Naomi's Drawing Venture

Project 3 Exercise 2:  Foreground, middle ground, background I have chosen this view for this exercise.  I can see a red post box in the foreground, a large conker tree in the middle and buildings and hedges in the background.  I initially started this exercise with pencils, however I struggled to feel inspired. Having chosen a large A2 sheet, I felt a little daunted at covering a large area.  I opted instead for crayons, and felt more confident I could fill the space this way:  Drawing 1:  Drawing 2:  Reflections:  I enjoyed this scene and I felt really comfortable with the crayons.  As basic sketches, I can see the layers in the drawing, the foreground, middle ground and background.  I was too afraid of adding any detail to the homes at the right of the tree as I was worried that I may over complicate the background and therefore draw too much attention to it. Definitely an area I need to research and t...

Project 3 Exercise 1:  Developing your studies Whilst exploring my home village. I fell in love with this view.  Everything in this view falls behind the glimpse of the Cotswold stone wall you see at the forefront.  There is another stone wall that runs through the middle of this view point.  Having studied trees in previous exercises, I wanted to take a look at these trees. They are easy to understand in this view. I can see their separation, their definite shape and colour.  It is a vast green scene with a number of compositional elements.  I want to work backwards from the wall, with an aim to include as much of the detail as possible. The very furthest element I see is the very small house in the background to the left of the scene.  The sky is blue with a scattering of very light and delicate clouds.  The walls are a feature I would like to concentrate, perhaps by making the middle wall the main feature. The stones are text...

Project 2 Exercise 3: 360 studies   This is the panoramic view I will be working with today for my quick sketches. It is a scene in my village. I am stood in the middle of this green field with a sketchbook and pencil. There is a church to the left of this scene. Houses along the road in the background. Many trees. An old shelter/barn just ahead of me and a number of sheep.  I spend 15 minutes sketching notes of this scene. I start at this centre and change my position for each sketch:  Central view:  To the right:  To the left:  Left again:  Reflection:  My location was a vast space. To the eye, there was far too much to be able to cover in a drawing. The very thought of that was overwhelming. However, going about this scene in this way felt like breaking it down into bite size chunks.  15 minutes allowed my to follow the line of the green grass against the lines of the fences and wall...

Project 2 Exercise 2: Sketchbook walk  During this lock down period I have spent a lot of time in my garden. As getting out and about is tricky at this time. I will focus on small areas of my garden for this exercise.  Using a pencil, biro and coloured pencils on paper. I create four thumbnails to sketch within.  As the exercise encourages. I sketch quickly and roughly and leave an eraser behind. I am increasingly enjoying this way of working, no fear or anxiety. It helps to create something exciting.  I create this thumbnail sketches in one continuous walk. It is 2pm in the afternoon and the weather is dry and bright.  The coloured pencils help to separate the shapes and form.  The top thumbnail here is the corner fence. Within the pots are tree saplings. The are all different heights. They sit tightly in the corner.  The bottom thumbnail contains an old vintage bird cage, a small lavender pot. The background is made up of old grey s...

Project 2 Exercise 1 Cloud formation and tone  The precision and time that Vija Clemin's is capable of is an awe inspiring gift and talent. She is able to re-imagine a natural phenomena to such a precise point, she would have me believe I am actually there myself.  I take the research points with me as I take a look at the shy for the next few days.  I start by creating roughly mapping out the tones of the clouds with acrylic paint on newspaper. An experimental drawing. I used a palette knife for application.  Even though rough and rather clumsy, this was a satisfying way to start. I was able to make marks of the very lightest areas of the could and the darkest, the bottom of the cloud. I can see in these marks that there is a top and a bottom to a cloud. I was also able to map in the several clouds there were in the sky at this time. There were many, all clustered to the right side of my view finder. The sky was blue and it was a calm day:  ...

Research point:  Vija Celmins  Vija Celmin's is known for her details drawings and paintings of natural phenomena, in particular, the night sky, the oceans. deserts and spider webs.  Having explored Clemin's work on the Tate website and listened to a number of interviews with her I have made a note of a number of points to help with with my next exercises.  Clemin's describes her work as rediscovery rather than a copy. She explains that copying is fast and should always be done imperfectly. It takes just a second for the information to go all the way in.  Clemin's is drawn to natural phenomena becomes the image feels anonymous. She describes the idea of reliving the image. Scrutinise and relive the making of it. "A part of me is in that place".  Use a graphite pencil on paper to recreate the light and the dark.  'Drypoint Ocean Surface' 1983 - A small, one colour engraving of ocean waves using black ink on white paper. The im...

Project 2 Exercise 3:  A study of several trees This exercise suggests that I don't get stuck with details. Try to work in broad tonal areas. Look for strong contrast in light or dark or intense areas of colour. This drawing should suggest form and mass.  As it its spring, the trees I studied for this drawing were surrounded by areas of Bluebells which is what I found so attractive.  I started with a charcoal stick and I plotted in the shapes of the trees.  I decided to differentiate between the light and the dark areas by using a yellow watercolour to highlight where the light hits the trees and a grey to highlight the darker side of the trees.  Behind the trees that were in the foreground there are a mass of others that are too far away for me to see in detail. I decided to mark this in with yellow strokes, they catch the light so I am therefore able to see their narrow shape:  Using only a black biro I then moved onto an apple orchard...

Project 1 Exercise 2:  Larger observational study of an individual tree In my village I found this beautiful and very large old tree. It's trunk is so very wide and textured:  I have chosen to work on cartridge paper with pencils, a variety of hardness.  I study the tree for tone first of all, stretching the very darkest areas in first of all with a 6B pencil. I then move onto the movement of texture in the bark. The pattern of the trunk seems to move at a side wards angle, so I follow this with my pencil. The trunk is also, in parts covered in green ivy.  I can see in this drawing the different tones of the branches and the areas of tree that are hidden from the light:  I decide to sketch this tree again. This time I go in with a more subtle touch and use lighter marks.  Using a lighter hand, I feel I could better communicate the fluid nature of the trees texture. I used a HB pencil for the lighter areas, and a 4B for t...

Project 1: Trees For this exercise I have chosen a Buddleia tree that has been recently pruned back. Its trunk is at an interesting angle as it rests against the fence.   I make four preliminary sketches of the tree taking notes of:  The outline of the tree.  Its overall shape.  The lines and texture of its trunk. Shaded areas and foliage.  Reflection These sketches have bought to light some interesting detail. The trunk is made up of lines including some deep grooves. Even though the tree has been recently pruned back, I was able to get some good detail of the foliage that has since regrown.  What was also particularly interesting was the line of the shadow against the fence.