It took me some time after finishing the first drawing before I actually began serious work on the second. I had some initial problems of deciding on a topic. I had spent some time with theoretical musings about the diverse possibilities, but these had not resulted in a concrete plan. It was only when I actively began reviewing my household equipment, that I was able to identify something to build my ideas upon. The following sections are again a protocol of initial ideas, preliminary studies and reflections on the final drawing.
Monday 5th March
Somehow I feel quite unproductive because after finishing the natural objects drawing last Saturday, I haven’t progressed towards the second drawing for the assignment, the made objects still life. I photographed my work on the first drawing and wrote blog notes on Saturday and Sunday. I thought that I might at least collect some ideas on the second over the week, but so far not much has happened.
Today I went outside during lunch break for a walk and tried to think about what I might draw, but nothing from these ideas stayed in my memory as particularly interesting. Some ideas were
– gardening utensils: might be nice, interesting forms of objects. But somehow cold, much metal and plastic, and I was afraid that I’d not be able to build a personal relationship to these objects
– my mountaineering boots plus tour utensils – Problem is that I’ve never been on a mountaineering tour. I might use the daypack I have, plus some socks. But I don’t know, this is so “civilized” and I’d prefer to draw something simpler.
– A selection of keys: appartment keys, house keys, cellar keys. But these are very small objects, I don’t think this would be a good idea for the required A2 format
– computer equipment – this is something which really dominates my life. Not very interesting though
– coffee making utensils. Why not, but this is beginning to get so arbitrary!
Tuesday 6th March
Still very undecided about what to choose for the drawing. Some more ideas:
– one (or more?) of the wicker baskets I have stored on the balcony. They are quite large and rather old. I like old things with a used look. I also have a hedgehog shoe cleaner which would go nice with that. Plus maybe my rubber boots and some gardening equipment. For example, I have bought a spade to shovel away snow from under the car. I’ve also a box with some gardening tools from which to select some
– Funny enough, I’ve done a Google search and found a foot mat with a still life printed on it which seems to capture what I have in mind: Rubber boots, a watering can, a spade, a fork, garden gloves, some plastic pots… The items on the mat are “properly dirty”, unlike mine which are cleaned for keeping them in the house.
Friday 9th March
After some rather resultless reflections about what I might draw for this assignment, I decided to not wait any longer and just try to make a selection of objects from my household which are interesting for me to draw and which have some common theme. I began with the gardening items idea. I would have liked to draw the table and chairs outside on the balcony, and place some gardening stuff around, but the balcony is small and it looked all too stuffed. And it’s still quite cold, hardly more than 5 or 6 degrees Celsius, so I prefer to draw inside the house for now.
So I took the wooden chair inside and placed a wicker basket upon it, arranged the rubber boots and the hedgehog shoe cleaner in front of the door to the next room, which I have chosen for my regular drawing area. But the arrangement didn’t work. I would have needed the table as well, and some more objects, and I thought I was getting off track from the central idea of the assignment. For me this assignment asks us to draw a still life, and I would have departed into the direction of an interior arrangement, with these large items. It might be fine to approach the assignment in that way, but I preferred to work closer towards the still life idea.
I went back to the kitchen and had another look through the cupboards for something interesting, and my attention was caught by the Thai clay mortar. Then the idea of a Thai kitchen utensils arrangement developed. I selected the mortar, plus two knives, some plates and bowls. I also took the aluminium pot with its bamboo basket, these are used for cooking steam rice. I arranged everything on the drawing desk to see whether the objects would work together, and was satisfied. After some reflection and rearranging objects, I excluded the plates and bowls, and rearranged the remaining objects. This type of still life is “very Morandi” (to use the words of another OCA art student), but I liked it and decided that I could use it for the assignment.
Page 1: Compositional sketch
I wanted first to try out whether my arrangement would work well in the landscape format. I chose an A3 white paper and 6B pencil in order to make a simple compositional sketch. I only wanted to sketch the objects’ main shapes and try to get lighter and darker areas correctly, without any details of texture. I’m quite satisfied with the drawing, it’s simple and has some errors in proportion, but it is basically correct and I think that the arrangement works well with the format.
The object group again lends itself to using pastels, as this permits to work out fine tonality shades. Only one object has a rough structure, the bamboo basket, but the objects have quite different materials: metal, bamboo, clay and wood. So the interest might be in trying to capture the different surface qualities by differentiating the reflectivity. Also, the objects’ forms are quite interesting, and they create nice negative spaces. Especially the two knives have some sharp angles which create a sort of tension and contrast to the more rounded other forms. I think I will do some studies on the individual objects to try to represent the different materials of the objects and try out different different media, before approaching the final drawing.
A problem might arise from the drawing position though. I chose a standing position to draw, because the viewpoint had nicer elliptical shapes and also gave a fuller view on the shapes of the knives. This was ok for the sketch which took me about half an hour, but I will probably run into problems for the final drawing which will take me much longer. Probably I should get me something to sit on in a higher position, as I seem to prefer a somewhat elevated viewpoint for the items that I arrange on the desk. It was the same for the natural objects drawing.
Saturday 10 March 2012
I had planned to do some studies early in the morning, but had other things to do, and was occupied almost the whole day. Only now that I felt a bit quieter and thought I might draw something. It’s sometimes difficult to “fit an hour of art in”. On the one hand, restricted time available may help to focus on what is really important. On the other hand, it is difficult to keep everyday worries outside of the mind and concentrate on doing artwork which is beyond everyday usefulness.
Page 2: Charcoal study of metal objects
I reflected on my selected objects and thought it would be good to work on metal reflections as a preparation for the final drawing. I had seen works in charcoal by other students which had very even textures and perfectly captured the reflected light on metallic surfaces. I had also been very impressed by the drawing of deKooning (1921), Dish with Jugs, (seen in the book ‘Experimental Drawing’ by R. Kaupelis, 1980), which used the charcoal medium in an incredibly subtle manner to depict surfaces of objects.
By contrast, my own style with charcoal is quite raw and underdeveloped, I’m not a master of blending layers of charcoal into an evenly toned surface. So I thought I might try and see whether I could work towards this direction.
I chose an A3 format of white, rough paper and chose the aluminium cooking pot and the two knives. I drew these objects in portrait format, and rearranged their position slightly to obtain more interesting reflections. My own position was seated, but I was close enough for the knives’ shapes to be large in perspective. In the first attempt, I drew the pot too large, such that the knives wouldn’t have fitted below them on the sheet. I corrected the error with a soft tissue and putty rubber, rather than beginning a new drawing. The erroneous lines later entirely disappeared under the charcoal marks.
It was very difficult to draw fine lines with charcoal, but I needed some for contours and spots of high contrast. I think I made good progress in the way I drew the knives’ shapes, compared to the first, compositional sketch. Also I’m quite satisfied with the larger knife’s blade and handle, and how I’ve used cast shadow to work out the forms of these objects. I’m less satisfied with the aluminium pot. Actually I did not dare to use blending in these drawing, because I feared to destroy the good elements that I had already drawn. I think the A3 format was too small for me. I prefer to draw a on a larger format which gives me more space to work out finer details. Maybe I’ll give it another go to try charcoal blending for metal surface. It’s a technique I’d really like to learn. Somehow strange that I’m so reluctant to just do it.
Sunday 11 March 2012
Pages 3, 4 and 5: Charcoal Mark Making Experiments
I wanted to try out ways to create tonal blendings with charcoal and used three different types of paper. I always used the flat side of a soft charcoal piece to make broad marks, and left the first sketch without any blending experiments as a reference point. I tried out blending with soft tissue paper, Q-Tip, plastic eraser, putty eraser, and my bare finger. For the last sheet, I chose grey paper and added white chalk, with the idea of adding white for highlights. Reflecting on these three sheets, I do not really like smudging charcoal. From the visual impression, I much prefer the irregular and rough surface which is created by using the flat side of a piece of charcoal. I’m not quite sure how I can integrate this preference in further work, because it rules out subtle blending techniques. But maybe it’s a matter of degree – some blending here and there, without destroying the overall roughness of the medium.
Page 6: Aluminium pot study, charcoal and white chalk on grey paper
From the mark making experiments experiments, I very much liked charcoal and white chalk on grey paper for the strong visual contrasts it created. I decided to do another study of metal surfaces, this time the aluminium pot only. I chose grey paper and had the intention of using white chalk for final reflection highlights.
I began the drawing again without blending, trying to capture form and tonality. Then I wanted to give it a try and apply blending on the pot’s surface. I used a Q-Tip and hatching-type movements. I didn’t like the results very much, but continued and reworked the whole drawing with Q-Tips, soft tissue paper, a brush and putty rubber for the highlights. I didn’t like the result and decided to add another layer of unblended charcoal on top, basically re-creating the first drawing on top of its smudged version. The effect of this was not that bad, the drawing got back some of its freshness while maintaining a somewhat more even overall texture. I tried to set the reflection highlights with white chalk, but I think I did not succeed with this. Indeed I was very dissatisfied with the drawing right when I finished.
Taking a break and looking again somewhat later has alleviated the feeling of failure a bit. I also realized that looking at the pot from a larger distance (4 meters rather than my drawing distance of 1 meter) helps to identify the main elements and distribution of light and dark areas. I don’t know if I will rework this study, but I will try to keep this in mind for the final drawing.
I’m somewhat undecided how to proceed for the final drawing. Initially I thought to make a colour drawing, but my objects are very low in colour, there are mainly different grey and white tones (table, aluminium pot, knife blades) plus light beige (bamboo cooking basket) and dark browns (clay mortar and knife handles). So even in colour, the drawing would not be very colourful. I might change this by choosing a more psychedelic style to draw light and dark areas, maybe on a black sheet of paper. I will think about this. Not sure if something eccentric would benefit the central idea. This brings me back to the main question, what will be the central idea of the drawing? I will have to think about this. I wouldn’t want it to be merely a study of different materials.
Page 7: The final drawing
I began the final drawing without further studies. I thought that the central idea was “Thai Cooking Utensils”, and I wanted to make the objects recognizable without being overly detailed or photorealistic. I feared that doing further studies would wear out my interest in the objects, and I preferred to approach the final drawing with a feeling of challenge and risk. Also I knew if I did further studies, I’d delay the final drawing for another week because during the working week I’d certainly be too exhausted in the evenings for drawing a difficult piece.
Choice of materials
For the paper, I wanted to choose a different colour from white because the objects were on a white table before a white background, and I thought a white background sheet would be too boring. Since I had already used grey paper for the natural objects, I wanted to try out a different colour. I wanted to avoid to become too similar overall to the colours of my natural objects drawing, with its objects in brown tones on the same white table and background. I chose a dark blue-grey tone, with the idea that would be an interesting task to draw the silvery metal objects with lighter colours on the dark underground. I also expected the brown tones to give a nice broken colour effect on this underground. The size was 50 x 70 cm, which is a bit larger than A2, but I hope I’ll be able to handle the size if I later decide to submit the drawing for assessment.
I decided to draw with pastels again, because they give me the full range of colours and tones from deep dark to chalk white, and permit to draw highlights on top of darker colours. I also like the flexibility pastels offer, they permit different blending techniques like smudging, broken colours or hatching.
Drawing process
The drawing took me about 3 hours overall. I began with an outline sketch in light blue, then added a first layer of colour using the objects’ colours and adding shadows. Then I tried to become more detailed and specific, and drew the surface textures of the objects. This was especially difficult for the bamboo basket. For the other objects, I focused on colour shades rather than texture, because the objects had a smooth surface. I also tried to capture the reflected light on the metal pot and the knives.
Reflection on this drawing
I’m not sure about this drawing. I see many things that are “incorrect”, but I decided to stop at one point, because doing more might have killed the drawing by closing the surface with an opaque pastel layer. It’s possible that I have already done too much, or not the right things. All the textures, colours and tonal shadings could be much better. But I prefer to get more practice with different drawings, rather than running the risk of destroying this one by overworking it. So I leave it as it is, imperfect.
Nevertheless, I’m quite satisfied, despite the shortcomings. I like the somewhat “psychedelic” quality it has, maybe a result of my using blue and violet as a background for shaded areas (later overdrawn). But it’s also the selection of objects which I like, because they have a special meaning for me – I’m a great fan of Thai Cuisine, and seeing the objects also evokes memories of a vacation in Thailand.
There’s one aspect I’m less satisfied with, that’s the overall colouring, which is somehow cold. Maybe this is a result of using pastels with their chalky character, and also the dominance of metal objects and their reflections. The drawing might be entirely different in character if I would have done it in oil pastels, possibly much warmer.
Brief preliminary reflection – What have I learnt?
Over the course of part 1, I have tackled many problems one by one, and this has been a good foundation for the assignment. I have become much more attentive on surface texture, on reflected light, on proportion, and also more experimental in my approach. I know that I have still a long way to go before I’ll be able to draw more realistically but still not overly detailed. But I feel that I have made first steps into the right direction.
I found it very helpful to learn that I could tackle a difficult task by breaking it down into smaller, simpler parts, and doing studies first to try out different approaches. But from the first drawing I also learnt that there is the risk of doing too many studies, or maybe it is the risk of defining the final task too close to what one has already done before. I’m certainly someone who needs to see a challenge in a drawing.
Monday 12 March
Reworking the final drawing
When I looked over the photos I have made of the final drawing, I was surprised that there seemed to be not much pastel on the paper, especially the brown clay pot was really thin. Also, the shadow areas had lost the final light layer which had made the drawing somewhat coherent in tone. I wasn’t sure what had happened and took a second set of photos, because I suspected that my daylight lamps had not been strong enough. But after comparison with this second set of photos taken at daylight plus light from the daylight lamps, I saw not much difference. Remembering what I had read in Bill Creevy’s pastel book, I realized that this must have been the darkening effect of pastel varnish, which I had applied on the final drawing.
I compared the photos of the drawing before and after varnish, and found my idea confirmed. I hesitated between leaving the drawing as it was and accepting the problem, or trying to rework the image, running the risk of spoiling it. I decided on a rework. First I added a layer of light colours, using the flat side of pastel blocks and also hatching to add lighter and darker areas. The problem was that I did not have a darker grey pastel tone, only light grey and black. Black was too dark, but otherwise I would have needed to use a colour for the shady areas, like blue, but this created a somewhat surreal impression which I did not want. I tried to use the black in a very light fashion without much pressure, to avoid darkening the areas too much.
Then I did a blending of the entire drawing, using a soft tissue wrapped around my finger to smooth the pastel into an even surface. This process was accompanied by severe doubts whether I would be able to “save” the drawing or whether this smudging might be its ultimate death. After the blending, I applied another layer of pastel using the flat side. This added “broken colour” in the words of Bill Creevy, and the drawing became more lively again. Since I had already put back all my objects, I used a photo of the arrangement for the final touches. The final drawing again darkened from the finishing varnish, but I think this time it was ok and the drawing did not loose too much of its character.
References
Willem deKooning (c. 1921), Dish with jugs, charcoal on grey paper. In Kaupelis, R. (1980) Experimental drawing, p. 8
Bill Creevy (1991): The Pastel Book, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York