Exe 2.6: Exploring drawing and painting: a work in progress

Exercise 2.6 

In this exercise we were required to create a sketchbook with different kinds of coloured and textured papers; exploring different drawing implements and different types of stains/materials.

 Apple studies, drawn from life

I chose to draw fruit from either a visual reference from the Internet or from life.

photo for apple studies

Pencil crayon apple on found brown cradboard

Water-based ink drawn on brown cardboard using ear bud.

Oil Pastel apple drawn on olive green pastel paper.

Pen (fineliner) drawing with ink wash on cardboard.

Apples in Gouache and pencil crayon on scrap wood (pine)

Rasberry studies from life:

Photo of slightly squished rasberries

Water based vermillion ink rasberries drawn with twig and outlined in indian ink with twig.

Rasberry drawn with vermillion ink with twig on tracing paper.


Pomegranate studies from life:

Pomegranates: watercolour on handmade paper

Acrylic pomegranate on handmade paper

preparation for collage watermelon drawn from internet google-image

Final collage watermelon from magazine, newspaper, scrap paper, decorative masking tape, tissue paper, wrapping paper, handmade paper on cold pressed watercolour paper.

Reflection:

What did I do?

I used water based ink; acrylic paint; watercolours; oil pastels; pen and ink; cheap felt tip pens; pencil crayons and collage to create images on brown cardboard, scrap paper; sugar paper; pastel paper; wood; watercolour paper and handmade paper. I also used a variety of instruments including twigs; paintbrushes; dip pens and ear buds to try create a variety of images.

How do I think/feel about this?

I loved this exercise and feel I have only touched the tip of the iceberg regarding experimenting with materials, tools and surfaces to draw and paint on.  I would have liked to continue to explore other materials like chalk pastels; compressed charcoal; oil paints; spray paints as well as house hold materials like food colouring; poster paint; bleach; wax; wax crayons; fabric among other things had time allowed.

How well did it go?

As a whole I felt that it went well as it forced me to think beyond materials like Gouache that I am more used to using. It also highlighted how different materials react on different surfaces and that this interaction can either add or take away from the image that is created. As a result of this some images worked better then others…often those happy accidents worked better then the more planned, overworked images. Different materials or surfaces added texture to the images and therefore another dimension to the image.  

I struggled with using watercolours to paint the pomegranate on the hand-made paper. The texture of the paper just seemed to absorb the paint and the translucence usually evident in watercolour paintings seemed to be swallowed in the paper and the image became matt and dull. This wasn't helped by the fact that I kept overworking it to try and correct it without success! This image was not much more successful with the acrylics on the hand made paper although this may be because I am very new to using acrylic paint and do not completely understand their properties and where they work best. Despite both images not working optimally on the hand made paper, the one element of both images that I do like is the way the flower petals within the paper become part of the image thus making the background very much an active part of the foreground.

I also thoroughly enjoyed drawing with alternative drawing tools, such as the twigs and even the dip pens which I rarely use. I enjoyed using water-based ink in which I needed to embrace mistakes and therefore let go a little when drawing these images, for example in the raspberries.

 I also really enjoyed drawing on the brown cardboard and feel that the apples out of pen and ink as well as out of pencil crayon worked well on this surface. The pencil crayon particularly seems to stand out on this type of background surface.

 The interaction between the cardboard and the water based ink however, proved that not all materials are compatible as the stain seems to seep into the cardboard and therefore the image is unclear and difficult to see.

I also really enjoyed painting the gouache and using pencil crayons on wood as a random experiment as well as the collage and feel that I may use one or both of these techniques in assignment 2. The wood used was just a scrap of commercial wood so had limited woody grain and I had to layer the paint up because it too seeped into the wood initially. I added the pencil crayon to add texture and vitality as I felt that with the paint alone it lacked this.

What did I learn?

I have a long way to go in understanding the properties of materials but I do feel that this was a brief introduction that excited me to explore materials, instruments and surfaces more.

What and how would I do it differently?

I would do more!!!!! More materials, more surfaces, different studies of one material on different surfaces etcetera.

How can I use this to plan for the future?

By exploring a few materials, instruments and surfaces that I have not done previously, it has wet my appetite to continue exploring and including more use of mixed media in my work. I hope to extend this to the digital world as well at some point….one step at a time!!! ; )