Sketches of the Day: 20th - 27th

This post is dedicated to my daily sketches.  I will continue to do multiple sketches and pick one a day to be posted at the end of the week as a series of seven. This week there are eight pieces because I started this project on a Sunday.

I've really enjoyed this process as the more I do it, the more I am inspired to draw. I find myself looking at the world around me and thinking "I've got to get out my sketchbook" rather than, "I've got to take a picture". The images below are instances over the last week where I have felt the urge to get out my sketchbook and document a moment in my life. 

20.11.16

My Pyjama Legs.

Byro, Pencil, Felt Tip Pens.

This image was created on a Sunday morning as I was sat on the floor in my bedroom organising my work for the day. I wanted to try drawing my legs from a perspective other than the mirror. I experimented with adding bits of colour using felt tip pens. I really like this drawing because I tried a new style and it worked out well.

21.11.16

Mouldy Lemon in the Kitchen.

6B Pencil.

Slightly self-explanatory, a housemate of mine left a lemon to go mouldy on top of the microwave in our house and I thought I'd draw the results. I wish I'd used a different medium, e.g. coloured pencil or watercolour, because you can't really see the mould and the colours were interesting.

22.11.16

Hair Curlers in Makeup Mirror.

Byro, Pencil and Felt Tip Pens.

Here I was doing my hair in the morning and decided to do a self-portrait while I was waiting for my curlers to curl my hair. I used my small makeup mirror as I haven't used it for a portrait yet and thought it would be interesting. I like the result but regret using the felt tips in the way I did and wish I hadn't done the outline of the mirror. 

23.11.16

Hannah Stabbing a Potato.

Byro Pen.

Here I did a speed drawing of my housemate while she was in the process of making a baked potato. I caught her in the moment she was preparing it for the oven and only spent about ten seconds maximum on the drawing. I like it because I think I captured the essence of her action.

24.11.16

Sweater on Radiator.

Thick Fine Liner.

This was a sweater someone had left to dry on the radiator in our house. I experimented with using a really thick fine-liner and I really like the result. The style is different to my usual and I will definitely be using this technique again. 

25.11.16

People on the Platform Opposite.

Byro Pen.

This was drawn on my way from Worcester Foregate station to Banbury station at my stop off point in Oxford. I sat on a bench on platform 4 drawing the people on the other side of the station. It was hard to do these drawings as trains came between us now and again so I had to be quick, but I really like this image. I drew people as individuals in the environment when they stood still after moving, so the scene is made up over time. 

26.11.16

Packing my Bag.

Pink Ball Point Pen.

This is a drawing of my backpack as I was packing it ready to head home to Worcester from my home in Northamptonshire. It was fun to experiment with a pink pen as it's a bit different. I feel like I captured some light and shadow but in future would spend longer on a sketch like this, especially as it is a still object so I would have time to draw it accurately. 

27.11.16

Morning Working.

Byro Pen.

This image is of my boyfriend working on his laptop in the morning in bed. I like the life shown in this image and am pleased that I included the environment as well as the subject as it adds context. It shows a bit of a story and along with my first image I drew this week, (My Pyjama Legs), is my favourite sketch of the week. 

Outside Work: Life Drawing Session - Arts & Culture Society

Today I went to a student-run life drawing session facilitated by the arts and culture society of which I am a member. It was at The Garage Studios and lasted two hours. I brought my A1 sketchpad and my art toolbox - I really enjoyed it.

Because of time constraints, I decided not to use wet mediums. I started with pencil and fine liner for the warm up exercises, (1), as they were only two minutes per drawing. It was a good way to get into drawing and to familiarise myself with the new models' body types.

We moved on to a second warm-up with (2) and I decided to stick with pencil again. In order to add some light and shadow, I used the technique of unfocusing my vision to see the simple tones and shaped of the models, this also got me ready for the longer tasks and made me focus.

Going into the longer exercises, (3), I wanted to use assorted graphite pencils in order to create a tonal drawing. I am quite happy with the models' body in my drawing, but I think I made her head too small. I found it difficult to draw her at the angle she was and in hindsight, I would have used my pencil more to check proportions before I committed to the piece.

Lastly, we did one more 25 min drawing, (4), this is my favourite piece. I decided to use oil pastels to create tone in the way we had been taught in week six and seven. I chose dark green, light green and yellow pastels for the dark, mid and light tones, and left parts white to show the brightest parts. I feel like the proportions were done well here and I have shown the light accurately. 

Overall it was a great chance to practice the techniques I had learnt in my weekly seminars. It was a challenge to use different models especially in composition with each other, but I found myself naturally using the methods we used in-session to create good pieces of work.

It was also nice to be in a room with different artists and illustrators and see the types of techniques they used. I saw one girl using just white chalk, and a boy using cubes and straight lines to create an impression of the model rather than sketchy drawings - it was an inspiring atmosphere.

(1)

Assorted Pencils 2B - 6B/ Fine liner.

2 min per drawing.

(2)

Assorted Pencils 2B - 6B.

5 min per drawing.

(3)

Assorted Pencils 2B - 6B.

25 min. 

(4)

Oil Pastels.

25 min.

Week 7 Life Drawing Session 6: Working in Layers

For this life drawing lesson I wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone and so I decided to use acrylic paint. In the previous lesson, I'd used watercolour paint which I'm very used to. The pieces I created surpassed my expectations and I feel like I've improved so much over the module. Obviously, there is always improvement to be made, but I feel I've come a long way from the beginning of the semester. 

The first two exercises, (1) and (2), were warm up exercises. I found that they were a good way to get into the session and forced me not to worry and just to draw. I was particularly pleased with the central figure in (1) as I feel I captured the model's position well and used correct proportions. The second exercise was great in the way that it got me into the habit of looking for light and shadow before we did our larger pieces. 

For (3) I used a medium sized round brush and two contrasting colours in acrylic: purple and yellow, as well as white for highlighting. I actually misunderstood the exercise at first. I was under the impression we were doing three drawings in thirty minutes, and so I rushed mine a bit - only to find we were doing one drawing in thirty minutes, using ten-minute intervals to split dark, medium and light tones. Because I was rushing, the painting isn't as good as it could be and the proportions are a little off, but in future, I know to ask if I am unsure!

I was really pleased with (4). I used a medium-sized flat brush as I wanted to get the impressions rather than the detail and I felt this would help. Again I used the contrasting colours in acrylic: purple and yellow, with white to highlight. This was more successful than (3) not only because I took my time and understood the exercise, but because I created an environment for the subject to be in. This was upon feedback from the tutor to the class to include it. I feel like the proportions, tone and 3D effect of the image are done well in this piece and i I'm quite proud of it.

I believe (5) is the best piece of life drawing I have done so far. I used a large flat brush and multiple acrylic paint colours: pink, blue, yellow, green, etc. I chose these colours as they contrast and compliment each other.I'm so pleased that all of the things we have learnt throughout the semester come through; tone, perspective, foreshortening etc.   

For my last piece (6), I used the large flat brush again, but this time I only used shades of blue. It creates a cold and lonely effect and makes the model look sad. I'm not a fan of this piece simply because I think I have done better in previous pieces in the session, and I made mistakes with the face which is where one's eyes are often drawn to. 

I feel like building on week 6 and learning about tone again led to a bit of a breakthrough moment for me in the sense that now I feel I can use acrylics, and I can use the techniques we have learnt so far. I have enjoyed the process of developing my work and style over the weeks immensely.

(1)

1 min per drawing. 2B Pencil.

(2)

5 min. Charcoal.  

(3)

30 min. Acrylic Paint.

(4)

30 min. Acrylic Paint. 

(5)

30 min. Acrylic Paint. 

(6) 

30 min. Acrylic Paint.

Week 6 Homework: Cafe Drawing

12.11.16

For my speed drawings, I chose to spend the day in the centre of Worcester walking with my sketchbook and capturing people as they walked by. I began in a cafe and sat by the window to try to get to grips with what medium I would use and get into the habit of drawing people quickly. I then walked to the Cathedral, the bridge, and the public park by the river.

(1)

Byro pen.

Couple walking out of cafe.

As you can see, my first attempt at capturing moving people is very bare, only drawing their core movement.

(2)

Byro pen.

People I saw walking from the window view.

For my second attempt, I took a few moments to create the environment and then added people as they walked by, this technique was what I used at the zoo when drawing the penguin enclosure, but here I don't feel I created the sense of movement I wanted. 

(3)

Fine Liner.

Woman walking.

Here is my first fine-liner drawing, I found fine-liner to be the best medium to speed draw with because it created dark lines and was easy to use. Unlike pencil, it doesn't want for shading so much and so gave me the freedom to focus only on the essence of the figure.

(4)

Fine-liner

An elderly lady walking, drawn from the window of a cafe.

(5)

Fine-Liner

Man on the phone, drawn from the window of a cafe.

(6)

Fine-liner

Couple having coffee.

I could take my time (to a point) with this piece as the subjects were sat down and in no rush to move. I like this piece as I had time to add the environment which completes it.

(7)

Grey Marker Pen.

Lady carrying shopping.

(8)

Grey Marker Pen.

Man on the phone.

I wasn't happy with this piece as my grey marker pen started running out of ink but I couldn't stop drawing as he was moving, It made the piece look messy.

(9)

Black Marker Pen

Lady walking.

I'm not a fan of the black marker, it doesn't look as good as the fine liner, I don't dislike this piece but feel it would have been better with a thinner pen.

(10)

3B Pencil

Person Walking.

Pencil did not create the effect I wanted, it looks too faint and so after a few experiments I went back to fine-liner and stayed with it.

(11)

3B Pencil

Lady working in cafe.

This was another piece I could take a little more time with as the lady was doing work and was staying in the same place, though I still tried to capture her quickly to stay true to the exercise. 

(12)

3B Pencil

Lady with hat and backpack.

I really like this piece simply because the subject has character. Even if she is just a simple line drawing, the hat and backpack make her look cute. It is a ten-second sketch with a story.

(13)

Fine-liner

Two women looking at phone.

This was difficult as I was drawing two people quickly, again  I like how it has a story. The women looked lost as if they were trying to find out where to go, I believe this comes across in the drawing. 

(14)

Fine-liner

Friends at lunch.

Here are two more people that sat in front of me in the cafe. I tried to focus on them and only do a small outline for the environment. I think that environment is important in drawing as it creates context.

(15)

Bold Fine-liner

Girl looking at phone.

(16)

Bold Fine-liner

Man coming towards cafe.

I really like this piece. Even if the man's face doesn't look realistic, it has character. Something I learned throughout this exercise was how much personality accessoriesies give a person. I found I liked the drawings of people with glasses, hats, phones, more than the people just walking.

(17)

Fine-Liner (0.1)

Man holding toddler on shoulders.

(18)

Fine-Liner (0.1)

Man walking big dog.

(19)

Fine-Liner (0.1)

Lady helping man with walking stick.

Here I tried a technique to make some parts of the drawing more prominent than the others to convey the story. I have done that by making the figures faint but the walking stick bold so you can see the subject on the right is helping the one on the left. I believe this comes across and will be using the technique again.

(20)

Fine-Liner (0.1)

Lady on mobility scooter.

I'm not really fond of this piece simply because without a description you wouldn't know what you were looking at. 

(21)

Fine-liner

2 minutes silence.

By this point, I had ventured from the cafe where I had done the majority of my drawings and into Worcester. I left at around 11:00am and so on my way to the Cathedral everybody was observing the two-minute silence for remembrance day. I joined in with the group of people across the road from the Cathedral, by the Edward Elgar statue pictured, and observed the silence with them. Then when it was over, I got out my sketchpad and drew the people as they all went their separate ways. 

I feel lucky to have captured this moment of strangers coming together and sharing in an experience.

(22)

Fine-liner

Man looking over the river.

I drew this while sat on a bench behind the Cathedral. Luckily the man I chose to draw stood in the same spot for at least five minutes. He kept moving his position slightly but I was able to mold my drawing as he did. This is one of my favourite pieces.

(23)

Fine-liner

Couple looking at a view.

This was also drawn behind the Cathedral while I sat on the steps. The couple sat for a while and I drew them until they got up. It took roughly five minutes and I'm pleased with the level of detail I got in that time. This is another piece where I feel I have captured a feeling and a moment and so I'm really pleased with it.

(24)

Fine-liner

Pigeon

(25)

Fine-liner

Lastly, I sat by the bridge and drew the environment, adding people as they walked by. I added a couple walking and a lady jogging. I really like this piece as I feel like by this point I had got to grips with speed drawing and creating movement and it shows in what I've done. 

Overall I had a lot of fun doing this exercise. I spent a long time walking through Worcester and thinking about where and what I wanted to draw. I found out what medium I like working with when speed drawing (fine-liner), what kind of subjects I like drawing, and that each piece has a story to it. In future I would spend more time outside rather than in the cafe as I found the pieces I did in the city a lot more interesting and whole. 

Week 6 Life Drawing Session 5: Tone and Wet and Dry Media.

12.11.16

For this life drawing session, we were attempting to create tone using colour. This was probably my favourite session so far, simply because I love using paint and because it really challenged me to use it in a new way. Paint is different to pencil in the way that it is less forgiving, so if you make a mistake you have a harder job of covering it up; this forced me to plan more and look more at the model to make sure my proportions were correct before creating depth.

(1) shows a series of warm up drawings, these are all in pencil and took 3-10 seconds each. This exercise gave me a chance to draw without inhibition before getting into the main pieces. As you can see with the fainter drawings I did at the start, I was a bit worried about how they looked so didn't make harsh lines, then towards the centre, you see where I have become more confident and created drawings that capture the essence of the pose within a short amount of time.

(2) was still part of the warm up. Here we used charcoal and got into the habit of creating not only dark and light tone, but medium tone, and exaggerating what we saw to enhance this. Although these useful in order to get used to experimenting with tone, I can see that I wasn't as focused on proportions in these drawings. Even if correct proportion was not the focus, I should still be thoughtful of it so that I stay in the habit of creating more accurate drawings. 

(3) was the first colour tone drawing we did. I chose to use a light pink, medium purple/pink and dark purple oil pastels to create depth in my piece. I was pleased with the proportions and the use of dark and light, but I think the image looks a bit flat, this is something I saw as I stood back from it on completion. I will, in future, step back from my drawing more often in order to see flaws more clearly. 

(4) is my favourite piece. It conveys depth much more than any of my other pieces and has feeling to it. This may be because I am comfortable with watercolour as a medium and was more confident in creating the image, but also because I received feedback on my medium tone and responded to it; this meant that the image looked more 3D. The model looks lonely and cold because of the cool tones I have used, so I know in future to recreate that effect I can use those colours.

In contrast, I have used opposite tones for (5), swapping cold blue greens for harsh reds and oranges. With this piece I was mixing wet and dry media and so decided to practice with the mediums on the side of my paper before I began. I put some white oil pastel down and went over it with red watercolour paint; It created a bubbly effect on the pastel which I thought would work as a highlight. I also did a quick thumbnail sketch in my drawing book of the model as we had 45 minutes to complete the piece and I wanted to make the proportions accurate. Midway through the piece I received feedback to use more dry media so I added more pastel on top and it made the dark tones darker which created more depth. I don't necessarily like the result, but I think the exercise was important in experimenting with wet and dry media and getting to grips with the technique.

At the end of the session, we looked at the work of our peers and discussed paintings we found interesting. I pointed out a piece where someone had created great detail on the face using pastel, a technique I was unaware of. Someone else pointed out a piece where someone had used acrylic to thickly lay down texture on his piece, he used earthy tones and created a quite abstract view of the model. On our next session, I will be sure to bring my acrylics so that I can try this out. It is out of my comfort zone to do this, but I am excited to see what I can create using the inspiration of my peer's artwork.

(1)

Assorted Pencils (2B to 6B)

(2)

Charcoal 

(3)

Oil Pastels, 3 colours used.

(4)

Watercolour paints, 3 colours used

(5)

Oil Pastel and Watercolour Paint, 3 colours used

Week 5 Homework: Subtractive Tone Self Portrait

02.11.16

Out of all the exercises we've done, I found this the least enjoyable. I heavily dislike working with charcoal, essentially because I'm a very clean person (strange for an illustrator, I know) and I don't like having any residue on me after a drawing/painting. I had to do a lot of prep and a lot of clean up for every painting and so it took double the amount of time I had planned. Although this was a hindrance, I'm still pleased with some of my pieces. (All done using charcoal, tissue and assorted erasers) 

As I do not own a full length mirror, I went home to my parents house to use one to create the first two images. (1) is very simple and I like it. (2) though not in proportion, seems exaggerated (I've made my legs bigger than they are) in a way that looks artistic and I like it.

(3) was also done at home with a lamp placed to my bottom right. I am pleased with how this piece turned out as I think you can definitely see where the light is coming from.

(4) was done in my bedroom at university accommodation with a lamp directed at my face. I did not think this through as it made it really difficult to see my drawing. As a consequence it is my least favourite.

(5) i believe, is my most successful piece. I directed my lamp towards my sketchpad on my lap so that I could see my page and the light would come from below my face. Because I had good vision I could create a better image. 

One thing I forgot to do was to try different emotions. On (5) I am smiling slightly but that is by chance, I got so into my drawings that I forgot about that aspect. This is a lesson learned to keep the brief in front of me as I do every task. I feel I learned from this challenge, but am still not a fan of charcoal, despite it's effects being good.

 (1) 15 min

 (2) 25 min

 (3) 35 min

 (4) 32 min

(5) 29 min