My assessment selection

I began Drawing 1 knowing that I was embarking on a significant amount of learning and skills development.  In my selection for assessment I have shown that my anticipation was well founded and there has been a steady improvement in my work as my skills, knowledge and confidence have increased.  I have chosen a wide a range of work to demonstrate the extent of my progress.

I have used my immediate environment and that is the thread running through my submission.

I have a natural inquisitiveness and it shows in my assessment pieces. An example is my Part 1 selections where I tried to develop a freer way of working.  Experimentation is most apparent in Part 5 where I pursue ideas from earlier in the course but push harder.

I have embraced  resources new to me and experimented with wax, charcoal and a variety of paper just to see what happens.  I have included work that demonstrates the variety of materials and techniques I have taken advantage of.

Part 5 shows me pushing the boundaries of inexperience, celebrating challenge and being surprising. My work constantly evolves throughout the development of the piece.  There is a clear indication in Part 5 that I am a Textiles student and I can see exciting ways to develop this work.

Part 5 Reflections

Part 5 has made new demands on me and I hope I have risen to them.  Each part of the course opened up not only new subject matter but challenging emotional experiences as well. I found the withdrawal of direction very difficult and waffled around for a long time trying to find my own way.

Whilst I was certain I wanted to take my garden as my focus it took a long time to realise that it is a rather large space and I could only deal with a small part of it.  Once that decision was finally arrived at (and with a bit of support from my tutor) I got on a bit better.

A tutor on another OCA course gave me some advice at a time when I was feeling unfocussed.  She sent me a link to a piece of work by Charlie Gilkey (1) and it made a lot of sense to me.  It's a bit of pop psychology and very American but it helped a lot.  I've drawn on it this time as well.  Basically it says that there is a creative process:

• preparation
• incubation
• illumination
• implementation

and I can identify wholeheartedly with that.

In the meantime I played around with various leaves and plants and made a resource that was ultimately useful and will continue to be so in the future.  I particularly liked the colours I obtained from plants and I need to do some testing around their stability.

I have borrowed printing skills from my Textiles course and made them work on paper.  I experimented with frottage and its application in a way I hope is inventive.  Ideas have been taken from a variety of artists not only in Part 5 Research but throughout the course.  The monochrome work of John Virtue has a particular appeal.

My work appeared in several guises before I finally got to where I wanted to be.  It was fairly repetitive but on each practice image I learned something new and was able to refine my ideas. I like to push and take risks and I'm beginning to be less anxious about whether of not my work is "right".

I was surprised to find that what I thought would be my final work felt so unresolved.  It's hard to pinpoint the feeling but it was unequivocal.  My original idea evolved and changed substantially but I'm happy to be fluid although it sometimes feels like rolling with the blows.

Demonstration of technical and visual skills

I am continuing to develop more ways representing my ideas and feeling less bothered by adopting the ideas of others. Plagiarism and recreating are a fine line apart. I am constantly trying new techniques and increasing my awareness of the possibilities. The frottage work of Max Ernst is a case in point.

I don't feel that I have become proficient in any particular technique or material but I have had lots of tasters and found what I want to do more of.

Quality of outcome

I find it hard to judge my own work.  I see so much that I revere that I'm constantly dis-satisfied with what I do.  However, I am learning all the time and constantly questioning my practice and that is a good place to be at my stage.

Demonstration of creativity

My life generally is pretty well ordered and tidy.  In my drawing I have found something hidden that I didn't know about.  I can be slapdash and untidy and rather like it.  It is part of the freeing up process but there's a long way to go.  I have become aware that things don't have to be perfect - out of apparent chaos lovely things can occur.

(I have no idea why the font here has changed - there must be something deeply Freudian going on considering content of the section!)

Context reflection

I enjoy looking at the art of the famous and influential but I have also found a wealth of talent closer to home.  I have included some local work in my blog because it has a real influence on me. It gives me hope.
  
I surprise myself at what I have grown to like now that I have more knowledge and experience. Initially I wasn't fond of John Virtue but the depth of his work I now find inspirational.

I am a very reflective person and tend to over analyse sometimes.  I could do with just letting things happen a little more but I'm working on it.

I treasure my three OCA blogs because they are a great way to record my work.  I find that I refer to them often.

Overview

When I began Drawing 1 it was with lots of trepidation; I was well out of my comfort zone.  I can't claim to be through that uncomfortable feeling but it's getting easier and I have a "can do" attitude to my drawing that is new.

There is no doubt I will continue to draw; I am totally hooked.  It will support my Textiles work but it will be a part of my life as an independent skill.  The people I have met this year are folk I don't want to leave behind just because I've finished Drawing 1.  

(1)  http://www.productiveflourishing.com/demystifying-the-creative-process/

Part 4 Reflections

It seems to have taken me a long time to complete Part 4 what with one thing and another.

I was pretty anxious about the availability of a life model at the beginning but I joined a group and hey presto I was drawing nudes.  It must be said that it was very expensive. I found I liked the shapes the body made and I was happiest when I was making expressive marks.  I found that I got pretty bogged down trying to make my figures from the group fit the requirements of the course but then all experience is good experience.

When I look though my work on this part of the course I'm amazed by how much  I've done and quite embarrassed by some of it.  That is particularly true of the early figure drawing. Drawing in a group of very competent artists was very intimidating.

I found drawing moving figures quickly very enjoyable and I'm beginning to think I'm better at this quick work than the more studied poses - they tend to die on me.

I can see a definite progression during Part 4 and increasing confidence to take a risk.  I am particularly pleased with the way pastels work.  I used them in my expressive figure drawing and more recently in quite a different way on my portraits.  It's something I will pursue in the future because I can see it has more potential than I had thought.

I have become very involved is art locally and have found the people both welcoming and generous with their advice.  My tastes have changed as I have become aware of possibilities.

I continue to be very excited by my drawing and if I become disheartened I remember where I was a year ago!

Demonstration of technical and visual skills

This part of the course has been whistle stop with little opportunity to consolidate skills before changing direction.  I am beginning to feel that I have a set of skills I can use and I'm integrating my learning more easily that I have in the past.

I am noticing more than I ever have before; shadows, highlights, shapes and colours.  A particular example is the use of green in the skin tone for my portrait.  It's amazing that I noticed green but I did.  

I know I need to work on my use of tone.  I found pastels were helpful here.

I am more able to be constructively self critical and know where I need to spend more time.

Quality of outcome

I can be surprised by drawing something I think is good and horrify myself by doing just the opposite.

Now that my artistic toolbox is a bit more varied I find I can be a bit more selective about what I use and experiment more.  Sometimes a shot in the dark throws up something unexpected.

 I’ve come both creatively and personally.  I’m proud of what I’ve achieved but not complacent.

Demonstration of creativity

I'm much less bothered now about getting it right.  I've really found pleasure in just letting go and making free marks.  I know there is a basic underpinning to learn, perspective, foreshortening and so on but sometimes it's just good to draw what I feel.

Context reflection

I continue to learn a lot from looking around at what others do.  This ranges from books, the web and increasingly, people I have come to know during the last few months.

I am starting to know what I like and perhaps more importantly why I like it.

I reflect as I go to try to identify my strengths and put right those things that aren’t going so well.

I keep my learning log (blog) up to date because it’s a good record of what I’ve achieved.  I put everything in my log, warts and all, because most learning comes from reflecting on the mistakes.  

Part 4 has offered a very varied range of topics and I have found it challenging not least because it’s been a long haul. 

I hadn't really anticipated the personal growth aspect of Drawing 1.  The idea of continuing to develop well into my 60's has been something of a revelation and I feel very lucky to be of a generation that has the time and health to pursue a path that offers such potential.

Part 3 Reflections

Demonstration of technical and visual skills

Observation is key to good drawing and I've sometimes found these skills sadly lacking.  When I've been drawing outdoors I've sometimes not put in enough detail to carry me through the development of my work.    It's to do with confident selection of content and I think this will probably come with experience. I always have photographic back up but at times this has led me up blind alleys by giving me more information than I actually need.  Gainsborough Old Hall is a case in point where I zoomed in to the window and there was no need. 

It has taken some time for me to be able to apply the rules of perspective to my work; particularly 3 point perspective.  My eyes and brain constantly deceive me.  However, I'm getting better at sorting it out quickly rather than having to work it through laboriously .

Quality of outcome

Because I started this course from a low base I can't help but be pleased and proud with what I've achieved.  However, I find it hard to integrate all my learning (I note I said this at the end of Part 2 as well).  An example from Part 3 would be overlooking composition when my focus is perspective.

I have a tendency to get too involved with detail and ignore the mark that will indicate my meaning.

I have found tone difficult in my outdoor work and there's a long way to go with using it confidently.

Demonstration of creativity

I have the desire to be creative but often not the technical skill to achieve my aspirations.  Assignment 3 is a case in point.  I really wanted to test myself with watercolours but ended up so frustrated that I abandoned it in favour of charcoal.  Sometimes my lack of experience is a great hindrance but in some ways it can be liberating as I can try things without baggage; for instance drawing sheds with bits of card.  It might not have worked so well this time but another time it might.

Context reflection

I have tried to use the work of contemporary artists both to develop my thinking and learn from. I find that some work (like that of John Virtue) can be hard to understand but falls into place as my knowledge increases.  I used my research to inform my thinking about Assignment 3.

I am trying to be more analytical in my approach and trying to tease out what is relevant to my own work.

General

I have struggled with outdoor work because of the season. I have arthritis which adds to the difficulty - getting cold can make me quite ill. But in an odd sort of way I loved sketching outdoors and this is something I will pursue as the summer approaches.  I find my quick sketches are often more pleasing to me than the work I develop from them.  It's a freedom that I seem to lose once I'm "trying hard" to be creative.  Some of the content of Part 3 relies on practising theory and maybe that has got in my way a bit and stopped me being free.

I've been going to a Figure Drawing Group where speed is often of the essence and been amazed at the feeling that can be captured in just a few short minutes.  It seems that things can easily be overworked.

Part 3 Project 3 Ex 1 & 2 Reflection

I am required to reflect on the last two exercises and there are four points for me to consider.

Ex 1 - Wintry Landscape

Ex 2 - Trent Valley Pylons

How did you simplify and select?  Were you able to focus on simple shapes and patterns amid all the visual information available to you?

I used my viewfinder to make my selections.  My part of the country is very flat and at first I was unsure how to make an interesting composition. I found things like the tree and the blue bale of hay made a focal point and were balanced by the poles carrying cables.  In Wintry Landscape the watercolour I used forced me to think in blocks of shape.  I didn't draw trees or hedges I simply made marks that looked like them.

How did you create a sense of distance and form?

In Ex 1 I used the idea of things getting smaller as they get further away.  For instance the lane and the poles seem to recede into the distance.  I used marks to depict landmarks and colour to shape things a bit.  The lane was very wet and I used a little Payne's Grey on a brush that I rolled across the paper to leave white patches that look like the wet tarmac.

Were you able to use light and shade successfully?

I struggled with this a bit.  The weather was generally dreary so there was not much by way of clear shadows. However, I noticed that the bottom of the hedges was usually much darker than the top and indentation on the ground gave a darker tone (tractor tyre marks Ex 2).

What additional preliminary work would have been helpful towards the larger study?

I felt very hampered by the weather during this work.  It would have been lovely to work outside much more.  My water soluble pencils didn't arrive until my work was finished so I still have to play with them and see what they can do.  

Mr Turner - film review

Mr Turner (1)

On Sunday I went to see Mike Leigh's "Mr Turner".  Like most people I am familiar with Turner's paintings but I knew little of the man.  What I learned didn't endear him to me. 

The film stars Timothy Spall, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Paul Jeeson and Lesley Manville.  Spall has been lauded for his performance and it was indeed impressive.  The Daily Telegraph describes the performance thus:  

Spall coughs and shambles about the place like a moulting, phlegmy Gruffalo, eyes bright and hungry, bottom lip jutting proudly forward like the spout of a custard jug. (2)

The film tells the story of the last 25 years of Turner's life and encompasses the death of his father to whom he seemed devoted and very dependent. The loss affected him very much.  A loss that affected both father and son was the committal of Turner's mother to an asylum - the older Mr Turner never forgave himself and it weighed on his son throughout his life.  In a powerful scene in a brothel where Turner is sketching all the repressed emotion seems to catch up with Turner and there is complete meltdown.

Timothy Spall as J. M. W. Turner (3)

I think Turner's treatment of women was what really marked him as distasteful to me.  Even taking into account the social mores of the time he was portrayed as a sexual predator, abusing his housekeeper (his niece, who became more frail as the film progressed) ignoring the pleas of the mother of his children (to whom he wasn't married) and in sickness accepting the ministrations of a seaside landlady who bought a house on the Thames so they could live together.

Spall was utterly convincing as Turner; eccentric, unlovable, egotistical and self absorbed.  Anyone who spits on a painting to add moisture doesn't get my vote!

I came out of the cinema absolutely exhausted and didn't go along with the person sitting behind me who said "it was a bit disjointed".

Detail from Turner's self portrait (4)

(1) http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2014/10/6/nyff-mike-leighs-exquisite-and-frustrating-mr-turner.html

(2) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10833174/Mr-Turner-review-supremely-enjoyable.html

(3) http://thefilmstage.com/features/mike-leigh-talks-mr-turner-art-mirroring-cinematography-sociopathic-genius-and-more-at-cannes/

(4) http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/31/turner-mike-leigh-film-timothy-spall

Part 2 Reflections

Demonstration of technical and visual skills

Each exercise on this course builds on the last one and in Part 2 that equals a lot of new learning.  I find it difficult to integrate all this new information into my drawings and at the end of a piece of work I’m likely to think “Oh no! I forgot all about negative space” or something similar.

My intellectual understanding of tone is sound but I find it hard to put what I know into practise.  Really dark shadows somehow seen impossible even though I know they are true.  My Assignment is a case in point.

I find that I have had favourite sections like still life and drawing around the home.  I got really bogged down with my animal drawings by trying to put in too much detail.  However, I was pleased with my owl.

Quality of outcome

My work is very variable – at one moment I think I’ve made progress then I regress and make something that looks like it’s from primary school.

However, when I think where I was in July when I started the course I realise how far I’ve come both creatively and personally.  I’m proud of what I’ve achieved but not complacent.

Demonstration of creativity

I sometimes get too involved in getting it “right”.  A major learning point has been that if I want to be expressive (and I do) I need to take some risks and just go for it. 

If my work has momentum it is far more exciting than something that has been meditated on until it’s comatose.  Just where the happy medium is between expressive and unplanned is part of the skill I suppose.

I have found it difficult to understand the paradox of drawing with expression and the rendering of detail.  It is tough to use expressive drawing in a still life.

Context reflection

In Part 2 I have researched extensively because I love to do it.  There’s a lot to learn from investigating theory or just looking at how other people have tackled the same task.

I reflect as I go to try to identify my strengths and put right those things that aren’t going so well.

I have become a member of my local Art Society and exhibited for the first time.  I have joined the Lincoln Weavers Group (bearing in mind I’m a Textiles student). These groups expose me to other ways of being creative

I keep my learning log (blog) up to date because it’s a good record of what I’ve achieved.  I put everything in my log, warts and all, because most learning comes from reflecting on the mistakes.  

Part 2 has offered a very varied range of topics and I have found it challenging not least because it’s been a long haul.  I find I’m longing for informed feedback.

I'm excited to be moving on to Part 3 and it's a strange coincidence that it's "Outdoors" when I've just seen "Mr Turner".

Project 4 Ex 1 & 2 Review

I tend to evaluate as I go along but I think the main purpose of this review is to compare the two approaches.

In Ex 1 I encountered the problem of how to create depth and tone using unforgiving media which gives no real option to lighten or darken the pen stroke.  I got over this by by using a sort of scribble technique that enabled me to make darker patches.  I also found the direction of the stroke made a significant difference to the illusion of depth.  In this exercise I used a looking down perspective for the first time and placed my shells on a "beach".  I feel this was quite successful.  There was little overlap of the shells and maybe there should have been.

Exercise 2 was completely different and I used soft pastel to create tone.  I found this much easier probably because it feels more familiar.  I got the hang of using highlights better than I have before and on my second image I was happier with the glass.

Having items on a table made it easier to get a 3D look and using overlapping helped as well.  I found it quite hard to make myself draw the nearest items big enough to get the depth I wanted. 

It took me a long while to do the pastel pictures and understand the way they layer.  I think I may be criticised for "over working" but at least then I'll know what it means.

Project 3 Review

I have found this project a real challenge.  Prior to this I have mainly drawn in pencil and had my eraser handy at all times.  With the materials I have been using in this project I was stuck with my first effort. Considering my eraser dependence I am quite pleased with the results. 

There are some things that define me and one of them liking to know exactly where I am.  So it's come as a bit of a surprise to find that good things can come out of a more random approach.  For instance my dip pen gave me lovely aubergines but I didn't know where I was going with it when I started.  Generally I liked the dip pens because they gave me some say in the shape of the mark I made (the aubergine was made with an italic nib).  Felt pens were much more limiting and I didn't like the colours as much.

I was worried about the line drawing exercise but in the end happy with the result.  Once again there's nowhere to hide.  In fact, having no colour lends a drama to the image and it made me look more carefully at the marks on the branch and work out how best to portray them.

I find hatching hard work and I get little by way of satisfaction from it because my results are poor.  I find that I can create more texture and depth if my marks are more free. That is demonstrated by my final conker image.

Marks that worked for me

This is a crop of my ink drawing of vegetables.  I used long, curved strokes for the aubergine and it gave a shiny, roundness that used the white negative space as highlights.  The tomato isn't as good because it has less variety of mark.  I had trouble with the cut tomato but the small, swishy marks seemed to capture the texture of the flesh.

The crops above show how I made a continuous line to represent the different textures on a broken branch. The vertical lines have a roundness that shows the cracks on the bark and the round marks are the hard lichen growing on it.  I used the same random marks on my second conker and found it gave some life to the image.

Composition

I have found my composition skills improving now that I have a bit of background knowledge.  I ask myself questions as I arrange my objects and that helps me to get pleasing results.  Simple things like overlapping items makes such a big difference to the cohesion of a composition and allows negative space to have a shape that can be determined.  My first composition of vegetables was uninteresting but I was able to correct it with a bit more thought.

I'm finding that the course is moving very fast and wondering if I'm doing enough consolidation work.  My deadline beckons and I've a holiday during October.  I'd like to have some time to look around the corners as I did in Part 1.

Part 1 reflections

I tend to reflect as I go so I'll not repeat myself but there are one or two things that really stand out for me now that I'm at the end of Part 1.

• I'd read that anyone can draw given the right "vocabulary" and a few rules.  Maslen and Southern (2014) liken it to learning to write.  Having gained a few skills during the course of Part 1 I'm thinking that they are right.  I'm using what I've learnt and finding myself more comfortable.
• Like personal handwriting style I find that drawing is just as individual.  Having looked at the work of a variety of artists I'm staggered at the range of interpretations people put on "drawing". It puts the work of Alice Kettle into a different focus for me. 
•  It's surprised me that I enjoy working on large (A2) paper.

Demonstration of technical and visual skills

My base line was pretty rudimentary but over the weeks I've have worked hard to improve my technical abilities.  This extends in two directions; using the workshops of Maslen and Southern (2014) to free myself from a very cramped, linear way of working and looking at some basic rules from a sort of drawing for dummies book by Kistler (2011).  Combining the learning from these sources has taken away some of the fear and uncertainty I felt right at the start.

Some of the materials I'm using lead away from the neat, contained style I might have anticipated was mine and I'm not entirely comfortable with them yet.  At the moment I'm defaulting to pencil but trying to expand my repertoire each time I draw.

I have become much more aware of the effect of light and shade simply by looking at things more closely. Assignment 1, where I made a big observational error with the box lid, highlights how much I take for granted.

Quality of outcome

I was very hesitant at first but now that I have some fundamental information I have been able to apply it in later work.  The quality has therefore improved (although I'm probably not in the best position to judge).

I found the first still life quite daunting but worked my way round it by drawing single objects until I felt more secure.  

Demonstration of creativity

Using the Maslen and Southern (2014) workshops has been instrumental in getting me to experiment with methods that I previously would have considered bizarre; two pencils taped together for instance. The hat I drew using this technique is one of my favourite images from Part 1.

As I've said elsewhere I think my style is potentially loose (which I love) but I find myself tightening up when I need to do a finished piece of work (whatever that is).

Context reflection

I have looked at a variety of sources in an effort to get up to speed.
I reflect as I go and try to learn from each exercise so that I can carry the learning forward.
I keep my learning log (blog) up to date.  Everything goes into it, even the embarrassing because only then do I have a true record of achievement.


I have thoroughly enjoyed Part 1, even out of my comfort zone.  I love learning and I'm excited about Part 2 which I'm sure will bring its own set of challenges.



Kistler. M. 2011. You can draw in 30 days.  De Capo Press. Cambridge, MA 02142

Maslen M & Southern J. 2014.  Drawing Projects.  An exploration of the language of drawing.  Black Dog Publishing.  London.