Holding Pens and Pencils
In this exercise I experimented with various drawing tools and how holding them in different ways could affect the marks made.
Starting with pencils I used different amounts of pressure to create marks of different darknesses. The less pressure the lighter the marks.
Also holding the pencil near the tip gives full control but holding loosely and near the top gives less control and less pressure resulting in lighter, less precise marks.
Holding a pencil flat and using the side of the nib is good for shading. This works very well with graphite pencils.
I tried holding my pencil at the top, vertically and twisting it. I didn't have a lot of control but it made great marks, sort of dots and tadpoles.
I repeated the different ways of holding the pencils but with other drawing tools to give variations on the marks made.
Doodling
In this exercise I started by trying to draw nothing in particular, without thinking about anything and to just make marks. This is actually a lot more difficult than it sounds.
In this exercise I started by trying to draw nothing in particular, without thinking about anything and to just make marks. This is actually a lot more difficult than it sounds.
I then started to think of flowing fabric and let that influence what I drew. I did this with pencil and charcoal and liked the bold doodles produced.
Mark-Making Techniques, Using Charcoal, Lines and Other Marks and Trying New Media
In these exercises I experimented with various different tools and media to make as many different types of marks as possible.
I started with pencils and graphite pencils making lines, hatching and shading. these worked very well and gave many different effects.
I then moved onto charcoal and the effects created with that were very different. To achieve cross hatching a very thin stick was needed, the thick ones didn't work as well. charcoal was very good for shading as it can be layered to make very dark marks or smudged out to give very light marks and varying tone in between. other effects can be created by using a putty rubber to remove areas. I really enjoyed using charcoal as I sometimes find myself sticking to pencil as that is what I'm most comfortable with.
Next I thought about using different media, I used coloured pencils which gave similar marks to lead pencils, wax crayons which were good for shading, felt tip pens and ink pens were good for lines dots and hatching but didn't really work for shading. I also tried chalks which were great for smudging and shading but precise lines were harder to achieve. Oil pastels gave very bright, vibrant colours. They can produce bold lines or be smudged or layered. two colours can be smudged together to produce varied effects and even more colours.
As a final part of this exercise I tried some more unusual media such as make up, fruits, vegetables,tea, coffee, spices, sand and soil. Some gave great colours and textures while others were less successful but I think that there are many possibilities as to what can be used to create marks and tone.
Jars and Jugs
I found it more difficult to accurately draw cylindrical shapes than boxes. Its hard to match up the top and bottom ellipses so they look even. I definitely found it easier to control straight lines. I noticed that the further away from me the object was the more squashed the ellipses appeared.
I found it scary when I moved onto using the ink pen as mistakes cannot be removed, however I really enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I started off with a couple of glasses at a time rather than doing the whole group at once. I think that I will use ink pen more often now and look forward to becoming more confident with it the more I practice.
Supermarket Shop
I started by doing a simple pencil line drawing of my group of objects concentrating just on constructing the shapes. Then I moved onto an ink pen sketch, as I enjoyed using it so much previously, adding a little more detail.
For my colour drawing I tried to make sure the proportions of all the objects were correct and tried to add depth with the colour and shading.
Summary
When I first started the exercises in this module some of the shapes weren't quite right, maybe off on one corner. Also their sizes in relation to each other were difficult to get right especially in the book and boxes exercise. It did get easier with practice though.
I was quite pleased with my supermarket shop drawing although it was far from perfect! I think that I did get a feeling of depth and solidity into my picture and the objects look three dimensional. I realised when I'd finished the picture that I hadn't added any cast shadows. Shadows would have added more depth and made the picture feel more realistic. The shapes and spaces between the objects look okay and I'm happy with the overall result although I definitely need a lot more practice.
Tone and Form
Observing Shadow and Light and Tonal Studies
This exercise was very useful and I think one of the most important things that I re-familiarised myself with is that you must draw what you see and not what you think you see.
Light, shade and cast shadows are key in making things look three dimensional and giving drawings depth.
When I first started drawing I found it helpful to dim the lights in the room so that the lamp casting light directly onto my objects created a more exaggerated effect. This was great when looking for all the areas of light and dark on objects.
Shadows and Reflected Light and Shade
Summary
In these exercises I found it quite easy to see the cast shadows but it was more difficult to pick out the reflected light and shade. I have tried to show that the reflected light and shade follows the contours of the objects as this adds depth to the shapes and stops them looking flat. It did find it hard to show the three dimensional qualities of the objects as well as the reflections on the shiny surfaces.
I enjoyed using charcoal and putty rubber, it was great for all the tones and reflections on the shiny surfaces. I'm not too pleased with the final picture though as I don't think I've got the shapes of the objects quite right. I also need to get some fixing spray, my picture is starting to look quite messy now with out it.
Still Life
Sketches of Made Objects
In this exercise I decided to use ink pen as I'd enjoyed it previously and wanted more practice with it. I'm pleased with my sketches and really enjoyed working quite small and quickly. I preferred to have my eye level a bit above the objects but not looking right down on them. I tried lots of different arrangements and views to find the most interesting but I think in the end it probably just came down to personal preference. I like the spoon in the glass as I think it's a little more interesting. I did find it hard to get the proportions of the spoon right when it was pointing towards me.
Composition of Natural Objects
I started with pencil as this is what I feel most confident with, I then moved onto ink pen and water soluble pencil. I was pleased with the results of my finished sketches.
I did my final large drawing in ink pen and I really like it. I'm pleased that I've managed to create light, shade and tone with the ink pen as I wasn't sure I'd be able to achieve it.
Summary
If I compare drawing man made and natural objects I don't think it's any easier to create the three dimensional effect on one or the other. I think it's more about the shapes of the chosen objects rather than whether it's natural or man made.
When I arranged my objects it was a matter of trial and error. I just moved them around into positions that I liked the look of. I preferred the objects closer together but I'm not sure why, I just thought it looked better. I liked to be looking slightly down on the objects, I just sat comfortably at a table and placed the objects across from me. This was the position that I drew the objects from.
Observing Negative Space and Perspective
When I started this exercise I really didn't think I was going to enjoy it but in the end I did. i was pleased with my first drawing, the shapes and proportions came out fairly well. I didn't enjoy the second drawing which was done without taking my pencil off the paper and I wasn't pleased with the results. It looks messy and the sizes of the objects aren't right. However it has been useful and really made me take notice of the spaces between and behind objects which I may not have done before.
I started with pencils and graphite pencils making lines, hatching and shading. these worked very well and gave many different effects.
I then moved onto charcoal and the effects created with that were very different. To achieve cross hatching a very thin stick was needed, the thick ones didn't work as well. charcoal was very good for shading as it can be layered to make very dark marks or smudged out to give very light marks and varying tone in between. other effects can be created by using a putty rubber to remove areas. I really enjoyed using charcoal as I sometimes find myself sticking to pencil as that is what I'm most comfortable with.
Next I thought about using different media, I used coloured pencils which gave similar marks to lead pencils, wax crayons which were good for shading, felt tip pens and ink pens were good for lines dots and hatching but didn't really work for shading. I also tried chalks which were great for smudging and shading but precise lines were harder to achieve. Oil pastels gave very bright, vibrant colours. They can produce bold lines or be smudged or layered. two colours can be smudged together to produce varied effects and even more colours.
As a final part of this exercise I tried some more unusual media such as make up, fruits, vegetables,tea, coffee, spices, sand and soil. Some gave great colours and textures while others were less successful but I think that there are many possibilities as to what can be used to create marks and tone.
Summary
I have enjoyed this first module very much, it has been perfect for me to get back into drawing, studying and creating. I found it useful and interesting to create so many different marks and familiarise myself again with all the different types of media.
I found that holding the pen or pencil differently did affect the marks made with varying amounts of pressure and control. Certain tools were better for certain types of marks too. For example charcoal is good for bold mark but more difficult for fine, precise details.
I didn't personally find any tools better for any emotions however emotions do influence mark making. For example soft, angry, frenzied.
I felt that the introduction of colour changed the overall effect but the same individual marks can be created in black and white or colour.
I loved using the different media and found it very rewarding because I usually tend to stick to pencils. Although I found it quite hard at first I did enjoy just doodling with thinking too much, I found it quite creative.
Using charcoal was great as I haven't used it for a long time although I'd forgotten how messy it was! This made me start thinking about my children and inspired me to find more unusual media. It was great fun looking around the kitchen and garden to find things to make marks and the possibilities are endless.
Basic Shapes and Fundamental Form
Boxes and Books
This exercise was good practice for constructing three dimensional shapes. It was quite hard to get the sizes of the boxes and book correct in comparison to each other and making sure the shapes remain square and not distorted.
I found it more difficult to accurately draw cylindrical shapes than boxes. Its hard to match up the top and bottom ellipses so they look even. I definitely found it easier to control straight lines. I noticed that the further away from me the object was the more squashed the ellipses appeared.
I found it scary when I moved onto using the ink pen as mistakes cannot be removed, however I really enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I started off with a couple of glasses at a time rather than doing the whole group at once. I think that I will use ink pen more often now and look forward to becoming more confident with it the more I practice.
I started by doing a simple pencil line drawing of my group of objects concentrating just on constructing the shapes. Then I moved onto an ink pen sketch, as I enjoyed using it so much previously, adding a little more detail.
For my colour drawing I tried to make sure the proportions of all the objects were correct and tried to add depth with the colour and shading.
When I first started the exercises in this module some of the shapes weren't quite right, maybe off on one corner. Also their sizes in relation to each other were difficult to get right especially in the book and boxes exercise. It did get easier with practice though.
I was quite pleased with my supermarket shop drawing although it was far from perfect! I think that I did get a feeling of depth and solidity into my picture and the objects look three dimensional. I realised when I'd finished the picture that I hadn't added any cast shadows. Shadows would have added more depth and made the picture feel more realistic. The shapes and spaces between the objects look okay and I'm happy with the overall result although I definitely need a lot more practice.
Tone and Form
Observing Shadow and Light and Tonal Studies
This exercise was very useful and I think one of the most important things that I re-familiarised myself with is that you must draw what you see and not what you think you see.
Light, shade and cast shadows are key in making things look three dimensional and giving drawings depth.
When I first started drawing I found it helpful to dim the lights in the room so that the lamp casting light directly onto my objects created a more exaggerated effect. This was great when looking for all the areas of light and dark on objects.
Summary
This exercise made me much more aware of light, shade and cast shadows. I spent a lot of time just looking at lots of different shaped objects and the light and shade of them.
It was quite hard to distinguish between light from the primary source and reflected light. I think as long as you look carefully and draw what you see the light and shade will be right.
Reflected Light
Light Reflected from One Object to Another
Shadows and Reflected Light and Shade
Summary
In these exercises I found it quite easy to see the cast shadows but it was more difficult to pick out the reflected light and shade. I have tried to show that the reflected light and shade follows the contours of the objects as this adds depth to the shapes and stops them looking flat. It did find it hard to show the three dimensional qualities of the objects as well as the reflections on the shiny surfaces.
I enjoyed using charcoal and putty rubber, it was great for all the tones and reflections on the shiny surfaces. I'm not too pleased with the final picture though as I don't think I've got the shapes of the objects quite right. I also need to get some fixing spray, my picture is starting to look quite messy now with out it.
Still Life
Sketches of Made Objects
In this exercise I decided to use ink pen as I'd enjoyed it previously and wanted more practice with it. I'm pleased with my sketches and really enjoyed working quite small and quickly. I preferred to have my eye level a bit above the objects but not looking right down on them. I tried lots of different arrangements and views to find the most interesting but I think in the end it probably just came down to personal preference. I like the spoon in the glass as I think it's a little more interesting. I did find it hard to get the proportions of the spoon right when it was pointing towards me.
I started with pencil as this is what I feel most confident with, I then moved onto ink pen and water soluble pencil. I was pleased with the results of my finished sketches.
I did my final large drawing in ink pen and I really like it. I'm pleased that I've managed to create light, shade and tone with the ink pen as I wasn't sure I'd be able to achieve it.
Summary
If I compare drawing man made and natural objects I don't think it's any easier to create the three dimensional effect on one or the other. I think it's more about the shapes of the chosen objects rather than whether it's natural or man made.
When I arranged my objects it was a matter of trial and error. I just moved them around into positions that I liked the look of. I preferred the objects closer together but I'm not sure why, I just thought it looked better. I liked to be looking slightly down on the objects, I just sat comfortably at a table and placed the objects across from me. This was the position that I drew the objects from.
Observing Negative Space and Perspective
When I started this exercise I really didn't think I was going to enjoy it but in the end I did. i was pleased with my first drawing, the shapes and proportions came out fairly well. I didn't enjoy the second drawing which was done without taking my pencil off the paper and I wasn't pleased with the results. It looks messy and the sizes of the objects aren't right. However it has been useful and really made me take notice of the spaces between and behind objects which I may not have done before.
Using Texture
Experimenting with Texture
I had fun doing this exercise, it reminded me of doing coin rubbings etc with my children. I'd never heard of frottage before. It was interesting to see what marks or patterns were made with various objects or textured surfaces, sometimes they turned out quite different than expected.
Summary
I'd never heard of frottage before, although I'd sort of done it when I was a younger and again with my children. I really enjoyed it and think that it's a great way of getting textures into drawings. There are so many possibilities with frottage as there are so many textured surfaces that could be used, I will definitely use it again in the future.
I found it quite hard to show form without using any tone or hatching and I think my picture looks flat. I took a lot of the techniques from my mark making exercises to create the different textures. I think it would be interesting to create a texture filled picture using only frottage and see how it turns out.
Enlarging An Image
Enlarging an Existing Drawing
I started this assignment by raiding my sons bucket in the garden to find objects for my still life. He had a collection of things that he'd found whilst on a trip to Formby beach with his nan and it was the perfect inspiration.
I did an initial pencil sketch to get a feel for the objects and was quite pleased with the result.
I then did individual studies of each object to look more closely at the detail of each one.
I chose to use water soluble pencil for my colour sketch but I didn't really like the finished result. I didn't achieve much texture and had only limited colours.
I did some small quick sketches to try out different arrangements and decided that I preferred the objects landscape and not too close together with eye level slightly above the objects.
My final piece of preparation was a mixed media sketch. I wasn't very pleased with it, it just didn't look right. However I do love the pink of the shell and the texture of the twig in ink pen.
I'm really pleased with my final drawing, even more so because I didn't think I was going to be. I decided to use frottage (roofing felt) to get the pitted surface of the stone and added more marks and shading on top. I also used frottage (patio slab) to get the lines and roughness of the large shell, I then added more lines and removed areas with a rubber. I like the pine cone and I'm glad it turned out okay as I found this one of the most difficult objects to draw.
Made Objects
As I'd used my sons treasures for my previous still life I decided to let my children be my inspiration again and headed for the playroom. I had a lot to choose from but tried to stick with fairly simple objects.
I did an initial pencil sketch of the objects and was fairly pleased with it apart from the duck which was really hard to get the size and proportion correct.
I moved onto individual sketches of each item in ink pen and was a little more pleased with the train and the duck. I loved the hatching effect.
I then did a coloured sketch using felt tip pens and hatching. I really like it, I'm pleased with the hatching and the colours look great.
I'm fairly pleased with my final drawing. I love the train and think it's interesting from the back view, the shading has come out well. I also like the building block because it's such an interesting shape. I still like my coloured sketch best though. I think maybe if I was starting again I would try to get some colour into my final drawing.
Summary
I've enjoyed my first assignment and am pleased with the progress I've made during the first section of my course.
I think I did do enough preliminary studies before my final pieces and the studies helped me to decide how I wanted my final drawings to look.
My final, large drawings are quite accurate and the proportions and sizes of the objects are good. I know they're not perfect but I feel that I have done the best I could and have improved since the start of this module.
I'm very happy with the sets of objects that I chose, some of them were challenging but I'm still glad that I chose them. I think the arrangements of the objects was interesting and I wouldn't change the composition of either drawing.
I think I managed to fill the paper and not make my drawings too small.
A Drawing with Textures
For my drawing with textures I used a grapefruit, some fabric, pasta, rice, raisins and kale. I used frottage on the fabric and various marks and shading on the rest of the drawing. I'm not that pleased with the overall picture but I like some of the individual textures created. I think it looks a little flat and the objects don't look real.
I'd never heard of frottage before, although I'd sort of done it when I was a younger and again with my children. I really enjoyed it and think that it's a great way of getting textures into drawings. There are so many possibilities with frottage as there are so many textured surfaces that could be used, I will definitely use it again in the future.
I found it quite hard to show form without using any tone or hatching and I think my picture looks flat. I took a lot of the techniques from my mark making exercises to create the different textures. I think it would be interesting to create a texture filled picture using only frottage and see how it turns out.
Enlarging An Image
Enlarging an Existing Drawing
Enlarging a Simple Flat Image
Summary
I enjoyed this exercise and think that I was quite successful. I found it fairly easy copying the individual squares but it would obviously get more difficult the more complicated the drawing. I was happy with my larger replicas of the images.
Assignment 1
Natural FormsI started this assignment by raiding my sons bucket in the garden to find objects for my still life. He had a collection of things that he'd found whilst on a trip to Formby beach with his nan and it was the perfect inspiration.
I did an initial pencil sketch to get a feel for the objects and was quite pleased with the result.
I then did individual studies of each object to look more closely at the detail of each one.
I chose to use water soluble pencil for my colour sketch but I didn't really like the finished result. I didn't achieve much texture and had only limited colours.
I did some small quick sketches to try out different arrangements and decided that I preferred the objects landscape and not too close together with eye level slightly above the objects.
My final piece of preparation was a mixed media sketch. I wasn't very pleased with it, it just didn't look right. However I do love the pink of the shell and the texture of the twig in ink pen.
I'm really pleased with my final drawing, even more so because I didn't think I was going to be. I decided to use frottage (roofing felt) to get the pitted surface of the stone and added more marks and shading on top. I also used frottage (patio slab) to get the lines and roughness of the large shell, I then added more lines and removed areas with a rubber. I like the pine cone and I'm glad it turned out okay as I found this one of the most difficult objects to draw.
Made Objects
As I'd used my sons treasures for my previous still life I decided to let my children be my inspiration again and headed for the playroom. I had a lot to choose from but tried to stick with fairly simple objects.
I did an initial pencil sketch of the objects and was fairly pleased with it apart from the duck which was really hard to get the size and proportion correct.
I moved onto individual sketches of each item in ink pen and was a little more pleased with the train and the duck. I loved the hatching effect.
I then did a coloured sketch using felt tip pens and hatching. I really like it, I'm pleased with the hatching and the colours look great.
I did a couple of really quick sketches of different compositions but decided to go with the same arrangement as my coloured sketch.
I'm fairly pleased with my final drawing. I love the train and think it's interesting from the back view, the shading has come out well. I also like the building block because it's such an interesting shape. I still like my coloured sketch best though. I think maybe if I was starting again I would try to get some colour into my final drawing.
Summary
I've enjoyed my first assignment and am pleased with the progress I've made during the first section of my course.
I think I did do enough preliminary studies before my final pieces and the studies helped me to decide how I wanted my final drawings to look.
My final, large drawings are quite accurate and the proportions and sizes of the objects are good. I know they're not perfect but I feel that I have done the best I could and have improved since the start of this module.
I'm very happy with the sets of objects that I chose, some of them were challenging but I'm still glad that I chose them. I think the arrangements of the objects was interesting and I wouldn't change the composition of either drawing.
I think I managed to fill the paper and not make my drawings too small.
