Final Piece - Landscape

This is a 45 minute coloured pencil study of a combination of natural and man-made landscape.   The vantage point was chosen so that nothing would be facing head on and the trees and building both had interesting perspective on them. The image includes both cold and warm colours which contrast with each other to create a more interesting image. The line of the path draws the viewers attention from the bottom left corner of the image and across the page to the building. The study was done on a day which was overcast and so there were very few harsh shadows, however there are still a range from light to dark values in the image to create depth alongside with the perspective.

Final Piece - Still Life

This is a 15 minute colour experimentation study to get away from being too literal with colour application. The objects were arranged in a almost triangular line creating a curved line for the viewers eyes to follow, and with no kissing or orphaned objects. A range of colours are used to create dark values without using black, this was most successful on the inside of the mug where complimentary colour theory was applied to create a near neutral dark shadow by using orange and blue hues. 


High contrasting colours are also used to effectively created the refraction of light in the metal around the cafetiere and white values were used to show reflection across shiny surfaces. Whilst the objects in the image are not perfectly in perspective with one another, matched with the high saturated and experimental colours, it gives the image a more stylist feel. A more effective image could have been made by drawing the objects from a different angle that is less straight-on.

Final Piece - Life Drawing

This is a 25 minute 4B graphite pencil study of a taxidermy red squirrel non-human figure. The study accurately depicts the skeletal structure of the animal; with the head connecting naturally to the spine, and following through into the tail showing that it would be balanced, and the front and back limb joints visible under the fur in a positions that make sense in relation to their positions along the spine; this is also the line that the viewers eye follows across the image. The high contrasting values give the animal a more 3D realistic form and the quickly drawn pencil lines give the squirrel a naturally furry look.

Landscape - Colour Study

Due to the torrential weather on the day of the lesson, it was near impossible to produce a natural landscape study without it being washed off the paper, or the paper being outright destroyed. This is a study looking out of an interior window at a natural landscape with a focus on natural lighting. Dark hues around the top of the image were used to show areas of shadow where light did not reach through the window, I then used high contrasting white values to highlight the areas affected by the light. I used purple hues for the shadows against the yellow-orange stonework to create more realistic shadows by using complementary colour theory to try and produce a neutral colour.

Landscape - Colour Study

This is an hour long study of an exterior landscape  featuring both natural and man-made elements created using soft pastels. The colours are very dull to match the weather on the day of the study, where it was very wet. The perspective of the buildings going into the distance and the change in level of detail from the front of the image to the background create a sense of depth, this is also done successfully around the area of foliage on the left where the tree branches get smaller as they go round into the distance but are also visible through the leaves on neighbouring plants. The image uses cold colours to match the environment in a rainy environment, the wetness of the ground is also conveyed through the blue hues of the surface and subtle reflections of surrounding objections.

Light is shown through the contrast of dark foreground area that is undercover and the rest of the image that is lighter but not highly contrasting with few dark shadows to convey the overcast and gloomy weather. The layers of a range of different coloured pastels makes the overall image more interesting than solid colour would.

Landscape - Classical Architecture

This is a 45 minute study of the classical interior of a theatre rendered in 4B pencil. A high vantage point was chosen where it was possible to see inside the balcony's and be at an angle to the wall to create a more interesting illustration. The line across the top if the balcony's and across the stage lead the viewers eye across the page from left to right. The perspective showing the balcony's, further away from the viewer, at a smaller scale, and the High contrasting values between the dark shadows inside the balcony's and the bright theatre lighting hitting the front of them create depth.

The image would be more successful if more of the theatre curtain and stage area had been included, then the whole image could have easily been cropped to follow the rule of thirds  and be more easy on the eye. More time could also be spent on the small details such as carvings and patterns inside the interior. The column behind the theatre rigging, and the curve in the middle section between the balcony's also seem to be out of perspective with the rest of the image and need to be fixed.

Landscape - Modern Architecture

This is a 45 minute study  of a modern interior using grey copic markers. The main focus of this study was the subtle differences in light and shade across the light walls and in the reflection of the large windows. There is a strong sense of line within the image comes from the perspective across the page from left to right in the background, or from the mid-ground pillars and along the curve of the ceiling. The vantage point was carefully chosen to ensure two walls of the room were visible and there was an interesting reflection in the window to create an interesting composition. The rule of thirds is also used with the left pillar and the shadow of the right pillar fitting within this to create a more harmonious composition.

By laying the a lighter copic marker over itself several times over a 45 minute period, there are a range of subtleties created in the shading that effectively show the reflection of the wall and pillars in the glass, and also the building behind this. The high contrast on the side of the pillars closest to the viewer and direction of the shadow under the ceiling against the rest of the room show a consistent light source.

Figure Drawing - Non-human Anatomy

These are a collection of quick animal studies drawn using a 6B graphite pencil. The bear studies in particular show speed through the roughness of the line to create block shapes in different tones to quickly get the form of the animal on the paper in as few lines as possible to mimic practise of drawing alive animals.This technique also helps to emulate the animals fur, so works well with animals where it would not work as well with human figures; this also adds to the distinction between animal and human figures,  as the study of the grizzly bear in particular shows it standing in a very human stance but it clearly identifiable as the correct species through the quick markings. 

With the panda and lynx studies, I focused on the animal's spines and how 4 legged animals differ from the human skeletal structure. The shape of the both spines are mostly accurate, the spine of the lynx should be elongated more as at the moment the body is quite squashed and the tail doesn't follow on from the spine as perfectly as it should. As with the human figure studies, the lynx shows weight and balance through the positioning and tension of the front and back legs and paws, and also the hunched shoulder blades, accentuating the aggressiveness of the cat. The aggression of the animal should also be visible through baring it's teeth, however taxidermy animals all seem to be too happy to accurately portray aggression as they would if still alive.

With the study of the lynx and the top panda, a different work process was followed, starting off with the general shapes of the animals  working from the head and down the body, this technique took a lot longer than the other and would not work so well with living (awake) animals but produced good results on ones that don't move. Loose tonal values were also later added to the lynx to add a greater sense of depth by showing less details on the paws further away from the viewer and add the impression of fur.

Figure Drawing 2 - Balance and Weight

These are three quick studies of the male figure sitting in a range of different  static poses rendered using a 4D graphite pencil. 

All three studies are proportionally accurate and the use of tone on the figures  body gives a greater sense of form and depth.

This first image shows the weight of the model where there is contact between his body and the floor, such as his posterior and feet. The use of shadows helps to give the impression that these areas are in contact with the floor and not floating above it. Balance is also evident as you can tell from the curve of his spine and the tension in his arms and shoulders that he is hunched forward and holding onto his leg to stay in  a closed form, contrasting with the second leg that is laid out in a relaxed manner and foreshortened to bring depth to the image.

The second study shows the weight pushing down on the figures arms through the tense posture of his arm. This would be more evidence from a different vantage point that also showed the hands as these are what he he leaning on. The shadow under the front leg perhaps needs to be a little darker to show that the leg is not resting on the ground fully as the thigh is twisted to suggest he was partially knelt with his body pressure pressing down on the front knee.

 

This image is the most successful in terms of shading; the range of values give the image a lot of form and bring depth to the image. The relaxed showers show that he is no longer tensed up as in the first two poses, however there is still evidence of weight through the entire lower half of his body as there are a lot of contact points with the floor, keeping him balanced. 

Figure Drawing 1 - Anatomy

This is a 10 minute anatomy study drawn using an 8B graphite stick. The study follows the rules of ideal proportion; there are 8 head units in the body height, and just over 2 head units in the width. These measurements are considered normal for an adult male. However, the measurements on the models right arm are off; the posterior side of the humerus is slightly elongated, making the elbow joint start too far down in relative proportion to the rest of the right side of his body which is twisting away from the viewer, and making the whole arm look too long.

Tone is used loosely to imply form and stop the study from being flat by hinting at muscle structure beneath the skin. The shading on the models right leg helps to show that it's further back than his left leg, which is pushed forward, and helps makes sense of the perspective that makes one leg seem longer than the other. The shading in the background also helps to enforce the form of the model by providing a rough background, and pushing the model forward on the page to stop it being flat. 

Still Life 3 - Foreshortening and Extreme Angles

This is a 20 minute illustration focusing on foreshortening and extreme angles, drawn using a medium charcoal pencil. The skeleton laid down on the ground and looked at from a low vantage point creates perspective and the body becomes foreshortened. This also makes the composition more successful as looking up the body of the object creates a strong line for the viewer to follow up from its feet through to the head and along to the second skeleton. The main focal point is to the left of the page to create a more aesthetically pleasing image. Tone is to show depth in the area behind the skull and inside the ribcage, and also to suggest the shadows cast by the skeleton to give the drawing a more 3D feel.

The sketch would be more successful if it featured the closest skeleton drawn to a smaller scale to leave room for the rest of the second one, as it is bad practise for the picture to continue off the page.The length of the leg on the right also looks off as the femur seems too long. More time could have been spent on the shading of the dark cloth under the skeleton to provide contrast between that and the light bones.

Still Life 2 - Composition

This is a 1 hour composition study in using a 6B graphite pencil. The objects were arranged in such a way that there are two implied lines; the first being the line of objects in height order from the small tin at the front, through the jug and up the bottle, the second is a v-shape from the jar on the left, through the glass bottle, and through the prism on the right. The jar and the prism create balance in the composition, drawing the viewers eye in to the centre line which is the main focal point. The object were also arranged to make sure that none were kissing. I made sure to work from a vantage point that successfully shows all these factors to make an aesthetically pleasing composition.

The high contrasting values on the jug emulate it's shiny surface and reflective properties. Tone is also successfully used to convey the form of the objects and provide depth. The cloth underneath the objects adds a feeling to depth and 3D space, this could be improved by including the background behind the top of the bottle to also contained more information instead of being a void. Where the picture area is concerned, reducing the scale of the composition slightly would prevent the image from extending past the border of the page on the left as this is bad practise. This area is also less successful than the rest of the image as the perspective on the ellipses is incorrect and distracts the viewers eye due to it's less finished appearance compared the the rest of the piece. The small tin, as the start of one of the lines in the image, is an area of interest, and is placed on the page within the rule of thirds to make the composition visually pleasing.

Still Life 1 - Patterned Material

This is a 45 minute study of a chequered material draped over a stool rendered using a medium charcoal pencil. The vantage point allows the viewer to see the stool beneath the drapery and the harsh shadows on the stool, giving a greater impression of depth to the image. The chequered pattern follows the folds of the material, this alongside the range of tonal values effectively show the form and weight of the folds of the cloth. As the material was chequered, correctly rendering the light and shadow on the cloth in charcoal without losing the detail of the pattern was a challenge.

This image could be improved by paying more attention to the background of the image, although I have started adding the shadows on the floor, they are very rough compared to the rest of the image, and the lack of detail behind the composition makes it look like it's floating. Added detail in the background would have made it easier to work out the tonal balance of the light and shade of the composition and would have given the image more context.