Much like Cézanne’s fascination with various viewpoints of ‘his mountain’, contemporary artists also develop multi-perspective concepts within their work over a series of works. Looking at Tacita Dean’s chalkboard paintings have surprised me because, like her slate piece that I looked at previously, she has used an usual foundation for her work. Chalk drawings on a plane treated with chalkboard paint, Dean explores the seven-piece series in a unique and dynamic way. The pieces are then to displayed together to make up an overall impression of the story Dean provides for us. The drawings are detailed yet have a slight air of being left purposefully incomplete. Line drawing is used as well as tonal gradation to describe form and shape. I find it unusual that words and writing have also been included in these pieces; it makes me feel like they are excerpts from a diary or even pieces from a sketchbook, documenting the journey across the rough seas. As Dean used film in some of her work, I am of the feeling that this series played out in her mind’s eye almost as selection storyboards to be produced for film.
The Roaring Forties: Seven Boards in Seven Days 1997 Tacita Dean born 1965 Presented by the Patrons of New Art through the Tate Gallery Foundation 2000 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T07613
When shifting focus to earlier artists who concentrated on a range of viewpoints in their work, if I were to compare Dean’s chalkboard drawings, such as the one above, with the likes of Seurat’s ‘Landscape with Houses’, I’m sure I would find that the period of time between the lives of the two artists, not only saw multiple art movements which, over time, has enabled contemporary artists to explore various types of media and styles to work with, but the techniques in which the work is executed and the subjects in the work may heavily influence the overall feel of the piece, relevant to today’s audience. The similarities and differences between Dean and Seurat’s pieces mentioned in this research are worth noting however. The use of a monochromatic colour palette and hard and soft edges are similar, giving easy-to-view pieces which are interesting yet not overpowering to observe. Both pieces show a sense of realism to the shapes and forms within them, ensuring the subjects are instantly recognisable by the viewer. I also notice that the lightest, or darkest tones in Dean’s case, are used to help describe the forms within the drawing. The difference in this being Dean has used a black foundation where Seurat has not; Dean has to use lighter tones for the highlights and reflected light but Seurat makes use of the conté crayon and the darkest tones to describe shadow on and around his forms. There is also the difference that Seurat does not include words written on his piece of work and that there is a lighter, less dense and dramatic feel to his work. I feel this may be owed to the fact that the majority is tonal work here rather than line drawing but also the plane is of a lighter colour, so the feeling is the realistic scene is in daylight rather than at night. Lastly, I feel there is a vast amount of energy and motion in Dean’s work above, the vessel looks to be crashing about on the vigorous waves, whilst Seurat’s landscape seems to be peacefully absorbing the stillness of the day.
I think it’s quite interesting when talking about viewpoints, that it could be taken literally or physically. If a literal view is adopted, then the artist, like Cézanne, may choose to produce a series of works of the same subjects but from different angles. If however, the stance is of a more metaphorical or creative response, then I understand that the viewpoint of a particular scene or subject could be subject to the artist’s creative response, or perception, emotions triggered by the subject or even the feelings that the artist was experiencing at the time of producing the work. As discovered right at the beginning of this course, if the artist or practitioner is experiencing strong emotions, it could possibly change the viewpoint and alter the outcome of the piece. This thought also leads me onto artists who use various literal viewpoints of a subject in their work. It reminds me of Picasso’s Violin and Grapes, 1912, whereby he focuses on the violin as his main subject, but in the abstract and broken way it is described, different perspectives of the violin are all viewed at the same time. For example, if the viewpoint of the audience was the front of the violin, you wouldn’t be able to see the side view of the scroll on the violin. This selective, multi-viewpoint concept is intentional by the artist and runs deeper into history than the 1900’s. During my research, I discovered ancient Egyptian artwork which portrayed a the human body from the Egyptian’s most preferred viewpoints. This is proof that they were selective in their desires and preferences, to describe the human form in multiple viewpoints, obtaining only the best or most preferable perspectives to describe the subject.
E. H, Gombrich, The Story of Art, 1984, Phaidon Press Limited
Looking back at Project 2, a landscape composition springs to mind quite easily and it is that of the Episkopi cliffs (facing a Westerly position) that I studied for a 15 minute drawing in my sketchbook. I took a photo of the scene to document to study again later as I really liked the concept of the scene with the cliff shape drawing the eye around the scene and the contrasts with the tonal variations creating an interesting view. I would like to explore this in coloured pencils, watercolours, pastels and ink mediums so that I can get a feel for how the scene will feel in this different styles. Having looked at Vija Celmins recently, and also remembering Michael Karaken, the monochromatic colour palette brings a moody element to the scene so I think this would be a good opportunity to explore this.
Episkopi Cliffs, this view was found on my sketchbook walk in Project 2, Exercise 2
The photo above is cropped from a larger one which I have adjusted to show my idea of what I would like this landscape composition to look like when drawn. In my sketchbook, I experiment with different media to see how the scene would look and feel when drawn and rendered in different mediums, albeit quick preparatory sketches. In the drawings below, from top left, clockwise, I have used watercolours, charcoal, pastels, Indian ink, line and wash, coloured pencils. My favourite drawings are the charcoal, pastel and Indian ink landscapes. The softness of the charcoal and pastels provide a warm and inviting feeling into the scene which is how it felt on that early autumnal Cypriot day. I also liked the ink drawing because the monochromatic colour palette gives a slight moody atmosphere and is clear with a loose line to depict the scene. I do feel like I would like to try to work with the charcoal or the pastel for this exercise however as I feel it is drawing me towards working with these mediums on this occasion for this landscape. I’ll probably work with the coloured pastels as the warmth of the sea and the earth on the cliffs really comes through here and those are the key features of the scene that I would like the visually talk to the viewer about in my landscape drawing. In addition to the warmth and hue of the coloured pastels, both the charcoal and pastels provide a soft and slightly out of focus style to the drawing. It isn’t sharp and precise with clear details in the style that I have drawn them in and I quite like that effect in this circumstance. In conclusion, after my sketchbook work and reflection period, I have decided to produce this landscape scene with coloured pastels on an A4 piece of rough paper to pick out the texture of the landscape and the sparkles on the sea.
Reflecting on this drawing above, after completing project 4 and with perspective in mind, I notice how far the horizon is above the land in the background. I smiled to myself when looking back on my work after my work with perspective; it seems so obvious. Unconscious incompetence if you will. I find that a simple movement of a horizon line can bring the overall perspective of a picture into line and change the look of the piece.
This research point immediately reminded me of my interest with the artist Michael Karaken from a previous exercise. His landscape drawing series are similar in that they use the same materials, stylistic approach and monochromatic colour palette. I really like that the series flows seamlessly from one piece of work to another, almost like a stroll through the woods, turning your head this way and that, getting a different snapshot with each turn of the head. This theory links well with ‘Exercise 3 360 studies’ in that, the artist can merely change direction or viewpoint on the spot and have a similar but different scene.
More historic artists such as Cézanne are synonymous with creating a series of landscapes or pieces with one subject. Mont Sainte-Victoire was painted by Cézanne in a multitude of different ways, enusring his affection of the mountain was reflected in his series of works. An article at https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/modernity-ap/a/czanne-mont-sainte-victoire, explains: “Cézanne would return to the motif of Mont Sainte-Victoire throughout the rest of his career, resulting in an incredibly varied series of works. They show the mountain from many different points of view and often in relationship to a constantly changing cast of other elements (foreground trees and bushes, buildings and bridges, fields and quarries).” I wonder if an artist can become enraptured by a particular subject and consciously choose to portray it in various ways to create the series?
Watching Peter Dejoin (at https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/peter-doig) discuss his works that were about to be displayed in a gallery, he talks about the sources of inspiration used to create a starting point for each piece of work. Dejoin also comments that the journey is emotional for him, in that the places in where they were produced are prominent and offer sentimental value when reminisced.
When researching artists who have produced a series of landscapes, I did stop to reflect on how and why they were produced. Questions such as: Why do artists produce a series of paintings instead of a single stand-alone piece? Is the series always displayed together or can/will they be displayed separately? Are there different ways in which a ‘series’ is presented? i.e. are the pieces hung next to, above and below each other, say as quarters or sixths that make up a whole, or are they hung one after the other in succession, like a story being told? Why do some artists chose to make subtle differences in each piece in the series and others choose to produce a series where every piece is different in its subject and concept? How do artists find a starting and finishing point? How do they know how many pieces they will produce for the series? Does a series document a story, or an idea, that the artist felt a single, stand-alone piece couldn’t be enough to convey by itself? Or perhaps the first piece was finished and the artist decided there was more to explore in this topic and wanted to develop the work further?
Project 5 – Research Point 1 – 29/01/2020 – John Virtue
Below is an image of John Virtue’s works of a landscape which are four pieces placed together in a series which make a piece in its own right. I approached this idea earlier in my research of questioning how a series may be presented to the viewer. I find the process quite interesting in that the concept must have been designed to allow for the production of the four pieces to match up. Or perhaps Virtue created one large piece then separated it into four pieces to rejoin together as an interesting presentation of the landscape?
I find these thoughts provoking and would like to look at exploring the possibilities of presenting work in a series within my work. My sketchbook would be an ideal place to look at series work with some thumbnail sketches to begin with.
Because of my exploring for Exercise 2, Sketchbook Walk, I rediscovered an abundance of natural beauty that I wanted to explore in the next few exercise in project 3. I found that I was drawn to interesting dynamics and up close and personal style landscape scenes. I mentally ‘took pictures’ with my eyes because I’m finding that I can start to ‘see’ drawings of landscapes in my head. A few times I have thought to myself “that would make a nice picture” and so having moved about (taking inspiration from changing the view point from the course notes) I bent down, climbed higher, looked around 360 degrees to see if I was missing anything that could be used for a great landscape scene. I eventually found myself immersed in the environment and experienced that crossover between seeing and feeling the landscape. Touching the sand, grass, plants and feeling the salt air on my skin when the wind blew. It all adds to the aesthetics and overall feel of my drawings; I feel the need to express what it was I felt as well as saw. The danger with steering towards wanting to zoom in and capture the scene from a dynamic and interesting angle could be that you could loose a sense of perspective of the expanse of a landscape if focusing on what is at foot level or not widening the viewpoint enough to take in the surroundings as well as what is immediately in front of me or in close proximity.
The following photos document the work for Exercise 3, 360 studies, in my sketchbook. The drawings took between 15-20 minutes each which provided enough time to for me to add a little detail and some tonal variation to describe form. I really enjoyed the idea of turning 90 degrees on the spot to capture a different viewpoint. I do find it interesting that I hadn’t thought of this before and it has inspired me to use this technique when looking for a view. Simply turning around can provide a different viewpoint which maybe more interesting or appealing than the initial. This technique could reinvigorate familiar surrounds to provide interesting subjects to draw.
North and East viewpoints
These photos below are cropped photos of the scenes that I have drawn above in my sketchbook.
Exercise 2 brings more outdoor experiences and opportunities for drawing. It was good fun to be able to walk about and try to ‘see’ places, subjects and areas of interest that could be produced into pieces for my course. I found plenty of inspiration in Limassol town, walking through the Old Town and district, including the ‘art quarter’, gave me opportunities to peek into doorways and working environments to see artists and practitioners at work. The surrounding architecture and urban environments were observed and noted to return to as I would like to draw more ‘townscapes’ and urban themed landscape drawings.
Sheep moving fields created a great snapshot into agricultural events. I liked how the scene was obviously split with the grass in the foreground, the sheep in the middle-ground and the bushes and greenery in the background with the sky.
Looking for inspiration up on the cliffs
An artist’s studio in the Old Town
These panoramic photos show the sea front in Limassol in 1960. I was captured by the shape of the paper and the panoramic viewpoint. I was intrigued to see how I could draw in this particular perspective with some townscape drawings.
Evidence of Exercise 2 in my learning log sketchbook
It becomes clear, when returning to sketchbook studies, why information and annotations are important and helpful for future development. Not only does it provide me with context to the drawing or work itself, but it also gives me an idea on where light and shadows are likely to be in relation to the other objects in the scene. The weather may have a direct impact on trees for example; the leaves and branches might all be blowing in the same direction. Notes on textures, colours and smells may help give further context to the scene, or alongside keywords, may help job memories and provide information, which may be forgotten, to help develop the piece of work that may be produced with the help of these notes.
Starting this exercise off with a few photos of some cloud formations. I am at an advantage where I live because visually, I can see a lot of open sky therefore I am treated to vast cloud displays! I particularly like looking at clouds when the sun is setting and rising as the colours that they reflect are stunning to experience. I also appreciate the solidarity and heaviness they speak of when getting ready to release rain; I have noticed there is such a difference in terms or appearance and movement in different types of clouds. This is something to be conscious of when producing landscapes I believe, if the clouds are wind-swept and billowing or heavy because of a storm and strong winds, what might the surroundings and other features in the landscape, how might they behaving in this environment.
The following photos document my work for Exercise 1.
Experimenting with charcoal to depict a soft but heavy and billowing storm cloud
20/01/2020
Returning to this section to add an image I found when researching Tacita Dean in Project 3. I really enjoyed seeing her use of mixed media on an unusual base to create this really calm and mesmerising piece. the use of really light tones against the dark bluey-grey of the slate contrast really well but the use of soft edges created by the spray chalk ensure that the contrast is gradual in areas, resulting in a piece that is dynamic yet easy on the eye.
In this short video: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2019/vija-celmins, Vija Celmins describes her traumatic childhood during WWII and how it may have influenced her drawings and paintings; by looking at photographs and illustrations, she makes the link between this research and her remembrance of the war she lived through. Celmins started with references and inspiration taken from pop art, studying photographs to replicate intensely. She then widens her skill set by exploring photo-realism and realistic drawings and paintings. Celmins says “the painting often has an emotional quality to it” which leads me to believe that although Celmins presents viewers with drawings and paintings which are realistic, they still contain emotion and artistic perspective; inviting the viewer in to learn more about the structure and aesthetics of what she sees in her mind’s eye rather than simply observing without feeling. However, Celmins then proceeds to state “I’m not into telling stories, I like a lot of retinal activity”. Her drawings are conducive to this statement as they feature laboriously illustrated dots, dashes and marks which are obviously time consuming yet compelling in the finished piece. I feel this artists drawings are intended to be studied for a while, maybe not necessarily to find the story but for the viewer to observe and feel immersed in the atmosphere of the piece whilst appreciating the attention to detail in describing the subject within the piece.
Celmins reminds me of Michael Karaken, who I looked at previously in the course. His style is also realistic but laden with atmosphere and emotion. Interestingly, I notice that the majority of both Celmins and Karakens pieces which I find moody and atmospheric, yet combine realistic and precise detail, are rendered in a black and white format. Possibly the colours would distract from the clever use of light, which would change the feel of the piece. I would like to practise this in my sketchbook; what would happen if I produced the same drawing, one in monochrome and one in colour?
I wonder how I would use Celmins style in my own work? I prefer a more loose and expressive style and I think this would prove a challenge to me, to not rely on the line and utilise intelligent and expressive areas of tone to describe light and dark, representing 3D forms. I wonder what effects Karaken and Celmins used in their work to ensure that the atmosphere they intended to portray was retained in their drawings whilst still conveying the subject realistically. It looks to me that the drawings are done in a soft edged way, so the lines are not too harsh and brash, ensuring a soft vision is easy on the eye, it also makes me feel that the subjects are easy to recognise yet the styles ensure the viewer want to look more intently and absorb the information within the scene, rather than a quick glance.
Another note to mention is that the whole of the plane is used to present the ocean in the above drawing by Celmins. This is a technique I have not considered before. It is very absorbing, consuming and shows a dynamic and immersive piece. For me, it does create quite an impact and although there is only one subject in this drawing, there is so much detail that, as Celmins states, there is a fair amount of retinal activity to observe and analyse the whole piece. It may be beneficial to me to experiment with this viewpoint in my sketchbook; what does the subject look like from a different viewpoint, i.e. further away, from above, from an angle, or as above, completely filling the frame. Once I have attempted these investigative experiments in my sketchbook, i’ll reflect on them in this blog.
Researching Dürer has informed me that he was a competent practitioner from a young age and was well travelled throughout his artistic career. His experiences in Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland had an influential impact on his work and style as between phases of painting, he experimented with etching, engraving and printing which, according to Art The Whole Story, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2010, printing had a significant factor in helping to shape the Northern Renaissance and it’s art movement. The wide spread reproductions of Dürer’s work enabled him to become extremely well recognised and financially prosperous as his work became more accessible and financially obtainable. Whilst I could express that there may be an element of degradation of originality and uniqueness when mass-producing artwork, I do feel that Dürer’s prints were able to become widely recognisable and ultimately reach the homes and enrich the lives of many who could not afford original pieces of art, which can only be a positive outcome.
Looking at the landscape paintings below, I have selected two paintings which are very similar. The reason I chose to select these two based on their similarities was to compare and analyse the differences in which the overall feel and tones of the landscape scene change by the addition of clouds (on the left) when compared to a scene without. Because of the colour palette utilised and the tonal variations, I would have actually guessed that the painting on the right should have had the clouds included. The buildings feel darker, more oppressive and sombre, encouraging me to feel that there is a dark and heavy atmosphere which would be suitable to moody and atmospheric low lying clouds. The roof tiles show a darkness in comparison to the painting on the left which appear light and airy as if the sun is to the right of the scene judging by the subtle cast shadows made by the dormer windows in the roofs. Although one could argue that Dürer captured a fleeting moment where a gap in the cloud formation formed, enabling a distinct area of sunlight to shine through and illuminate the scene. If I were to approach a similar task, I think I would struggle to remember how this scene would look in these temporary conditions and I would need a lot of sketch annotations and possibly utilise a camera to record the shadows and light etc. I do observe the effect of perspective is clever and there is a vanishing point in both landscapes, although I do feel that the perspective is slight off as some of the roof lines and walls don’t follow the same vanishing point, giving an ever so slightly warped and ‘free-hand’ style, which in my mind, adds character and charm to the period buildings. This surprises me considering Dürer produced a woodcut in the 1525 edition of perspective and proportion textbook called The Painter Studying The Laws Of Foreshortening By Means Of Threads And A Frame. Although these are just my observations and my historic knowledge and experience is limited, therefore there could be many reasons as to why Dürer has chosen to paint in this style of which I am missing the point. Overall, the landscape scenes with buildings show no people or theme but yet still retain an element of interest with the recognisable shape of the buildings, appropriate for the time period in which the painting was produced. I feel that the elevated viewpoint gives a sense of grandeur and a greater view of the courtyards and beyond, with the towering roof lines receding into the background, which I think is possibly what Dürer intended, for the viewer to be able to see beyond the foreground walls to give further depth to the painting.
Moving onto study Claude Lorrain, I find a painting that I looked at earlier in Part 3, Landscape With Sacrifice To Apollo, 1662. I studied this painting previously because I liked the way Lorrain added a sense of softness and romance to the landscape setting which is classical in style. The colour palette has a warm gold hue and the scene feels calm and his style produces a romantic feeling, almost mystical feel to the overall outcome of the scene. What I also find interesting is one of his ‘methods’ of producing the landscapes, which https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1145.html succinctly explains: “Claude’s early compositions consist of receding tracts of land accentuated by tonal modulations from dark foreground to bright green middle ground and icy blue distance”. The text at https://www.theartstory.org/artist/lorrain-claude/ explains that “his works characterised by a Baroque classicism which is especially evident in his depiction of antique architecture, and his emphasis on dramatic contrasts of light and shade” helps me to understand the context and era in which he painted a little further.
E.H. Gombrich, The Story Of Art, 1984, Phaidon Press Ltd
This is evident when I looked at other landscape scenes by Lorrain, such as Pastoral Landscape: The Roman Campagna, 1639; perhaps this style/method, that he possibly learnt on his travels in Rome, could be explained as a stylistic approach to paint the idealistic landscape through attention to detail and a realistic approach to landscape painting. The methods that Lorrain adopts makes me question if the methods he followed were a ‘recipe’ or process that the majority of painters followed to produce landscapes or whether they took the process and made it their own with their own creative vision and style? Through my research so far, it seems that quite a few landscapes where painted in the 1600’s in a similar style to Lorrain, with attention to detail when describing trees, foliage and clouds; warm, golden light that illuminates the scene and a reasonably dark toned foreground, lighter green mid-ground and and icy-blue background, as described earlier by nga.gov. For example, Jaboc Van Ruisael, A Pool Surrounded By Trees, 1660 and Bartholomeus Breenbergh, The Preaching of John the Baptist, 1634 also adopt these techniques.
Laurence Stephen Lowry
“I watched this scene — which I’d looked at many times without seeing — with rapture.”
L.S. Lowry
The quote above (taken from https://www.christies.com/features/10-things-to-know-about-LS-Lowry-8657-1.aspx) strikes a chord with me on my artistic journey as I feel that I am often looking but not seeing on many occasions. How many ideas and inspirational moments can be captured if I took the time to enjoy them, and then manipulate my tools and media to express an outcome which produces a reaction to my experiences?
Lowry’s landscapes were produced around 200 years later than Lorrain’s. It is immediately clear from the stylistic approach to both these artist’s landscapes that a large period of time has passed, with several artistic movements and other cultural influential factors presenting a marked difference between the two artist’s work.
The landscape below shows dark, opaque colours applied, creating a sense of heaviness and poverty. I have understood this painting was painted during a time in which the Second world War had happened shortly before, and this scene gives me a sense of the gloomy years post-war period where the city is rebuilding and the community is recovering amidst the industrial environment. Although it does feel quite a gloomy scene, I feel there is a little hope here, that the businesses and the games still go on and the community still comes together, regardless of the current situation. This landscape is a world away from those painted by Turner, Lorrain and Dürer, it almost feels childlike and clumsy in comparison. But if we look at the landscapes of Cezanné, Van Gogh and Constable, I can see traces of different elements that come into play which have left impressions on artists over the years, until we get to Lowry; this gives me an understanding of how the art movements help shape and evolve different styles which are so wide and varied today. The opacity of Lowry’s limited colour palette and the dark, filthy atmosphere which surrounds the city and football match contrast greatly to the artist’s styles that I have researched previously. This combined with the relative flatness to some of the landscape shapes gives me a feeling of a slightly abstract painting here.
Lastly, I wanted to express that I found that Lowry appeared to be comfortable to paint scenes and landscapes which do not necessary represent the epitome of beautiful landscapes and themes, whereas the likes of Lorrain and Turner strove to achieve this in their works, marking another great comparison between historic and contemporary artists.
George Shaw
Moving onto another different style again, artist George Shaw presents landscape paintings playing around the styles of abstraction and realism. His chosen scenes are ones that conjure up childhood memories but invite the viewer to consider the social and political statements that the artist is making through his work. Immediately I notice a difference in the majority of his landscapes, almost as if Shaw is painting the unseen and unloved scenes, the landscapes that are not usually admired for their typical beauty and lustrous foliage: “Now its roof has gone and its gutted shell is fenced off. This is just one of the images of decline and decay that fill Shaw’s ruinous pastoral.”
It seems that Shaw wants to document but also include messages or statements for the viewer to digest, centring around the presence of people which are absent from the paintings. It maybe that Shaw uses Rembrandt as inspiration for his realism style but other than the realistic style, I do not see or can find many similarities between Rembrandt and Shaw in terms of: chosen media, colour palette, execution of brush technique, lighting representation which feels soft and illuminating in Rembrandt’s scenes. An interesting thought I observed: Rembrandt’s landscapes remind me very much of Turner and Claude, as discussed earlier, with soft, mystical atmospheres, warm hues and washes of light illuminating the landscape the viewer can relax and enjoy. Shaw’s paintings do not feel relaxing to me, they offer me an uncomfortable viewing, ensuring I am taking note of the political and social messages contained within the scene which lead a little towards abstraction I feel. However I do agree with his statement that both himself and Rembrandt’s self-portrait paintings document time passing and the environment changing: “in the same way that Rembrandt’s self-portraits are a mirror of his society and the way in which that changed, so these paintings of a place which has changed through nature and through political will is also a representation of a person that came from here” (https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/george-shaw-i-make-no-distinction-between-great-painting-and-great-tv) This could appear to the viewer as a time lapse being shown through the artists works and Shaw’s link between documenting the life that is lived in his urban landscape scenes without actually including people and figures. Finally I observe that Shaw pays particular attention to the use of light and which effects it can play on the scene as well as the overall feel of the piece, I believe Shaw uses this technique to his advantage, especially when describing the degradation of the urban landscapes from his childhood that he revisits in his paintings, which create gloomy, depressive and weary scenes, especially when considered with the muted and dull colour palette utilised in this works. When comparing this to the artists such as Lorrain, Dürer and Turner, I see they also dedicate thoughtful planning into how light can enrich their paintings and create an atmosphere that is almost mystical in it’s presentation to depict idealistic beautiful landscapes.
Sarah Woodfine
Researching Sarah Woodfine returns interesting results on her expressive landscapes. The 3D drawings that she produces are clever and engineered, a unique twist using her experience as a sculptor. I enjoyed looking at her creative works, they bring a sense of nostalgia as I remember designing and building similar constructions, such as a diorama, as a child. The depth in the landscape composition is created by physically placing elements of the drawing behind and in front of one another creating interesting dynamics and I particularly like the intelligent use of cast shadows and reflected light. For example, Woodfine’s ‘Newfoundland’ (pictured below) has cleverly placed components that add interest and fluidity around the scene: the tent produces a cast shadow pointing diagonally across towards the boat, drawing the eyes across the scene, which produces its own reflection on the lake it sits on. I observe that whilst Woodfine has used realism in each drawing she has placed within her landscape, there is a theme and feeling of surrealism and fantasy in how she has brought the landscape through from conceptualisation to execution. This was of working, combining 3D construction, sculpture and drawings ensures that the multi-disciplinary way of working creates unusual yet intriguing pieces of working. It makes me question why Woodfine would work in this way: could the drawing not provoke the same thoughts and feelings if it were produced in 2D? Did she intentionally plan to create shadows within her landscape to create an atmosphere? How did Woodfine plan the negative spaces around the back of the objects as they are not flat against the plan? I would definitely like to experiment with this style of working within this course.
It has taken just over a week since starting exercise 3 to finishing it and I’m pleased with my journey. I have had to walk away from this exercise a couple of times, and come back after a restful night and a little more research. I am aware that it was not an assignment, but the variety of research that I undertook and the knowledge I have gained from this exercise has been quite heavy and I am grateful that I followed my instincts to not let this exercise go by as a missed opportunity.
I have noticed recently that the more I get ‘in tune’ with the artist’s voice and vision in my mind, the more challenging and fun the exercises are to explore. It feels like I have an inner voice that is slowly starting to build, develop, get stronger, be more decisive and confident. Simon, my tutor, said in my last feedback “I have confidence enough in your abilities to suggest to you to not overthink but to act on instinct”. I have never received this feedback, which felt like permission, before but once received, I felt freer and happier to just go ahead and take the risks, explore with the media, go wild with the experimenting… The possibilities are genuinely endless and I am enthralled by the idea that I could go anywhere and the only limitations are my own that I set myself. Little questions keep popping up in my mind: “What if I did this? How would that look like this or like that or with this? How can I do this better? Where have I seen this before? Which artists are known for this?” etc. Sometimes I feel like a firework has gone off inside my head and I just can’t get the ‘excitement to create’ out quick enough so I’ve been writing in my diary and making to-do lists as a coping mechanism to help remind me what ideas I have thought of; especially useful to keep a notepad by the bed for those 3am epiphanies.
I’ve also discovered that the further I take my independent research of materials, media tools etc. the more I am learning about their (and mine) limitations but also possibilities. It is a really exciting venture to learn that some media can be manipulated differently to produce an entirely different outcome than originally thought. Also, I am discovering, with a little experience and practice, I can manipulate the materials in a more refined or competent way to achieve the effect I set out for.
Whilst reading through my modest collection of art books, I highlighted the paintings and drawings I thought would serve me well in this exercise after studying the brief and requirements. Below are 9 photographs: 1 taken from Brooker, Suzanne. Essential Techniques Of Landscape Drawing, 2018, Watson-Guptill Publications and the other 8 taken from Gombrich, E.H. The Story Of Art, 1984, Phaidon Press Limited. These photos help document some of my self-led learning during Exercise 3 in which I have been reading about the artists who created this artwork to gain a better understanding of the context in which they were produced and to study the detail of the methods of application of the mark-making to help me develop my vision for Exercise 3 and beyond.
Photo 1 Suzanne Brooker, Aspen Meadow, 2017
Photo 2 Gainsborough, Rural Scene, approx. 1786
Photo 3 Van Gogh, Landscape with Cypresses near Arles, 1889
Photo 4 Kao K’o-Kung, Landscape after rain, 1250-1300
Photo 5 Henri Rousseau
Photo 6 Benozzo Gozzoli, The Journey of the Magi to Bethlehem, 1459-1463
Photo 7 Painting of a pond, approx. 1400 BC
Photo 8 Watteau, Fete in a Park, 1718
Photo 9 Pissarro, The Boulevard des Italiens, morning, sunlight, 1897
I wanted to take a little time to reflect on a few of the photos above: Photo 1 – Brooker. Suzanne, Essential Techniques Of Landscape Drawing, 2018, Watson-Guptill Publications. I found this book through Amazon.co.uk and whilst studying the text and the references to various other artists, I also found further links to develop my studies and find inspiration from a larger scope of artists. The front cover drew me immediately as it tied in so well with Exercise 3 and my personal tastes, (Suzanne Brooker, Aspen Meadow, 2017, Graphite on Bristol paper) the front cover displays Brooker’s drawing, the detailed and accurate representation of the trees in the fore and middle ground and realistic and show good use of leaving white areas to represent light falling on the bark. The drawing also demonstrates perspective, with the background less detailed and sharp than the foreground. The rest of the book does not disappoint in offering helpful advice in creating landscape scenes through drawing. I have also been made aware of Michael Kareken, whose fabulous use of conté is displayed on the back cover with a piece entitled ‘Fallen Trees’, unintentionally inviting me to look at further works by himself and also investigate what dura-lar, his foundation on which he applies the conté, is. When looking closer at Kareken’s work, I find I feel an awful lot, and the more I look, the more I see in terms of movement, atmosphere, tonal variation, contrast, expressive marks. They are an absolutely wonderful source of inspiration for me for Part Three and I am sure I will be returning to Kareken’s work continually.
Photo 2 – Looking at Gainsborough’s simple use of leaving white areas for light in his landscape sketch I also feel some inspiration here for my Exercise 3 drawing. Although simple in style, I do feel the marks offer a sense of direction and energy in the scene. In the book, The Story of Art by E.H. Grombrich, the author explains that Gainsborough ‘designed’ these landscape scenes rather than draw what he actually saw from nature: “they are landscape ‘composition’, designed to evoke and reflect mood”. I wonder why Gainsborough decided to manipulate the landscape to his own design. Did he not find the rural countryside inspirational enough to spark interest? Could he not find a good viewpoint to study? The scene he draws is rustic and rural, but perhaps the landscaping he designs in his minds’ eye satisfies his artistic vision and offers a more enticing scene to produce; a more aesthetic landscape? Perhaps he liked the challenge to construct and piece together a scene from what he observes on his walks?
Photo 3 – One of the more obviously famous pieces here is Van Gogh’s landscape painting, which was completed approximately one year before he took his own life. the work I see here represents more of the artist’s voice, perception and mental state than it does to represent the natural landscape before him; almost an anecdotal story. The brushstrokes and colour palette used in this piece are simple and non-offensive, albeit bold and solid in appearance. Simple shapes and marks are made to ensure the fluidity of the piece is continued along with the energy in the warped and distorted landscape. I am intrigued that Van Gogh’s work is strikingly different to the work I have previously look at in the landscape category, but it offers a strong contrast and an opportunity to compare the techniques used and the feelings/thoughts evoked by Van Gogh’s style and others previously studied. It is interesting that the foliageand texture of all of the trees and bushes are described in roughly the same way, with the same types of thin, swaying brush strokes, each meticulously laid down to describe the leaves and branches. I wonder if this was symbolic of his time in the mental asylum, where life was repetitive, slow and monotonous; taking one step at a time?
Photo 4 – I read that the Japanese would not paint from nature but imagine the scene in their mind’s eye after studying it and absorbing the ‘moods’ of the place (according to E.H.Gombrich) and the work of other masters of their discipline, then paint the scene onto a silk scroll, which was then to be brought out and read like poetry. I wonder if the Japanese ever undertook study sketches to enable them to produce relative accuracy in their landscapes? I also question which techniques they decided to use to describe the mood and ambience of the landscape they experienced and how this translates on the scroll for the viewer.
Photo 5 – I understand that Rousseau wasn’t a professionally trained artist and his style was to paint all details of the tree with intricacy and bright colours. The detail in the foliage of this work (Portrait of Joseph Brummer, 1909) shows me that Rousseau didn’t intend for the painting to be realistic, but show a very detailed representation of the bushes and trees in the background. The individual leaves are clearly marked, and it feels as though a sense of perspective/foreshortening is lost here because the detail is not out of focus in the background, which it may appear to be less focused in a more realistic style piece.
After my research, I started to apply some marks in my sketchbook to see what could be achieved from my thoughts so far for an outcome of Exercise 3. I already had a landscape scene in mind and I took a photograph of it to capture the scene seeing as I knew I would not be able to finish the drawing in-situ, so thought it would be best to try out some sketches of the scene, ready to develop when I returned home.
sketchbook experimenting with pastels
sketchbook experimenting with watercolour
sketchbook experimenting with oil pastels
sketchbook experimenting mixed media
This is the scene that captured my imagination. There aren’t many forests/woods near to where I live in Cyprus, so I thought it would be great to try to capture the dynamism of the palms when looking up at them. I discovered that the contrast with the sky was strong and the light falling onto the individual leaves of the palm would be a challenge to describe in my drawing.
When it came to drawing the scene out on paper, I really could not get what was in my mind’s eye, out onto the cartridge paper, I couldn’t find a place to start; artist’s block, if you will. The attempts I had made in my sketchbook to prepare for the final drawing in my sketchbook were not guiding me towards an end result for exercise 3 that I expected would come easily. The work produced in my sketchbook wasn’t sitting right and I couldn’t ‘connect’ and develop the drawings further.
Further work in sketchbook
Further work in sketchbook
Reflecting back on this, I believe that I was trying to focus on everything at once, all of the criteria in the exercise requirements and to be able to draw out what I think this meant in the first attempt. Perhaps I missed a few steps in exploring how to achieve these parts individually, such as: simplifying the scene, contrasting tonal areas, form and mass etc. Because my instincts were drawing me to a more loose and expressive style, I felt that reading Robert Kaupelis’s Experimental Drawing might do me some good as it may give indications on how to produce these techniques and methods whilst acknowledging my expressive and experimental drawing style at present. After a study session and picking out key pictures/text from the book to work from, I felt a renewed sense of confidence to try again with my drawing.
sketchbook experimentation
Last page of the sketchbook and I felt like I had ‘arrived’ at the style of drawing I wanted to proceed with
Drawing out the simplified landscape scene ‘Study of several trees’ Exercise 3. Tightened up some of the looseness from the experimentation in my sketchbook to get in a little more detail so I could express the white areas on the trees with a little more emphasis.
Applying tonal wash for the sky to contrast with the foliage and the tree trunks; this wash wasn’t applied as well as it could have been, I should have used a little more water as it was so hot, the watercolour paint dried too quickly in the Cypriot summer heat!
It was a funny but yet relieved feeling to get to this stage as I had suffered intense frustration before this and it felt like it had taken me so long to get from initial art book studying and sketchbook studies to the final drawing. In reality, it had been a week, but I found that the ideas and thoughts surrounding this exercise followed me around, causing me to feel a little restless with a little weight on my shoulders. I really did want to crack this! It is interesting however, that the feeling of ‘I’ve found it…there it is…’ instantly flooded into my mind, as soon as I had drawn the loose drawing of the palm tree on the last page of my sketchbook and rendered it with broad tones of watercolour paint. I’m not really sure what ‘it’ is or how I can articulate how it feels when I discover I’ve found ‘it’ as it is not always tangible for me but mostly seems to be a sensation that appears. Once I’ve found ‘it’ I know I can push on with gusto, almost like I’ve discovered the catalyst to enable to deepen my work and really entice my creativity even further.
Using my knowledge and experience from my studies and experimentation, I now find that I’m at ease with the drawing and I know which direction I would like to take this in. Below is the finished drawing for Exercise 3.
The palms in this study are the same species which would make distinguishing them a relatively unchallenged task as apposed to an arboretum or woodland full of various species of trees within close proximity to one another. However, distinguishing the individual branches, leaves and texture of the bark would a challenge to not underestimate. The dynamism of the direction of growth against the sky and in relation to the other palms in close proximity made for a dramatic and exotic scene which was light and airy; I was desperate to capture this in my drawing. I felt really excited to observe the simplicity of the trunks, growing up and snake-like, their smooth and concise forms contrasting greatly with the wildness and dramatic palm branches up above, growing this way and that. The individual leaves of the palm branches were splayed out at all angles, which meant capturing the light that fell over each delicate finger of the palm leaf was difficult when rendered in broad areas of tone. I feel my loose and expressive way of applying the watercolour tones acknowledge the contrast of colours but still leave room to represent the sunlight falling on the fronds and sun-facing areas of the trunks. The perspective for the background was achieved by not applying as heavy a line to the outline of the trees to give the impression that they were less in focus (in contrast to Henri Rousseau’s style as discussed above) and not applying a high level of saturation to the trunks and foliage to simulate the effect of perspective.
The fronds of each palm tree were huge, compacting and folding like a concertina in the middle and at the base and then splaying outwards so they masked a fair bit of light apart from in the extremities of the foliage mass, at the ends of the palm leaves, where little tapered ‘fingers’ appeared. The light appeared to bounce across these and stream through the gaps, showing little areas of rich blue sky. I tried to describe this in my drawing above by adding the detail and thinking about the contrast of colour of overlapping palm leaves from one tree to another, to show more obviously where one palm’s foliage began and ended.
Describing light was achieved by using broad areas of tone on the trunk and foliage, and leaving areas white where the lightest values were although I felt that by drawing with a loose, expressive line, it was harder to achieve this in the detailed yet messy foliage which meant I had to think more carefully where to apply the tones than on larger surface areas such as the trunks.
I simplified the scene by removing some other trees that were obscuring my view of the palms foliage and trunks and also selecting a few trees and placing them together, a bit like Gainsborough did with his ‘landscaped’ landscape drawing above, which enabled me to select the best bits for my composition and really add to the dynamic forms of the trees.
Post Exercise Reflection
A little further experimentation in my sketchbook and on cartridge paper as I felt like my artistic voice had a little more to say and there was something else to give on this exercise.
Dip pen, chop stick and Indian ink
Indian ink, chop stick
Indian ink, chop stick, dip pen, tin foil
Charcoal – I also tried this medium but my instinct was that it created an effect that I wasn’t trying to achieve in this experiment. At this point, I didn’t really know what outcome I was trying to achieve but as soon as I experimented with the Charcoal, it felt like I had taken a wrong turn. Going back to ink felt like rejoining the right path.
Indian ink, chop stick, tin foil
Annotating work to reflect on
An outcome I felt was good to stop at. I applied tonal washes with the ink to give a sense of depth to the foliage and trunks of the trees.
Above are photos documenting my research and experimenting. I really enjoyed the tonal variation created by the utilisation of different tools (tin foil, dip pen, Indian ink, chop stick, paintbrush). Dark/light tones, delicate and intricate lines, solid thick chunky lines, smears of lighter tones, thick to thin in weight of line, sharp/soft lines, varying degrees of transparency of the ink applied.
Michael Kareken
Making contact with Kareken through https://www.michaelkareken.com/ has lead me to develop my understanding of using conté with dura-lar but also alternative ways to include light/white areas to describe light falling on subjects in a drawing and how to use this technique effectively to create an atmospheric feeling from observing the work. I have become extremely fond of Kareken’s work and I feel his pieces pull me into the scene, enticing me to feel and absorb the atmosphere in which he creates with Conté and Dura-Lar. I am excited by his drawings with ‘motion’ as I feel this is such a clever technique to achieve in a drawing.
In his reply email to me, he also refers to artist Sophie Jodoin, which leads me onto another exciting avenue of discovery. Kareken’s email is wonderful to read in that I am inspired to explore Dura-Lar and it’s possibilties because it sounds as though Kareken, Dejoin and I are interested in the same style, for example, Kareken refers to Dejoin’s work: “Her work combines very soft, rich tonalities with precise detail. “.
From here I go onto to looking at making white areas of paper with masking fluid and soft charcoal so that detailed contrast and soft tonality. It didn’t work as well as I had hoped, possibly because of a mixture of my technique/inexperience and medium chosen to work with. I will continue exploring the soft tonal effects with conté and charcoal on various foundations (paper, dura-lar etc.) and see how I can use Kareken’s work as my inspiration for creating soft contrasts of tone but still include detail as he does so masterfully in his work.
charcoal, watercolour, conté and masking fluid, smudging with fingers
It is easy to get caught up our hectic lives and not observe fully, the beautiful natural world around us. Since starting the Drawing 1 course, I have been able to be more present and mindful, analysing and observing potential areas of study for creating sketches and pieces of work. I’ve also noticed that I have been able to ‘switch on’ the part of my brain I had suppressed, the part that sees the world in an artistic way, it ‘sees’ an opportunity, and my thoughts are encouraging and explorative, pushing me to think about how to create an artistic and creative opportunity out of something or somewhere that may have been missed previously, without this ‘switching on’ effect that Drawing 1 has brought back to me.
Being more frequently out in nature for my studies has also inspired me to appreciate the beauty and the many opportunities there are available in abundance to learn, observe and experience from, which only enriches my personal and artistic journeys in life. Below is a selection of photographs that I have taken either in my Cypriot or English country of residence, and they are varied in their viewpoint/angle, style, proximity of closeness to the subject etc. I thought that whilst studying Part 3, the exploration I have completed outside amongst the trees in Limassol Marina (Cyprus) and Wisley Gardens and Surrey Countryside (UK) would help me by developing my observation skills of seeing trees up close, looking at the seeds/branches/fruits/leaves/bark etc. observing how they grow singularly or in relation to other trees/animals/plants, how the light falls on them and their canopies at particular times of the day, exploring the expanse of various species that can grown around each other and in different countries, how they grown wild and undisturbed versus being pruned/shaped. I have tried to make the most of these observational and analytical trips out, to ensure they continue to be beneficial to me and my developing practise.
I would like to spend a little time in my sketchbook, drawing a sketching from observation when outside with the trees. I think it would be helpful to work with a variety of media to encourage me to explore and take risks when describing the forms of the trees, whether in singular or plural subjects in the composition, and would give me a feel for which materials are effective in conveying the sense of direction and energy that the tree emits from it’s growth pattern due to the weather and environment. I also wonder, how it would be to include trees within a larger composition, such as a landscape scene, maybe a forest or a boulevard. It could possibly make me feel slightly overwhelmed in knowing how and where to get a successful viewpoint for the composition, perhaps this is where the viewfinder would come in handy, but also the thumbnail sketches, as suggested by my tutor Simon in his previous feedback, and various other drawing self-help books. The photographs above help me when reflecting on viewpoints. I feel that although they aren’t able to help convey what I experienced at that moment, it still offers a snapshot as to what I saw and how it could potentially looks as a composition due to being able to reflect on the viewpoint and type of lighting and tonal variation being displayed. This could enable me to be discerning and see which photos I thought would be a good starting point to return to the scene to potentially create a drawing from, almost like the photographs are visual notes for documentation.
Cole, Rex Vicat, 1965, The Artistic Anatomy Of Trees, Dover Publications
I found the following photograph quite interesting. It reminds me of one of the photos above where the view point is pointed up towards a tree’s canopy and the sunlight is filtering through, creating shadows of leaves on top of leaves. There are negative spaces where the leaves are creating holes on the canopy, much like this silhouette of sunlight shining through an empty floral napkin holder on my table. This is another occasion where I have seen a simple effect that has sparked my interest and imagination. Possibly I could take this simple idea of using silhouettes or playing with negative spaces between the leaves somehow, into my sketchbook to see where my artistic vision can take me.
Below are four photos that document a little experimenting I completed in my sketchbook with a dip pen and black Indian ink, and also using green, orange and nut brown inks with paintbrushes, a dip pen, artists sponge and a chopstick on cartridge paper. I found that apart from the initial black ink and dip pen work in my sketchbook, I wasn’t enamoured with the rest of the experiment and didn’t feel this was the right method or style to proceed with for the remainder of Exercise 2, however, it still has given me experience and thoughts to reflect on.
Below is a painting I found, hung in a hotel, by a local artist when travelling in Cyprus, I believe the artist has signed the painting by the name Christothea, 2009. This painting was the only composition to have a tree as a subject, in the entire hotel. It was nice to see a local’s artwork displayed and I get a sense from the painting that the tree is of some significance, due to the enormity in scale in relation to the rest of the composition and rustic grandeur that the artist describes. The painted leaves in the tree’s canopy suggest a great deal of time and consideration was spent on them; olive trees have the most beautiful leaves where usually one side of the leaf is lighter in colour than the other side, so the foliage displays quite a speckled effect, as seen in this painting. The light, being set low in the sky, makes me feel the scene is set at sunrise/set where laborious work such as olive harvesting would have been easier at lower temperatures. The light falling through the fork in the trunk adds a little visual interest to the bark and the solid mass of the tree’s trunk, which I feel isn’t as detailed and intricate as the leafy foliage has been presented. I also see that the artist has utilised very similar blue colours in the lady’s dress, the worker’s jacket and the bucket on the ground. I would say this was intentional to ensure that the main focal point is observed, then the eyes are drawn around the painting in a flowing and natural manner and with the guidance of the direction of the ladder, then swept back up into the tree with the lady harvesting the olives. Rex Vicat Cole, in his The Artistic Anatomy Of Trees, 1965, page 29, explains that some artists use trees within their composition as the main focal point and describe the trees with grandeur and weight to ensure they are successful in their aims, whilst other artists may wish to incorporate the tree(s) with more subtlety and/or intricacy: “Others will wish us to appreciate the tree as a bulk, and will accentuate its statuesque quality in which all details are submerged. Others, again, will find out wonderful shapes, and through them will appeal to our love of pattern”
Coming to a natural close for this exercise, I finish my drawing for Exercise 2, and I am happy with the end product. I found that through my observation time with the trees and experiments with ink and various applicators, I found that the black Indian ink and dip pen was a great choice for the tree I wished to draw from my mind’s eye. The branches swept up with a messy multi-directional spray, as did the needle-like leaves on the twigs. The bark was detailed intricately with cracks and splits, which I thought would be terrific when being described in my drawing with a scratchy-style application of the ink on cartridge paper. I found that I quite enjoyed the Quentin Blake-style technique of drawing and the free-flowing hand method came very naturally to me for this drawing. I didn’t want to try to include all intricacies of the tree and it’s structure, rather give an impression of it’s overall form with just a few descriptions of details to the texture of the various parts of the tree. I included some tonal variation in darker parts of the tree’s foliage and the bark on the trunk and lower branches of the tree.
If I were to take a risk here, I think I would quite like to flood in a little colour, but only in isolated areas, with either watercolour or a diluted ink wash, to suggest a little more tonal variation and depth. I refer back to Cézannes still life, Ginger Jar And Fruit On A Table, 1888, in which he outlines the composition with a contour line, and then very delicately introduces shading with the pencil and then colour into some of the fruits and the table in the foreground and a darker tone in and around the table in the background to give a sense of depth and form. I think this is something that I would like to try in this drawing, although I am a little worried I would loose the spontaneity and flatten the form by applying too solid a colour to the drawing. Perhaps this is something that I could investigate a little in my sketchbook before applying to the drawing itself.
Drawing for Exercise 2 Larger Observational Study Of An Individual Tree A3 cartridge paper, black Indian ink and dip pen
After completing the drawing for Exercise 2, I wanted to push on a little further with drawing in loose, expressive lines with ink and see how the feel and structure of the drawing would evolve as I was producing it. As explained earlier, I had an idea of trying out using a little colour with a sketched/drawn pieces involving trees. I also am enjoying the freedom to be creative and expressive with my lines, and I wanted to experiment with building up these lines in layers and with different mediums, working solitarily or in combination with other media. Below is photographic evidence of my learning.
Ink 0.1mm drawing pen and watercolour. The sketch on the right was created by using one of the photos (looking up at the sunlight falling on the trees bright green foliage) above.
Ink 0.1mm and watercolour. Enjoying the experiment of building up tone using shading with the pen and watercolour paints.
Here I try expanding on an experiment I had started earlier, by introducing a little colour into a loose-lined tree trunk and the needle-shaped foliage from the tree that I drew for Exercise 2. I chose not to apply colour to my drawing for exercise 2, but instead use my sketchbook as a place to experiment and explore different ideas. This gives me a really good indication of how the outcome will be presented and how it can be developed further, making any changes and building confidence with the technique before applying to a final drawing.
Next, I chose to explore the loose-line work with another tree which I had seen on my walks recently. Because I live predominantly in Cyprus, it isn’t long before I find myself near a palm tree of some sort; it would seem a wasted opportunity for me not to try and capture the characterful tree in my sketchbook. The following three photos of the work in my sketchbook show a loose pencil line describing the palm tree, ultimately being rendered with a little splash of watercolour to describe form and depth with the trunk and leaves. Potentially, I could have gone a little darker with the contrast in the scruff bits of the trunk and also in the bases of the fern branches, I was hesitant to add too much colour, as I didn’t want the painting to become flat, heavy and overworked; my inspiration was the Cézanne still life previously mentioned.
I also wanted to try a more expressive line, which was built up in layers. I knew that I wanted to start with a soft pencil, such as a 2B/4B but the idea of layering up on top the pencil with indian ink came to me as I was drawing with the pencil. I was a little concerned that the drawing could become too heavy and busy, with the lines becoming condensed. I was conscious of this when applying the ink, and so kept my hand free flowing, with an expressive style which I found to work harmoniously with the dip pen and Indian ink.
Laura Baker 522918 Learning Log - Drawing 1 