Topics 1 and 2

I’ve paired together both topics for this learning log as both were fairly short.

Topic 1: Edges and Plains

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This topic reminded me of the alternate and emotional lines of Part 1 only with four very specific ways of interpreting the objects with my tools (pencil, in this case). Reducing down the options is restrictive in a way that enhances what’s on the paper by making it cohesive.

It was an exercise in focusing on the simple shapes and looking closely; which was similar to looking for the detail in the textures during Part 2, Topic 1 (surface and texture). And the continuous line drawings of only the outer edges of the objects made them into more abstract shapes and that made me think about how each subject is a sum of its parts — but it’s noticing you can pick and choose which parts to show for greater effect. It was a short topic with some interesting ways to approach the subject.

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Topic 2: Light and Space

Exercise 3.4: Positive and Negative Space

I had to train my eye to focus on the negative spaces as shapes of their own, but once I did it really helped shape more visually pleasing drawings. The blockier the shapes of the positive spaces — melding together individual parts of the object that overlapped in my line of sight to form one larger shape — the more successful I find the overall drawing to be. I noted down whilst drawing that the dark forms stand out but that, to my eye, the white jumps forward, I don’t know if this is how other people would see it. It also brought to mind the continuous line drawings I have done previously during the course that were filled with colour, I liked seeing that similarity in creating an image out of separate parts.

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The harsher the light and dark (blacker pencils against blank page) the more cartoonish and stylised the drawing ends up, it creates a bold and energetic look and I hope to hold on to that boldness as I move to more life drawings.

Exercise 3.5 : Light and Shadow

I used more than one grade of pencil per drawing to get greater effects and the many ways of applying shades of grey significantly altered the final looks of each drawing. The starker differences make for more interesting drawings, but I also personally enjoy the effects of flattening everything by colouring each part with similar shades of grey because it really makes me notice the positive and negative spaces, and the shadows, as shapes that make up the whole.

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Playing with light and dark also makes certain forms look bigger than they are, making things appear more abstract. Using bold lines or dark blocks of shading brings forms forward on the page, it was good to cement that idea more fully after beginning to notice it during Topic 1 (contour drawing with the four line types). I also learned to really look at what I was drawing each time I moved the chair around and not presume I knew the shapes just because I’d drawn it a few times over already!

Exercise 3.6: Tonal Gradient

Working on the tonal gradient was something I had already learned myself in the past but it felt good to stretch those muscles again and remember the various skills needed to get it right. I feel good about each end result but I had the most fun using multiple pencil grades together, deciding when to swap to the next darker shade. It felt like good practice for the upcoming exercise.

Exercise 3.7: Tonal Drawing

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From my first tonal drawing I realised I needed to be bolder, create sharper edges and bigger contrasts. I moved my light source closer to the objects for the second and third drawings, and also made sure to remember to build the tones in layers across the entire surface as we had done in exercise 3.6; this helped them be more even and shift from light to dark more fluidly. I don’t dislike any of my three still life drawings but I hope I am right in seeing improvement as I progressed, and I think the second drawing may be the most successful in terms of object placement and application.

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I have learned through this section to look at an object in relation to its surroundings, using the negative shapes in a variety of ways to create interesting images (the extreme light and shadow tones on the drawings of the chair) or to help shape the object at hand using the in-between spaces as a guide to get the form correct. And also to see how to translate a drawing into a more three dimensional form, or how to choose to flatten a three dimensional form to create impact.

Completing the tonal gradient was remembering to hold the pencil in different ways, as we’ve practiced in previous sections, to get lighter tones of gentle shading or press harder to create deep shadows. I could also look back at how doing the subtractive drawings in Part 2 of the course laid some ground work for understanding how to shape form with tones. Sometime it takes me a while doing a new exercise to remember to draw from past instruction, but it’s becoming easier with each new section to amalgamate what I’ve learned and apply it where needed.