Project: Drawing animals

I have broadly failed at this project principally through a lack of animals! Sadly my dog, Zouga died recently and hence have not been able to draw her and the only other people I know with a furry pet are away on holiday.

So, I cheated and sketched some donkeys that I took photos of on a recent break to the new forest. This is not work I am proud of but very much respect the challenge of drawing animals. I have drawn my Zouga in the past, including 'catching the moment' but despite hunting cannot find my pictures.

Having explored George Stubbs' work I also very much recognise the value of being aware of the anatomical structures of the 'creatures' being drawn - the same being applied of course to humans - the skin being the drapes to the muscle and bone structures. This is an aspect that I did (albeit hopelessly) consider with the donkey drawings - considering where the hip bone and how everything connects. Being a psychiatric nurse by trade I have a rudimentary knowledge of skeletal form and the necessary connections but I cannot pretend that this has made my 'furry' drawings more successful.

Exercise:drawing with other coloured media

Developing my thinking from the previous exercises and that distilled from exploring Ben Nicholson I decided to take a slightly different approach to this exercise.

Using acrylic inks (which I have had for a long tie but not really played with much) I loosley drew the chrysanthemum plant heads and some foliage. I paid attention to detail in the form and positioning but stuck to loosely drawn forms. Woebegone at this appalling presentation I then picked up a charcoal stick and started to sketch in the forms of the flowers a little more fully yet still outlines the sprayed the surface to hold the charcoal. I then returned to the ink and loosley blocked in some colour and re drew some forms and shapes of leaves etc.

I'm not sure it qualifies as a good drawing but I really do rather like the effect - the looseness of the ink against the definition of the charcoal makes for interesting viewing, I think. It adds a bit of something extra that makes a pretty mundane subject matter more interesting. I notice I'm more relaxed with charcoal than with ink or paint and yet combining the 2 helped my loosen up with the ink. I'd like to work on this a bit more as my painting is often very 'wooden' and perhaps combining these approaches will help both my painting and my drawing.

I've started to think how these may combine in the future fish drawing as I could see some real value in introducing the fluidity with the fish due to it's nature. I may of course be being way over ambitious!

Plants and flowers in coloured pencils

OK, confession time - I HATE drawing plants and flowers ....I really struggle to get 'in tune' with them - namby pamby things. However .... deep breath, went outside to draw some in situ to make it all a bit more interesting, then it started to rain so returned dispirited inside. I do really like sunflowers and sweetpeas but sunflowers have long gone and I have only a few sweet peas in the garden left and am desperate to hang on to them for my final piece (which is brewing in my head ... a combination of line drawing using fibre tip pen and perhaps acrylic ink for the flower heads perhaps; an inside piece that would also help develop my next painting assignment ... not finalised yet as am looking forward to the fish drawing ... however, I digress). So, set about my detailed drawing in coloured pencil, lasted 2 hours and then declared NO, enough. So I have not completed this exercise and am not going to. I don't enjoy or like the effect particularly of coloured pencils - they simply are not 'man' enough for me. They don't offer the depth of colour that I enjoy or the vibrancy that I feel a subject deserves. Of course it may just be that I am feeling particularly bolshy at the moment!!

I have decided that this is important learning ... in developing my drawing skills I do have to want and need to draw the subject with the media I wish so decided to 'abandon all hope' and moved on to something else .... I sat and spent many happy hours drawing the plant in detail with fibre pen and then painted over it which wrecked it completely but it was interesting and prepared me for the next exercise.

Project : Drawing plants and flowers

Exercise: Negative space in a plant

Throughly enjoyed tackling this exercise and used a fibre tip pen as my media - in fact fibre tip pen is rapidly becoming a firm favourite. There was a time I would never have drawn without pencil or charcoal but fibre tip pen is right up there now!

I am very aware that I am consciously considering the negative space when drawing at the moment so this came easily although it is equally easy to get distracted by the detail which I worked hard to avoid.

Research point

Ben Nicholson 1894 - 1982

Originally a cubist artist and abstract developer Ben Nicholson is a celebrated cornish artist heralded as developing new approaches to modern art in the UK across the 20th century, whilst generating income through painting more 'traditional images' superimposed by his own unique abstract outlines and approaches. Pragmatic in the need to satisfy audiences to sell work and yet continuing to develop his own style I have found myself a little unsettled in trying to consider his work.

I notice that I recognise his pieces and I understand how/why he was a friend of his contemporary Henry Moore and drawn to his 2nd wife Sheila Hepworth as all share an exploration of form and representation in different media. I personally love Henry Moore but am left 'wanting' by Nicholson's work. They leave me confused. I love the simple forms yet am frustrated by the inaccuracy often portrayed which appears more careless than 'artistic', which makes me not like them. I love the portrayal of simple forms on landscapes yet am frustrated by the lack of distinction in the landscapes which seem lazy. I love the principle of being different and pushing the boundaries yet am left puzzled by the question of which boundaries are being really pushed and what is trying to be said!

I'm moved to note all this because his work leaves me wondering and questioning what I think - I am a decisive confident person who normally knows what I like and I can't answer the question in my mind of whether I like Nicholson's work .... the fact that it leaves me questioning is quite powerful in its own way and has made me start to think about my final assignment, my own like of outlines, how powerful they are i there own simple way and an approach perhaps that I could incorporate in my own final piece. I don't know ... yet again I am left wondering.

Exercise: Drawing using oil pastel

I have used oil pastel previously in drawing but never have known really what I am doing with it - just applying it over and over again so was interested in tackling this exercise - despite it being wretched fruit or vegetables again!!

I noticed the instruction to leave some of the paper to 'come through' rather than simply covering the whole amount and paid attention to that. Indeed it has brought things more alive.

i like oil pastels - I like the immediacy of them and I like the vibrancy of colour. I would also like to be much better at using them - and I have no idea how to seal them and can't seem to find answers on the net about that.

In my drawing I think the pastels have represented the red onion well which was something of a surprise and the courgette isn't bad but the tomatoes are lacking. Some of the failure there is lack of confidence, difficulty capturing the colour tones well and not a great representation of from.

The overall drawing lacks much depth - I was drawing outside (it was a lovely day) and the sun kept moving so I had trouble with the shadows. And in truth I am now a bit bored with the whole fruit and veg thing and of course behind in getting my assignment in so a little less focused on the task in hand. I shall return to pastel in the future but definitely want to learn more about applicatin. Perhaps there is a book that could help .... and will be a question for my tutor!

Exercise: Using markers or dip pens

Delighted in buying new markers but groaned slightly at yet more fruit!!!!

Thoroughly enjoyed drawing the exercise however - I absolutely love the immediacy and the necessarily fearless approach to drawing with markers and pens. Completely illogical really as I always worry that I can't 'pull it off' but I think it probably appeals to the sense of immediate satisfaction of 'no going back' and having a product - even if it doesn't work!

I like the colour mixing effect on the paper of the markers and using different nib widths to create a heavier effect. I really feel like my drawing is developing and looking back over previous assignment I can see a noticeable difference, practice is definitely the key.