Dr 1, Pt 3, Pr 5, Ex 1 Sketchbook Of Townscape Drawings – 08/01/20

Dr 1, Pt 3, Pr 4, Ex 3 Aerial Or Atmospheric Perspective – 06/01/2020

In this exercise I explore using conté, charcoal and chalk pastels, taking a risk to explore these materials to look at aerial perspective. I understood the practise of tonal degradation as distance between the fore and background increases. I chose to pick these materials as I knew they would be a challenge for me to work with to describe this effect of perspective. I do feel the drawings are a bit solid looking and heavy, because of my manipulation and inexperience of the materials in this context, but I can understand how the tones can effect the sense of perspective and depth on the viewer. I do wonder how these scenes would look if rendered in colouring pencil rather than the thicker materials that I have used here. Im sure that I could layer the tones more gradually, ensuring I have a bigger range to describe the aerial perspective. It would be nice to see which artists use this method in their own work.

Dr 1, Pt 3, Pr 4, Ex 2 Angular Perspective – 05/01/2020

This exercise was very challenging for me, with multiple vanishing points that appearing off the page, the drawing started to get a little confusing and I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to be placing lines. I should have put the horizon line in first maybe? I enjoyed adding the detail to the books to bring them to life, I still feel that this drawing isn’t entirely accurate and angular perspective is a technique that needs to be practised consistently in my case. I appreciate how technical drawings can become with perspective drawing and following the principles, and it does tend to put me off a little as I feel I could loose my looseness and spontaneity, although, as discussed in the previous exercise, there is also the opportunity to utilise my natural style with perspective principles because I like to draw in a realistic way in which perspective is still present, giving good form and shape to my subjects.

Dr 1, Pt 3, Pr 4, Ex 1 Parallel Perspective – An Interior View – 01/01/2020

I really enjoyed this exercise; I didn’t think I would as I had a few preconceptions about perspective with its rules and regulations, most of all, I was slightly sceptical about using a ruler to draw. Nether-the-less, the exercise itself was good fun and I felt it was a beneficial learning exercise which, once I added the vanishing point and squared up the lines in the drawing, it suddenly made sense as to the scale and how all the lines are positioned in relation to each other in the rules of parallel perspective. Once the lines had been drawn in with the ruler to square up, I realised that the sink and the toilet were far too small in scale and that the floor at the back of the bathroom was very high compared to where it should be in true perspective form. I’m quite pleased that the lines that I had placed before using the ruler with the vanishing point weren’t too far off the mark from where they should be for true perspective placement. I am sure that my technique and judgement will improve the more I practise.

I’ve also realised that by applying perspective practises into my drawing, it gives the impression of a realistic drawing. However, I don’t see why I couldn’t combine a loose line with true perspective practise. Perhaps this could be another research topic to look into, to see how other artists explore this idea, maybe in urban landscapes where there a multitude of lines on offer to investigate.

Dr 1, Pt 3, Pr 3, Ex 2 Foreground, Middle Ground, Background – 12/12/2019

A really interesting start to this exercise as my immediate thought was drawn to a up-close and personal scene which had a fore, middle and background view to it. On a walk recently, I found some beautiful lavender, which when I bent down to smell it and look at the bees going about their business, I noticed a really lovely scene which was split into thirds: the lavender heads near my eyes in complete focus, the middle ground showing a little less detail and the background completely out of focus but with tonal variation. I wanted to have a go at a pencil drawing with this exercise and stick with the greyness of the lead rather than introducing colour. I thought this might take away from the detail and the striking contrasts with the darkest parts of the drawing.

The photos below show my work at various stages; I must have spent about 12-13 hours on this piece. Originally, I thought I might like to work with a looser line, which is my tendency, however I was drawn to a tighter line and something with more detail for this piece. The initial sketching out and positioning didn’t seem too much of a bother to me as I had a good idea of how I wanted the piece to look. Where I could have made better choices was with applying such dark tones to individual areas as they were being built up, rather than start with the darkest and lightest tones and then fill in everything in between. This decision actually hindered me as I felt as I was progressing and needed to adjust the tones to represent realistic shadows, I had to layer the tones darker and darker, until, the lavender heads in the foreground especially, lost their light and delicate appearance. I also found by not placing the darkest tones first and lightest tones first that I didn’t achieve as much of a variation of focus in each section of the fore, middle and background sections. I could have put more emphasis on each section to give the impression of more depth. Also in photo number 4 below, I quite like the look of some areas looking a little incomplete, like some of the scene has washed in with detail and the strong sunlight has glared through and taken away some of the vision of the scene. This effect could have lightened up the scene and made it more obvious between the three layers of depth. There were a few moments where I laid down the heaviest tone and then realised that some leaved and stalks should have been drawn in and so trying to lift out heavy pencil lead was quite difficult. Some areas of the drawing look quite realistic with detailed shading and light reflections, and others look more loose. I think this is because of the length of the time and the mood I was in when sitting down to the labour-intensive task of rendering hundreds of lavender leaves, I swapped between the two styles, perhaps rushing to get it finished when tired, or even unconsciously turning back towards my more instinctive mark-making style?

Overall, I am really happy with the drawing for this exercise and I am happy that I picked this ‘zoomed-in’ style to work with for this exercise brief. It’s not so much the outcome of the piece that I am grateful for here, but the learning experiences I have gained which are numerous. I also learnt an awful lot about mark making with a pencil, including but not exhaustive: when to swap to a softer/harder pencil grade, how not to smudge the material after it had been put onto the paper, how different grades can be beneficial in describing tone, how to use the putty rubber to lift out highlights and the capabilities of the rubber with the different grades of pencil.

On a day trip out to an Olive museum in Cyprus, we found a creative corner where the landscape work of Monet and Van Gogh were appreciated. I thought it was quite lovely that these prints were positioned here as the subjects looked at trees but I also took note of how these artists described their fore, middle and backgrounds with the use of perspective and tonal variation. It is clear to see that the use of colour describes aerial perspective in that the colours become more muted and less intense, simulating that sense of distance with a large volume of air between the fore and background. I also notice that their landscapes divide the paintings into three distinctive areas which when looking for them, divide the frame up into the fore, middle and background areas. This technique has made me think about how I would begin to construct a landscape piece and how I would convey a sense of depth and perspective.

Quick sketches of an adventure exploring a Cypriot village in the mountains. I looked at basic perspective here, but tried to see how the background would be quite blurred and less identifiable in relation to the cobbles or stones near the feet of the viewer.

Below are photos of my research that I undertook for this task but also for personal experience of looking at fore, middle and back grounds in a particular scene that could be developed into a drawing or painting. I tried to look at the scenery through different ways: standing, sitting, turning around on the spot to see what else was in my range of vision, climbing high and looking out or downwards, getting really low to the ground and looking up.

I’d really love to spend some time working on developing this scene into a drawing. I love the viewpoint and the energy of the waves crashing up on the rocks. The darkness of the rocks compared to the brightness of the sea and the sky are really enthralling and I can’t wait to describe it.

Dr 1, Pt 3, Pr 3, Research Point 1 – 10/12/2019

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.

Georges Seurat, Landscape with Houses, 1881–82
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337676

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

Bibliography and sources:
– https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/39-tacita-dean/
– https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/dean-the-roaring-forties-seven-boards-in-seven-days-t07613
– https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337676
– https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78578
– E. H, Gombrich, The Story of Art, 1984, Phaidon Press Limited

Dr 1, Pt 3, Pr 3, Ex 1 Developing Your Studies – 09/12/2019

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.

Dr 1, Pt 3, Pr 2, Research Point 3 – 12/11/2019 & Research Point 1 (Project 5) 29/01/2020

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?

Paul Cézanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire, ca. 1902–6
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435878

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.

Landscape No 624 1999-2000 John Virtue born 1947 Presented by the Trustees of the Chantrey Bequest 2002 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T07915

Dr 1, Pt 3, Pr 2, Ex 3 360º Studies – 18/10/2019

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.

These photos below are cropped photos of the scenes that I have drawn above in my sketchbook.

Dr 1, Pt 3, Pr 2, Ex 2 Sketchbook Walk – 18/10/2019

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.

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.