(SEMESTER TWO) Week 5: 3-Dimensional Form

Continuous line drawing (180 degree view) - 15 minutes - 2B pencil

The first exercise was focused more on mapping out a tableau rather than tone or shading, so we used the 'taking a line for a walk' technique. I really like this technique as it allows you to draw pretty quickly, and I always find my drawings end up a lot more accurate than when I spend ages trying to draw in my own style. You can't be too self-critical when drawing in one continuous line. It's also helpful in planning compositions, as your line wanders across the whole page and you're trying to use the negative space. I'm really pleased with this outcome, in particular the unusual angle from which I was drawing and the interesting perspective this gave the image. The figures worked out well in terms of proportion and accuracy, and I like how I appear to have caught them in a state of movement. This technique lends itself well to that due to the fluidity of the line.

Continuous line drawing (180 degree view) - 20 minutes - 2B pencil

We repeated the same exercise but changed our positions in the room so that the 180 view was different. I don't think this drawing went quite as well as the previous attempt, as the perspective got a little distorted and this disheartened me a bit. It was good practice and I like elements of it still, but it goes to show that improving drawing skills always has ups and downs!

30 minutes - oil pastel, graphite and white chalk

The next three pieces used 3 x 10 minute stints. In each of these we were told to focus on one area of tone (dark/mid/light) and a different medium was used for each (dark - oil pastel, mid - graphite, light - white chalk). This was a really good way of training your eyes to really take in the area of tone they were looking at without distractions. Building up the image like this was also helpful for proportion and perspective, as you could make alterations along the way rather than drawing a solid outline then realising later it was wrong.

On the whole I am happy with those aspects of this image, as I was constantly checking before putting marks down. The mediums I chose work well together to give tonal contrast, and I think I captured the most striking areas of light and shadow. One part I am not keen on is her face, and I wish I hadn't included it because it looks a bit cartoon-like and doesn't fit the image.

30 minutes - oil pastel, graphite and white chalk

This pose was more difficult to draw as the crouched position created more tonal areas and the boxes in the background made things more complicated! It was interesting when contrasting the angular box shapes against the softer and smoother human figure though. I am happy with the figure here, where I feel I achieved proportion quite well and didn't overwork the tones. The background is less successful and I should probably have considered using different mark-making or texture as it blends in with the figure, making the overall image seem flatter.

1 hour - oil pastel, graphite and white chalk

This was the longest drawing of the session and allowed us a bit more time to hone the skills we'd practised in the previous two drawings as well as refining the outcome with more detail. I am happy with the figure in this drawing, where I think my tones have visibly improved and I was careful not to overwork them. The area I think that went wrong here is the background, and the perspective. The tones blend in to the figure too much, and I should have thought about this more while drawing the figure so that it stood out in the foreground more! I also struggled with making the boxes look 3D, so they add a flatness to the image and don't give it depth. This is a real shame because it ruins the composition and stops the image being believable as a 3D scene. Despite this, it's given me a lot to take away and learn from, and I will definitely improve my from my mistakes.

Below is one of the more successful parts of this image. I think it's important to still search for areas that have positives about them, for motivation and proof of improvement! I really like the softness of the arms in this section, and how the angle and curves have been suggested simply by using line and directional marks.

Close-up of most successful area (in my opinion)