Naomi's Drawing Venture

 Research Point - Look at contemporary as well as historic artists who work on the face in different ways Graham Little (1972-)  Graham Little produces highly detailed drawings using coloured pencils and gouache.  Little works for months at a time on one piece using his medium to produce texture and detail, a figure and a scene in one emotive piece.  Inspired by fashion magazines, Little sources images, both past (to the 1970's) and present using Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.  Little's work is viewed through what feels like a soft focus lens placed on the viewers eye. His scenes feel full, romantic, inspired and almost cryptic in the sense that there are so many small elements carefully placed in the drawings such as the brush and mirror in ' Untitled (yellow mirror) 2014' above and the piece of fruit resting in the male figures hand 'Untitled (Man and Dog 2019).  'Untitled (Man and Dog) 2019' -  The detail of the woven jumper is so intricate, as if...

 Project 2 Exercise 1 - Quick sketches   2 minute sketches - Pencil on white paper. Male figure:   Rapid sketches really helped me approach these drawings with confidence, there was no time to overthink the challenges and I just went for it.  I asked my model to move every 2 minutes into a slightly different position.  The pencil was a light medium to use, as I became confident with where I was within the sketch, I pressed harder for a darker line.  I used the end of my pencil to help estimate the length of the head and the torso. Working within the 2 minute time frame meant I had to do this under pressure and make my best guess.  Adding the naval to to the sketch helped me assess the centre line of the body.  The most challenging pose was the sitting position with the arms crossed. I gave this my nest shot, however twisting the arms realistically felt difficult.  10 minute sketches:  Black marker and pencil:  Charcoal:  I did ...

 Research Point: How the depiction of the male and female nude has changed over the centuries   John Berger 'Ways of Seeing...' BBC  John Berger explores the deeper meaning of the placement of a female nude in a painting.  He suggests that women dream of themselves being dreamt of and men dream of women.  He explores the emotions of a woman in terms of her appearance and her psychology surrounding her body. Women meet glances off men, a constant reminder of how they should look. The glance acts like a mirror to a woman. Behind every glance is a judgement and sometimes the glance they meet is their own reflection looking back at them. Those who are who are not "judged" as beautiful by the spectator, simply are not.  Berger believes that a woman is always accompanied, even when alone. She is never far away from the image of herself. She can't avoid thinking of herself and surveying herself. Her appearance is made to be the success of her life. She is a sight ...

Project 1 Exercise 2 -  Emphasising form with cloth  Pencil on white paper.  As advised, I used very light marks here with a H pencil to drawing the lines of my seated figure. I am drawing a male figure with a white towel around his waist.  I started by drawing the overall shape of the figure including the borders of the armchair.  I drew the lines as an overall shape, including the towel within this shape.  I then drew individual shapes for the head, neck, stomach torso and hands.  I was careful to drew in the gentle angels of the fabric so as not to make it look like a separate entity to the body as such, I wanted this basic sketch to flow.  Reflection:  This is my first attempt at the human form.  This exercise helped me gently find my way around the body using gentle lines. This lines were so light at the beginning that I didn't dear the subject as I knew my incorrect lines could easily disappear in amongst darker lines if needed....

 Project 1 Exercise 1 -  Drawing fabric using line and tone For this exercise I used a white shirt.   Five minute sketches:  Pencil on white paper.  15 minute sketch:   Reflection Surprisingly challenging. During the 2 minute sketches my biggest challenge seemed to be losing my eye in the fabric creases. Drawing a white garment meant there was very little to focus on and each time I looked away, I seemed to struggle to find my place in the fabric again.  The 15 minute sketch allowed more time and so more focus on my part. To help keep my eye on the fabric I decided to use the buttons of the shirt to help as a guide. I also feel that by including the buttons, this gives the fabric a little character.  The fabric itself had much about it that I hadn't appreciated. Many lines, shadows and tones. Large peaks and low peaks, stitching in the fabric.  The pencil sketches were pleasing to do. However I am a little disappointed in the lack of energy i...

 Research Point: The human figure Leonardo Da Vinci 1452-1519 Da Vinci studied the human anatomy to get better at drawing the human form.and by the end of his life, he claimed to have cut up more than 30 corpses in his pursuit of human anatomy research for his groundbreaking sketches.  Michelangelo 1475- 1564 Drawing would always be Michelangelo's first point of call when working on a study or a commission. Although such is the ability, observation and skill of each drawing - they are highly regarded as fine art in themselves.  Many of Michelangelo's drawings appear unfinished, yet I can see the time and accurate detail in the anatomy. It is most likely that Michelangelo reached a point in each drawing that he had found what he needed in his observation, that he was able to move on to his final pieces without completing his drawing studies overall.  The drawings of the naked figure are created articulately using chalk and pencil. Studying the human form in such scien...