or stretching. They needed to be able to hold the position for about five minutes to be able to sketch out the drawing. We had to work off A3 sheets of paper using a different material than usual therefore I opted with the charcoal as I haven’t experimented with yet. We were asked to do quick lines and then not worry too much about the details. Below are the pictures of my results:

For this piece I didn’t spent too much time on the detail or the tones I just sketched out the figure to make sure I got an accurate representation of the model and got the proportions right. I do think I got a good representation of the movement and showing different angles. I wanted to get these different poses to get the right look at movement and try to show the sense of it through drawing. I think the various lot of different lines show the movement swell as using lines out of the body to show this also. All in all I am happy with how these sketches look, I think I got the right effect with these drawings.

This exercise was a bit more complex, I think I did use some difficult poses such as the running position, I did this because I thought it would give a good sense of movement but it was a struggle for the model although I managed to get a good outline whilst they were moving. I do think I managed to get a good idea of the movement even though the model was moving, I enjoyed doing these sketches I thought it was a different way to look at the drawing to make it look like the subject was not just still. I think using charcoal was a good idea as it is out of my comfort zone and created lines that were fully effective for this exercise. All in all I am happy with this piece and I will continue to experiment with charcoal in future pieces.

Exercise Three- Stance

For this exercise we were asked to look for the line of balance and the centre of gravity in the standing figure. We were told it starts at the top of the skull and passes through the middle of the nose , straight down the middle of the chest cavity. We were told to move around the model in different poses and do quick sketches then identify the gravity and gesture then to mark it on our sketches. For this I decided to do four sketches each in different poses and then mark out my lines afterwards. Below are the pictures of my results:

For this exercise I decided to use a soft pencil therefore I could get the right softness and be able to draw quick lines to get the posture right and decide on the shaping easier. I thought it was interesting trying to identify how I was going to sketch these out and then finding the right place to draw the gravity line. I found that it was interesting to see how the body changes shapes when going into different poses and it was interesting to capture these sketches. I didn’t want to do too much toning to the sketches because the main focus is on the different poses and how the line changes throughout each pose. It was interesting to see how the line changed throughout and I think it will help me in my future sketches.

All in all I think this exercise was a success it was eyeopening to see the line change position when drawing the pose and I think it will help me get the angles right in my future sketches. I think in the sketch I did well on the proportions my critic on myself is I need to focus on drawing hands and feet to get a more realistic sketch rather than doing simple representations, I will focus on this on my further work and independent studies.

Exercise 2 – Essential Elements

For this exercise we were asked to draw six different poses, to adjust the lighting so it hits one side of the model and show the three dimensional form of the body. Don’t spend more than 10 mins on one pose and to remember basic shapes and shade in the darkest tones of the body. We were told to build up the tones and use hatching and broad sweeps and leave the paper light on the lighter tones. Draw the full figure and don’t concern on the detail of the model.

For this I decided to use graphite, I felt like it was a good idea to broaden my media and look into sketching with different medias to get out of my comfort zone, using this material was different it seemed to be easier to make darker tones and was soft to draw with. Below is a picture of my results:

Doing this exercise was enjoyable, I liked focusing on the different poses and making sure I got the right angles throughout the and looking that the proportions are right to make sure the figure doesn’t look alien. I think I did well in this exercise for getting the right bends and angles on the model. I believe I did well with proportion swell as showing weight and three dimensional form, it was quite hard to show darker tones without making the proportions look off but I think I was able to show a balance between the two. Personally I think the first two of my sketches show the best sense of pose because I feel they were both complex poses to draw. I feel I did well at the poses and got the proportions right on these two sketches, they seem to have more three dimension and I did well with the tones throughout both of these sketches. Doing these drawings there wasn’t any movement really, it was more tricky to draw quickly and be confident with my markings, some of the poses my model did were tricky for them to stay in that position yet I think I did well to capture those poses as quick as I could just to get the basic shapes in, I think I captured this in my sketches.

All in all I enjoyed this exercise, I think I liked using a different media and getting out of my comfort zone and I am going to experiment more with this media in further exercises as well as independent studies. I feel that I need to improve on my harsh lines and not be so heavy on my outer lines. I want to improve on using lighter tones and just not shading the lightest tones at all.

Exercise 1- Basic Shapes

For this exercise we were asked to arrange our model at a slight angle in a chair (an angle they will feel comfortable in) and draw them. We were asked to pay attention to any of the twists or bends on the figure. Look at the figure and block the basic shapes to help draw out the figures, it’s all about help shape out the body to get the angles correct and proportions of the body.

Below are pictures of my results, I enjoyed doing this task and I feel I am getting better at getting proportions and poses of the models:

Doing these drawings was great, I enjoyed looking at the shapes and identifying how I could make it simpler to draw the whole figure and get the proportions more accurate than just looking as the figure as a whole. I decided to again use a pencil for this exercise, I like the quick and confident marks I make when using this media although I do think on my next exercises I am going to draw with a different material and see how it goes when experimenting in that department.

All in all I like the way I got the angles right on this model, I looked at the twists and turns of the models angle on the chair. I wanted to make sure the proportions looked accurate therefore I tried to look at the body in different shapes like the exercise asked to get an easier look at how they all can connect and get a more accurate representation of the body. I think I did an accurate drawing of the figure and how the body is positioned although further on in this project I want to use different materials and experiment with doing close ups of the body to look into detail.

Research Point- Foreshortening

In this research point we were asked to look into foreshortening, this effect is created by one part of your body, looking huge compared to the rest of your body. This effect is used in art and photography often to create an interesting effect and put a change to normal proportions when it come to bodies.

For research I looked into famous artists which have done pieces that are based on foreshortening, for this research I looked into Hendrick Goltzius, his famous painting ‘Dying Adonis’. Goltzius was a famous German born Dutch artist focusing on printmaking and painting mainly, his work was very popular in the 1500’s. His work carries different techniques one of those being his impressive foreshortening piece and others such as his drawing of his right hand and ‘Lot and his daughters’. Below is the picture I used to get inspiration and did my research off:

This piece is a prime example of foreshortening and the main focus is on the feet, although it is suspected the artist enlarged the feet so it didn’t look so off or non human. I do believe you can see how enlarged the feet look compared to the rest of the body and it creates a good effect for the whole painting.

When taking inspiration from this I wanted to experiment in my drawing with a different part of the body. I thought this would create a different effect and I could experiment with different details to the artist. I liked doing this research I found it fun to see different ways you can present the body. It has made me inspired to do more independent studies on this style of work. I liked how the drawing almost looks 3D with the hand sticking out of the picture. All in all I liked looking into this style and I will use some of the inspiration from the artist I looked into and all the different styles I have seen of this style.

Exercise One- Quick Studies

For this task we were asked to get a model and take quick sketches paying attention to the proportions of the body using quick lines to show it. We were told to draw from the middle outwards and don’t let the fear of bold lines put you off being confident with the drawing. For this exercise I decided to draw four sketches of the same model in different poses. I wanted to draw quick lines and be confident with the lines I draw like we were suggested to do. Below is the pictures of my results:

I wanted to use the method of roughly marking the joints therefore I could get a rough idea of the figure. I then worked on sketching the rest of the body and focusing on the proportion of the model and making sure everything matched up correctly. I think I did well on the proportions and got an accurate representation of the model. I chose to do the drawing with sketching pencils, I did this because I felt it was the best to do quick sketching and to be confident with the drawing. I do think I was accurate with the different angles and positions I have shown by the model, I enjoyed doing this exercise as it really made me look at the different proportions of the body and helped me realise how to measure and get a more accurate representation of the model.

All in all I do think my sketches are fairly accurate and I am happy with how they turned out. I liked doing the drawings and looking in detail at how to draw the body. I liked being able to draw different poses and concentrating on the the body has changed its look in another pose. I found it helpful drawing the different joints just to get a good idea on how the shapes will then develop. It is more different doing quick drawings with a model yet it gives you more information to do sketches on, all together I am happy with these drawings. If I was to critic I would like to attempt to re-do these poses with a different media such as charcoal, or with a brush. I will do this as an independent study.

Exercise Two- Emphasising form with cloth

For this exercise we were asked to draw a model wearing loose fabrics or a dressing gown to show the fabric laying in different ways around the body. For this I decided to opt for the dressing gown and sat the model down. We were asked to be light with the pencil and outline the model then focus on how the body sits in the fabric. During this exercise I found it challenging not doubting myself with my drawing, sometimes I feel like the subject looked odd looking as the fabric was gaping around their body it somewhat looked odd for the head looking smaller but eventually I kept at it and I do think my result is fairly accurate.

I found this exercise challenging at times but I enjoyed drawing from the subject, there was difficulty within getting the right angle I felt comfortable with but I do believe I am happy with the result. In future exercises I think I will take more care with my lines, sometimes I feel I go too heavy on my outer lines so in future exercises I’m going to just go with lighting and not worry about it looking for a bold out line as it doesn’t create a realistic approach and I feel it does lessen my work.

All in all, I found this exercise fun and I enjoyed going light with the pencil then building things up, it was interesting looking at how the fabric layered around the figure and I enjoyed actually looking in depth at how the fabric sat on the body and the different shapes it made around. I think I will spend more time on independent studies looking into detail of fabric sitting on the body as well as different ways I can build up more realism tones. I do think this piece turned out well and it’s got me more excited to dive into this part of the course.

Exercise One- Drawing fabric using lines and tone.

For this exercise we were asked to place a piece of fabric over a chair and take quick 15 minute sketches in 8-12cm boxes of what we see, we were told to pick interesting spots of the fabric we were drawn to to recreate. We were told to look at the different shading throughout and try to recreate that in these sketches.

I did find this exercise quite interesting to get the different tones of material and show the creases throughout the material. I do like the outcome of this exercise and I tried my best to get the creases right in the sketches. unnamed (32) unnamed (31) unnamed (30)

I think with this exercise I have shown the different creases well throughout the different sketches and got the layers correct. In my work I do think I need to improve further on my tones and getting the right amount of shading throughout my sketches, I think I will do more independent studies to really build up my skill with that.

I liked looked into the different angles of the fabric and figuring out how I can show the different creases in my sketches, all in all I do like how my work turned out. I think there is more room for improvement as far as showing different tones and the shadows in my work, maybe try to improve my darker areas to make it all flow together better. I found it quite challenging to show the volume but I tried to show my lines in my sketching to show the amount of volume in the fabric, the direction of my pencil markings to give it more of a detailed look.

Response to assignment 3 feedback

To begin this response I would like to say I am happy with how my overall assignment 3 turned out, with all the chaos going on in the world and the amount of over time I had to do at work due to staff going off I was happy I completed this assignment to the best I could at the time, it took me a while but I do think I am proud of what I did achieve.

A majority of my feedback was based around the fact my compositions to look at the buildings were quite complex and I do think this is due to me doing my studies off taken photographs I had from past holidays due to not being able to leave the house. I will take this feedback and try my best to not use photographs to base my art off but to look at the study for real and get the lighting as correct as I can and look at the angle that suits myself best. I had feedback that I tend to make big plans for my work and then they don’t turn out as I had originally planned, I do think this is true and I am beginning to learn I have to give myself more time to focus on the art I want to achieve and let myself reach that level instead of talking about it and not giving myself room to do it.

I also gathered from this feedback I need to look into my tones and not exaggerate the shading in the wrong places and to really see where the light hits, it is harder to do this with looking through a taken image but I will improve and take this onboard. It was also spoken in my feedback I should look into gathering more artist research and take inspiration off them and look into how other artists show detail and tones throughout their work. It was also mentioned that my work is more of an illustrative style than observational and this might be my own style coming out, I do sometimes wonder if that is my style before this feedback so it was nice to hear someone think that. I do think I also try to do observational but I like to do things my own way too. I think there is always room for improvement and I will take all these different points. I also agree that if I don’t think something did work I should try again and not just take my first result, I do think this was more of a time issue than a it’ll do attitude.

I do also want to take more time to do independent studies and sketch in my free time to really get up that skill. I do draw in my spare time but it’s different subjects to what I’m focusing on at the minute but I perhaps will include these in my research or skill building type thing.

All in all I am happy with the feedback I received I do always think there is room for improvement and I will continue to spend time correcting things I can do better. I enjoyed doing this assignment and I will take positivity and TIME into this next part!

Assignment 3

Here is my final assignment for this part of Drawing 1, it has taken me a long time to get to this but finally I have come to do it! We were asked to do planning for this ‘final piece’ , I decided to experiment with mixed media as I wanted to include this in my final work. I thought that throughout my research of this section of Drawing One there was different styles of artists using mixed medias in their work therefore I thought I should incorporate this in my assignment.

Below is the first piece I did working up to the last one, I wanted to start off with a sketch and look into the tones and detail I can include, I then followed with a mixed media piece using a textured background as well as then adding pen to them to bring out the shading.

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Here is a picture of my results for the first part of this assignment, I thought they turned out well. I picked to use the images of a house I had from an earlier holiday I went on. Due to COVID-19 I wasn’t able to get out and get local buildings therefore this was the next best thing. I wanted to try some mixed media into this piece therefore I decided to create a detailed background for my next practice piece and add the pen to show the different shading and detail in the piece. I do like the outcome and I used the same inspiration to create my final piece for this assignment.

Below are the different shots of my final piece, I went for a mixed media piece on an A2 piece which was one of the requirements in this assignment. I do think this piece is well and I wanted to include a building I had done work on in previous exercise’s as I liked sketching that building.

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In this piece I wanted to show the colours I felt when I was there and taking the picture of the building I did the art on. I felt these colours were a good match and create a textured background for my piece, I then wanted to use a pen effect to do this scruffy type look to my image and create tones and detail throughout the piece. I like how the piece turned out and I think I did well in showing the shades and tone in the piece. The shading does show the different details throughout the work and I think I got the angles correct in the building.

All in all, I am happy with the outcome of this piece I think the tones I have done throughout the piece are good and give off a realistic look for it, I love the background and it gave off the look that I wanted exactly, I really am impressed with how the mixed media went and I’m looking forward to developing my skill on pieces like this in the future, if was to do this piece again I would pick to do several different piece and do a big piece of different buildings, I feel I work better on a smaller scale therefore feel that would be a better option for me. Futher more I am happy with this piece and I’m glad I took the time to do this, I am so happy I have managed to do good quality and took the time to do these pieces at such an unsure time!