3 September 2009
Course work: Continued work on Assignment 1, Section 4, p 20. May have to use some workable fixative to get black enough blacks: charcoal is not adhering well to underlying layers.
Reading:
The Complete Drawing Course, Ian Simpson
Running Press, Philadelphia, PA 1993
Lesson 5 (pp 44-49) (Stimulated by this lesson, I got out the oil pastels and did a few little sketches on scrap paper, trying to get a “feel” for this medium, which is new to me.)
Personal sketchbook work: Did a charcoal study of some drapery, and a pencil sketch of my work hat, in my A4 sketchbook.
Total time: about three hours
Saturday, September 5, 2009
2 September 2009
Course work: Assignment 1, Section 4, p 20. Started the charcoal drawing of two shiny objects on A3 paper.
Reading:
The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Betty Edwards
Penguin-Putnam, New York, 1999
Chapters 3-4 (pp28-65)
Personal sketchbook work: Did two exercises from The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, (in the companion workbook). Drew a full page of ellipses in my sketchbook: few turned out elliptical. Need to draw many more. Drew a raccoon skull; a good exercise, as careful shading was required.
Total time: Over three hours
Course work: Assignment 1, Section 4, p 20. Started the charcoal drawing of two shiny objects on A3 paper.
Reading:
The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Betty Edwards
Penguin-Putnam, New York, 1999
Chapters 3-4 (pp28-65)
Personal sketchbook work: Did two exercises from The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, (in the companion workbook). Drew a full page of ellipses in my sketchbook: few turned out elliptical. Need to draw many more. Drew a raccoon skull; a good exercise, as careful shading was required.
Total time: Over three hours
1 September 2009
Course work: None today
Personal sketchbook work: A page in my A4 sketchbook of several items sitting on or above my desk, seen from my seated viewpoint.
Other activity:My painting group met today; I started a small painting of a gathering storm over a nearby lake, using only black, white, and cadmium yellow medium, just as an exercise.
Total time: About ½ hour (not including painting time)
Course work: None today
Personal sketchbook work: A page in my A4 sketchbook of several items sitting on or above my desk, seen from my seated viewpoint.
Other activity:My painting group met today; I started a small painting of a gathering storm over a nearby lake, using only black, white, and cadmium yellow medium, just as an exercise.
Total time: About ½ hour (not including painting time)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
31 August 2009
Course work: Assignment 1, Section 4, p 19. Did a full-page sketchbook drawing of light reflected from one object to another, utilizing a coffeepot, a small ceramic jar, and a small reproduction statue of the Willendorf Venus. I hope I interpreted the instructions correctly on this exercise.
Reading:
The Encyclopedia of Drawing Techniques, Ian Simpson
Quarto Publishing, London, 1987
Still Life (pp144-159)
Total time: about 3 1/2 hours
Course work: Assignment 1, Section 4, p 19. Did a full-page sketchbook drawing of light reflected from one object to another, utilizing a coffeepot, a small ceramic jar, and a small reproduction statue of the Willendorf Venus. I hope I interpreted the instructions correctly on this exercise.
Reading:
The Encyclopedia of Drawing Techniques, Ian Simpson
Quarto Publishing, London, 1987
Still Life (pp144-159)
Total time: about 3 1/2 hours
30 August 2009
Course work: Assignment 1, Section 3, p 17. Filled a page in my A4 course sketchbook with a pencil drawing including a funnel, a spice box, a small jar, and an onion, shaded with several layers of pencil hatching. Observed and experimented with the gradations of light on a flat surface (p 18): recorded results in my course sketchbook.
Summary Observations on Tone and Form (Check and Log): I will have to do a great deal more hatching and cross-hatching to become competent at it. However, even my less-than-competent marks did produce a sense of dimensionality that improved as I worked my way through the section. I tried to observe light patterns carefully, although in one of the exercises I misplaced a shadow (probably because I was working too late at night). I had more difficulty in seeing the secondary reflected light than the primary light, but am beginning to appreciate it more clearly.
Personal sketchbook work: A page of doodles with a reed pen, just because I felt like it, as well as to get more experience with this interesting, but frustrating, implement.
Weekly thoughts on learning experience: Much of this week was devoted to basic shapes. I was less than happy with some of my work, in part because of poor choice of drawing medium or paper size, and in part to poor observation. My personal sketchbook work is still less than optimal.
Total time: a bit over three hours.
Course work: Assignment 1, Section 3, p 17. Filled a page in my A4 course sketchbook with a pencil drawing including a funnel, a spice box, a small jar, and an onion, shaded with several layers of pencil hatching. Observed and experimented with the gradations of light on a flat surface (p 18): recorded results in my course sketchbook.
Summary Observations on Tone and Form (Check and Log): I will have to do a great deal more hatching and cross-hatching to become competent at it. However, even my less-than-competent marks did produce a sense of dimensionality that improved as I worked my way through the section. I tried to observe light patterns carefully, although in one of the exercises I misplaced a shadow (probably because I was working too late at night). I had more difficulty in seeing the secondary reflected light than the primary light, but am beginning to appreciate it more clearly.
Personal sketchbook work: A page of doodles with a reed pen, just because I felt like it, as well as to get more experience with this interesting, but frustrating, implement.
Weekly thoughts on learning experience: Much of this week was devoted to basic shapes. I was less than happy with some of my work, in part because of poor choice of drawing medium or paper size, and in part to poor observation. My personal sketchbook work is still less than optimal.
Total time: a bit over three hours.
28 August 2009
Course work: Detected an error of perception in last night’s work (a hazard of working too late at night); drew a corrected sketch with dip pen. Drew six tonal blocks with four tones each, (page 17) using a variety of tools: discovered that keeping the lines parallel and evenly spaced is a difficult task for me.
Reading:
The Story of Art, E.H. Gombrich
Phaidon Press Limited, Oxford 1978
Chapters 1-3 (pp 19-64)
How to Use Your Eyes James Elkins
Routledge, New York & London (2000)
Chapters 26-32, Postscript (pp 196-245)
This book by an art professor includes several chapters of particular interest to artists, but contains enough diverse material to be of interest to almost any inquiring mind.
Personal sketchbook work: Sketched a page of small kitchen tools in A4 sketchbook, some of which may be useful in later work.
Total time: apx 3 hours
29 Aug 2009
Course work: None today
Reading:
The Drawing Book, Sarah Simblet
Dorling Kindersley, London 2005
Objects and Instruments (pp 89-105)
Drawing Keith Micklewright
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York (2005)
Chapters 2-3 (pp 28-40)
The Complete Drawing Course, Ian Simpson
Running Press, Philadelphia, PA 1993
Lesson 4 (pp 34-39)
Personal sketchbook work: A careful A4 sketchbook drawing of three peaches on a plate, using Conte crayon (a medium of which I’m not fond), based on an exercise in Lesson 4, The Complete Drawing Course, by Ian Simpson.
Total time: over two hours
Course work: Detected an error of perception in last night’s work (a hazard of working too late at night); drew a corrected sketch with dip pen. Drew six tonal blocks with four tones each, (page 17) using a variety of tools: discovered that keeping the lines parallel and evenly spaced is a difficult task for me.
Reading:
The Story of Art, E.H. Gombrich
Phaidon Press Limited, Oxford 1978
Chapters 1-3 (pp 19-64)
How to Use Your Eyes James Elkins
Routledge, New York & London (2000)
Chapters 26-32, Postscript (pp 196-245)
This book by an art professor includes several chapters of particular interest to artists, but contains enough diverse material to be of interest to almost any inquiring mind.
Personal sketchbook work: Sketched a page of small kitchen tools in A4 sketchbook, some of which may be useful in later work.
Total time: apx 3 hours
29 Aug 2009
Course work: None today
Reading:
The Drawing Book, Sarah Simblet
Dorling Kindersley, London 2005
Objects and Instruments (pp 89-105)
Drawing Keith Micklewright
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York (2005)
Chapters 2-3 (pp 28-40)
The Complete Drawing Course, Ian Simpson
Running Press, Philadelphia, PA 1993
Lesson 4 (pp 34-39)
Personal sketchbook work: A careful A4 sketchbook drawing of three peaches on a plate, using Conte crayon (a medium of which I’m not fond), based on an exercise in Lesson 4, The Complete Drawing Course, by Ian Simpson.
Total time: over two hours
27 Aug 2009
Course work: Did the exercise on Observing Light (page 15) late last night and early this morning: described results in my course sketchbook. Did the first two exercises in Assignment 1, Section 3, page 16, using a glazed off-white cup and a white box. Found it difficult to get a really uniform tone with pencil, and my shapes were not well-drawn. Repeated second part of exercise with a cone and a box I made from paper as subjects, Conte crayon as medium: a bit easier to produce uniform tone with this.
Reading:
The Complete Drawing Course, Ian Simpson
Running Press, Philadelphia, PA 1993
Lesson 3 (pp 26-33)
How to Use Your Eyes James Elkins
Routledge, New York & London (2000)
Chapters 16-25 (pp 118-195)
Personal sketchbook work: Did a sketch in my pocket sketchbook of a clump of hickory trees I saw this morning while walking. Sketched two views of a chambered nautilus in my A4 sketchbook.
Total time: about 2 ½ hours
Course work: Did the exercise on Observing Light (page 15) late last night and early this morning: described results in my course sketchbook. Did the first two exercises in Assignment 1, Section 3, page 16, using a glazed off-white cup and a white box. Found it difficult to get a really uniform tone with pencil, and my shapes were not well-drawn. Repeated second part of exercise with a cone and a box I made from paper as subjects, Conte crayon as medium: a bit easier to produce uniform tone with this.
Reading:
The Complete Drawing Course, Ian Simpson
Running Press, Philadelphia, PA 1993
Lesson 3 (pp 26-33)
How to Use Your Eyes James Elkins
Routledge, New York & London (2000)
Chapters 16-25 (pp 118-195)
Personal sketchbook work: Did a sketch in my pocket sketchbook of a clump of hickory trees I saw this morning while walking. Sketched two views of a chambered nautilus in my A4 sketchbook.
Total time: about 2 ½ hours
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)