Tea and Doodles

The exercise initially was hard, although maybe more for the fact that I thought it would be difficult to capture the sheen and reflections of a silver surface. I've been practicing this with different media just to have some playtime. I've never tried biro. This has a glow to it, I love it!  As my annotation shows, the proportion is out. It is all too easy to focus on perfection sometimes and miss the aim of the exercise! A brushed chrome seemed harder to replicate; a diffused reflection was difficult. Maybe in charcoal? The ornament was easier initially as the reflective areas were more definitive against the contrast of the dark wood colour. However, lifting the conté to highlight the figure was not easy on such a small area - this would become easy when I work with a larger scale next for the actual exercise. I've realised I need a much better quality sketchbook, this one is awful, the surface lifts and disintegrates as I wiped the conté dust with a chamois.

The exercise initially was hard, although maybe more for the fact that I thought it would be difficult to capture the sheen and reflections of a silver surface. I've been practicing this with different media just to have some playtime. I've never tried biro. This has a glow to it, I love it!  As my annotation shows, the proportion is out. It is all too easy to focus on perfection sometimes and miss the aim of the exercise! A brushed chrome seemed harder to replicate; a diffused reflection was difficult. Maybe in charcoal? The ornament was easier initially as the reflective areas were more definitive against the contrast of the dark wood colour. However, lifting the conté to highlight the figure was not easy on such a small area - this would become easy when I work with a larger scale next for the actual exercise. I've realised I need a much better quality sketchbook, this one is awful, the surface lifts and disintegr...

I've been looking at the space left between placed objects, the negative space. I've zoomed in and focus on the boundary lines and what is created. I've used Paper 53 again. I'm kind of getting into it now! Especially when I don't have my drawing tools with me.

I've been looking at the space left between placed objects, the negative space. I've zoomed in and focus on the boundary lines and what is created. I've used Paper 53 again. I'm kind of getting into it now! Especially when I don't have my drawing tools with me.

The mood of Redon's work is deep and dreamlike, almost ethereal. To match the atmosphere, I think a soft medium such as charcoal, as Redon used, is most suitable. However, after completing the copy of Redon's 'I placed myself in Solitude', it felt like the charcoal was almost too soft. I wasn't gaining the texture within the drawing.  Tone is very evident but on closer study, more detail comes out of the picture. A soft, yet at the same time finer point could be needed - maybe a 4/5B pencil would have been better.

The mood of Redon's work is deep and dreamlike, almost ethereal. To match the atmosphere, I think a soft medium such as charcoal, as Redon used, is most suitable. However, after completing the copy of Redon's 'I placed myself in Solitude', it felt like the charcoal was almost too soft. I wasn't gaining the texture within the drawing.  Tone is very evident but on closer study, more detail comes out of the picture. A soft, yet at the same time finer point could be needed - maybe a 4/5B pencil would have been better.

" I have often, as an exercise and as a sustenance, painted an object down to the smallest accidents of its visual appearance; but the day left me sad and with an unsatiated thirst. The next day I let the other source run, that of imagination, through the recollection of the forms and I was then reassured and appeased. "                  Odilon Redon I read this quote several times before its meaning sunk in with me. I found it apt at this stage as I often become bored or frustrated at producing a realistic piece of work because my perfectionism gets in the way. My work flows better when I create from imagination or at least if I’m using a little creativity whilst observing a still life for instance. That’s why I seemed to enjoy the group of objects exercise, looking through the objects with relation to each other’s placement. From: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-redon-odilon.htm ‘ Redon is one of the most important and original of all th...

" I have often, as an exercise and as a sustenance, painted an object down to the smallest accidents of its visual appearance; but the day left me sad and with an unsatiated thirst. The next day I let the other source run, that of imagination, through the recollection of the forms and I was then reassured and appeased. "                  Odilon Redon I read this quote several times before its meaning sunk in with me. I found it apt at this stage as I often become bored or frustrated at producing a realistic piece of work because my perfectionism gets in the way. My work flows better when I create from imagination or at least if I’m using a little creativity whilst observing a still life for instance. That’s why I seemed to enjoy the group of objects exercise, looking through the objects with relation to each other’s placement. From: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-redon-odilon.htm ‘ Redon is one of the most important and ori...