Week 9: Figure and Drapery

A  30 minute conté crayon drawing showing perspective and drapery interacting with the human form. This drapery has tonal variations and one of the darkest parts of the image, which lends itself to the idea of it being draped over the human form, and having a shape because of this. In addition to this, it also helps to show the human form underneath, as the viewer knows it would not have a shape without the body.

The foreshortening of the body in this is explained through the perspective of the body, in addition to the perspective of the bed to which it is parallel. With foreshortening, the anatomy of this figure is correct, and appears to be relaxed and slumped. This is shown especially through the legs, which are in comfortable positions, and the shoulders, which have a gentle curve and are not stretching.

The shadow at the top of the image gives the drawing a sense of not just being in a void, which is also helped by the bed on which the model is laid, and also creates a line which the viewer can follow to return to the bottom of the image, where they can then follow the body or bed back up to the top again. This creates an image which the viewer is more likely to linger on.

Week 8: Anatomy

A directed study page of a series of 5 minute charcoal sketches. This is an anatomy study of the hand in various poses, and showing varying degrees of relaxation and tensing of the muscles. The two sketches at the bottom are quite relaxed poses, shown mostly through the openness of the pose, and the way the fingers are spread. By contrast, the pose to the right and in the top centre are quite tensed, shown through the opposite.

The pose on the left is also relaxed, as while the fingers are not straight, they are in a natural position, as the muscles are relaxed. There is also foreshortening in this pose, shown through the shadows created by the fingers, and also the curvature of the nails.

The flesh of the hands is given structure and weight by the tonal values and ways in which the tones have been made. The smudging of the charcoal suggests the curvature, which aids the viewer's understanding. These shadows are also focused on areas in which it is more necessary, such as the shadows of the fingers in the top left. This shows that time has not been wasted adding information where it is not necessary.

Week 7: Tonal Values in Refraction and Distortion

A 30 minute charcoal drawing. This is a composition focused on the tonal values that the properties of glass creates, using different types of glass. There is a large variety in these tonal values, and similarly with the texture of the charcoal. This indicates to the viewer that there are different types or colours of glass, and creates good contrasts. The dark and light areas are also spread throughout the image, creating multiple points of interest.

This image also has some strong implied lines, following the very tops of the bottles, and also the necks of the  two largest bottles. There are also implied lines at the bottom of the bottles, and one which follows the shadow of the large thin bottle to the smallest one. These are joined to the implied lines at the top through the vertical lines on both sides of the image, creating circular implied lines that draw the viewers eyes around and not away from the image.

The distortion in this image is primarily shown by the warped line of the rectangular bottle viewed through the circular one. While this is only one line, it clearly shows the transparency of the glass, while equally showing that there is glass there. This creates a sense of depth which is helped by the bottles being placed in such a way as to lead into the image, which along with the implied lines, helps to keep the viewer's attention on the image.

Week 6: Still Life - Detail in Man Made Forms

A 40 minute drawing using 5 graphic markers. This drawing is focused on creating tonal values which are representative of the light source and the detail of the object. There is large variance of tonal values in the composition, from the darkest shadows under the car itself, under the wheel guards, to the areas with the most light like the top half of the car. This difference in tonal value gives a very three dimensional feel to the object and gives it realism. The lines representing the shadow underneath the car do this especially as they ground the object on to the floor and give it context.

The focal point of this image is the right of the front bumper. This is because there is a large amount of detail, especially in and around the headlight. There is also some blending of the tonal values which creates a smooth gradient, which helps to hint at the curvature of the metal. Another area of interest in the image could be the back wheel, where there is a reasonable level of detail and more importantly a large variation in different tonal values, and also different layers close to each other, the metal layer, the wheel, and the ground just underneath.

The windscreen is another point of interest in this image, due to some use of marks which are particularly evocative of its feel, giving it a hint of curvature and having been wiped. There is also depth in it, because it is possible to see some of what is behind it. There is a hint of the seat, the door, and the steering wheel, which are clearly behind the windscreen as they are described with very little detail and definition.

Week 5: Still Life - Reflections and Colour

A 40 minute drawing using a palette of 4 conté crayons, this image is focused on the idea of reflections as part of a still life. This is evident mainly in the distorted reflection of the skull on the piece of card on the right, as while the rest of the card is also reflecting something, this is the area where it is shown in the composition what is being reflected. In this reflection there is also some of all 4 colours of crayon, the white constantly present, the brown and the black at the base, and the blue further away, creating a sense of moving from warmer to colder shades.

This composition feels well grounded, having the foreground of the main composition, the card, table, and skeleton, then a small midground created by a slightly less detailed lighting stand just behind, and then the background of the two walls and the other contents of the room. This creates depth for the composition and gives context to where it is and to some degree why it is there.

This drawing has multiple vanishing points because many of the objects in this image are not parallel to each other. One vanishing point is created by the  whiteboard on the wall on the right, and the chairs in front of it.Another is created by the direction the skeleton is pointing, as well as line on the right of the table, which converges with the skeleton's orthogonal line. This vanishing point would hint that the horizon line is somewhere slightly above the middle of the image, which works as there is another orthogonal line created by the left side of the table, which also converges on that line.

Week 4: Landscape - Skies

A 30 minute drawing using charcoal. It is instantly obvious to the viewer what they are looking at when looking at this picture. This is because the chimneys and rooftops have been roughly sketched in, which helps give definition to a drawing which could otherwise be unclear. However these have not had much time spent on them as they have just been left as sketch lines, leaving more time to be spent on what is being studied in the picture, which is the sky.

There are a large variety of marks used in this image, from the very small and detailed ups and downs on the left to the very energetic marks on the right, this helps to show the viewer that clouds are not uniform and that there is a great variety of them in this picture. This feeling of differentiation is further aided by the range of tonal values which have been used.

The variation in tonal values and the layers which they show and create also make areas of interest, especially with the contrast between the very dark tones and the white on the left of the image. This, and the area just above the large chimney, are the main focal point of the image, balanced by areas of interest on the bottom left and the right, where there is contrast again. The somewhat central focal point is saved from making it a boring composition by the chimney being offset to the right, and the clouds to the left leading the eye away from the centre.

Week 3: Landscape - Handling Complex Information

A 60 minute drawing done with black and red-brown conté crayons. This difference in tonal value immediately makes the drawing more vibrant. The browns and lack of black in the far distance make it obvious that that the drawing is less interested in that area and wants to focus more in the central area, especially on the block of flats slightly to the left.

This block of flats makes for a focal point in the image, as it connects both the background and the midground, and is detailed to a higher level than other areas of the image. This is helped further by the connected marks which make up the sky, which have been made with a lot of energy, hinting at greater depth beyond the horizon and also above the top of the picture.

Around this block of flats there are other interesting marks, such as the quick strokes of brown and black to the left, hinting at trees and more natural forms. This is contrasted directly below where there are much darker tonal values as well as more placed and blocked out areas, showing the beginning of the architecture. This architecture is well-grounded by some of the strong vertical brown lines around it, especially that directly left of the block of flats. The marks in all of the image are very energetic and quite impressionistic, in some cases blocking out quick shapes, in other cases some strong lines which both help to handle the large amount of information in the image.

Week 2: Landscape - Exterior Architecture

A 90 minute chalk pastel drawing. There is a very strong circular implied line in this image, which follows the cloud line at the top, then the highlights on the right of the glass roof, and then the green reflections which curve round to the structure they are reflecting, which then leads the eye back up to the cloud line. In the clouds themselves, There is a lot of energy in the marks, which only helps to draw the eye into this implied line.

The way the marks are made, especially around the green reflections, is an example of contour drawing, following the contours of glass in the roof, helping the viewer to understand the odd architecture of that roof. The strong yellow highlights also add very effectively to this, creating interesting areas of colour, and contrasting well with the blue paper that the drawing is done on. For these reasons the area around the green reflections is one of the more interesting areas of the image and a good focal point.

This focal point is balanced on the other side by the clouds which indicate a definite motion away from this area with the marks which swipe away from it.This leads to another area of interest in the detail of the form at the top right of the clouds.

Week 1: Landscape - Interior Architecture (Bonus)

Three quick 5 minute charcoal planning sketches, again focused on architecture, this time with much more of an emphasis on perspective, as shown especially by the planning lines of the arches in the left and bottom sketches. These planning lines create very strong shapes for the eye to follow, and also act as orthogonal lines, pointing to the vanishing points which are in both cases are off the page. The planning line on the top left also creates an implied line which points at the focal point of the shield on the right image. The eye is then drawn down along the pillar and onto another planning line, which then draws the eye up to the left again.

All three of these sketches are two-point perspective, on the left created by the arches and roofing, and the other point created by the beams on the roof, and also the supports on the walls. In the sketch on the bottom, the two points are the walls and arches, and on the top right, the arches and the walls again. This perspective even lends itself to creating what is almost a two-point perspective on the entire page, as many of the same lines are followed, and the images seem to connect, especially there is a line where the arch on the right of the left sketch and the arch on the left of the right sketch come together to create one arch.

In terms of tonal value, it is mostly used to create depth in these sketches, as the foreground is most often light and then the midgrounds and backgrounds are darker. The tonal values are also consistent in the three images, helping to create a harmony on the page, as they seem as though they are meant to fit together.

Week 1: Landscape - Interior Architecture

A 30 minute drawing done in conte crayon. There is good depth in this image with the foreground of the hanging lamp, then the midground of the archway and connecting wall, and then there is the background of the passageway wall, leading into the far background with the window. 

The different tonal values and mark-making which make up these layers add to this, the midground and far background darker than the background, hinting at hidden light sources in that corridor. This combination of tonal value and depth draws the viewers eye past the midground into the space of the corridor.

The focal points of this image are the hanging lights, as well as just above the window where all of the layers of depth meet in a small space. This creates a sense of balance in the image, and the line between the two points mirrors that of the perspective of the columns.