Saturday 8 May 2010
Watched a VHS tape by Tony Couch entitled Drawing: Learning Professional Techniques. This had some useful information about perspective.
Total time: 1 hour
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thursday 6 May 2010
Course work:
Sketched a general view of the Wilkes County Courthouse in Washington, Georgia (our county seat) constructed in 1904. Most rural courthouses in Georgia are of Neoclassical or Federal style: this mad confection astonishes all who see it. The building is constructed primarily of a sand-colored brick: the odd false-front structure on the right is criss-crossed with red brick. The roof is red, as are the wooden slats in the oval openings on the central tower and in the false front on the right. The roofline on the central tower is exceedingly complex, with a central pyramid intersected by crossed gables, with brick false fronts. Of historical interest: the government of the Confederate States was dissolved in the previous courthouse that stood on the same site.
This drawing was done late in the morning on an overcast day: shadows were not strong.
The accompanying sketch of the roof plan of the central tower does not provide as much clarification as I had hoped. One would almost have to build a model in order to really make the complexities clear.
After reviewing these drawings and some photos taken at the same and at other times, I think I have a clearer idea of what I want to include in my final drawing, and will explore this idea a bit more tomorrow.
Reading:
Rudolf Stussi The Fifth Perspective
in The Artist’s Magazine Vol. 27, No 5 (June 2010)
Pp 32-39
(This article discusses a way to produce warped paintings by using warped perspective lines. The most useful feature is a one-page discussion of more conventional methods of perspective.)
Personal sketchbook work: A ball-point pen sketch of a manikin, with some pretty obvious errors.
Total time: 47 minutes
Course work:
Sketched a general view of the Wilkes County Courthouse in Washington, Georgia (our county seat) constructed in 1904. Most rural courthouses in Georgia are of Neoclassical or Federal style: this mad confection astonishes all who see it. The building is constructed primarily of a sand-colored brick: the odd false-front structure on the right is criss-crossed with red brick. The roof is red, as are the wooden slats in the oval openings on the central tower and in the false front on the right. The roofline on the central tower is exceedingly complex, with a central pyramid intersected by crossed gables, with brick false fronts. Of historical interest: the government of the Confederate States was dissolved in the previous courthouse that stood on the same site.
This drawing was done late in the morning on an overcast day: shadows were not strong.
The accompanying sketch of the roof plan of the central tower does not provide as much clarification as I had hoped. One would almost have to build a model in order to really make the complexities clear.
After reviewing these drawings and some photos taken at the same and at other times, I think I have a clearer idea of what I want to include in my final drawing, and will explore this idea a bit more tomorrow.
Reading:
Rudolf Stussi The Fifth Perspective
in The Artist’s Magazine Vol. 27, No 5 (June 2010)
Pp 32-39
(This article discusses a way to produce warped paintings by using warped perspective lines. The most useful feature is a one-page discussion of more conventional methods of perspective.)
Personal sketchbook work: A ball-point pen sketch of a manikin, with some pretty obvious errors.
Total time: 47 minutes
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Wednesday 5 May 2010
Course work: Did a highly simplified copy version of the Sir Muirhead Bone drawing on p 14 of the text, and drew in the perspective lines. My vanishing points were multiple.
Reading:
Rose-Marie & Ranier Hagen What Great Paintings Say (Vol. 2)
Taschen, Köln, 2005
Pp 512-523
Personal sketchbook work: I went out on a short sketching drive today. Spring haying is in full swing, and in a large field with many rolls of hay I saw an area where three freshly-rolled large bales appeared in a line down a hill. A large oak and a small pond made the view even more interesting.
Afternoons in Georgia summers almost invariably bring masses of cumulus clouds, and I sketched some, coloring them with markers (a medium I have neglected in this assignment) after I reached home.
Total time: 1 hour 30 min
Course work: Did a highly simplified copy version of the Sir Muirhead Bone drawing on p 14 of the text, and drew in the perspective lines. My vanishing points were multiple.
Reading:
Rose-Marie & Ranier Hagen What Great Paintings Say (Vol. 2)
Taschen, Köln, 2005
Pp 512-523
Personal sketchbook work: I went out on a short sketching drive today. Spring haying is in full swing, and in a large field with many rolls of hay I saw an area where three freshly-rolled large bales appeared in a line down a hill. A large oak and a small pond made the view even more interesting.
Afternoons in Georgia summers almost invariably bring masses of cumulus clouds, and I sketched some, coloring them with markers (a medium I have neglected in this assignment) after I reached home.
Total time: 1 hour 30 min
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Tuesday 4 May 2010
Course work: Although perhaps somewhat outside the intent of the text, I thought it would be interesting to scan the Sir Muirhead Bone drawing and apply perspective lines with the computer. I quickly learned that (despite the problems of working with a small image and the additional complication of atmospheric perspective in the farthest part of the drawing) the perspective lines are not consistent. This suggests that the drawing was done by a skilled eye rather than having been corrected by geometric methods.
Other activity: My painting group met today (time not included).
Total time: 23 minutes
Course work: Although perhaps somewhat outside the intent of the text, I thought it would be interesting to scan the Sir Muirhead Bone drawing and apply perspective lines with the computer. I quickly learned that (despite the problems of working with a small image and the additional complication of atmospheric perspective in the farthest part of the drawing) the perspective lines are not consistent. This suggests that the drawing was done by a skilled eye rather than having been corrected by geometric methods.
Other activity: My painting group met today (time not included).
Total time: 23 minutes
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday 3 May 2010
Course work: Made another arrangement of books of varying sizes, drew the outlines as best I could, loaded it into the computer, added work space, and drew in my perspective and eye level lines. Because of the confusing number of lines, I placed a dot at the place where each line pair crossed. For some reason, the perspective lines projecting to the right are more nearly accurate than those projecting to the left, with some of my leftward lines being parallel or nearly so. The eye level line as drawn corresponds closely to the observed eye level line. Overall, this is my best effort to date. However, it is clear that a good bit more effort will be needed to become adequate and consistent with my perspective efforts.
Started work on the simplified copy version of the Sir Muirhead Bone drawing on p 14 of the text. After an unsatisfactory start, with some careful observation, I discovered that there are at least three vanishing points, as the structure(s) depicted are sitting upon a gentle hill. Abandoned my initial drawing effort (in which I had failed to recognize the hill) and will restart after further study.
Reading:
Rose-Marie & Ranier Hagen What Great Paintings Say (Vol. 2)
Taschen, Köln, 2005
Pp 500-511
Total time: 1 hour 41 min
Course work: Made another arrangement of books of varying sizes, drew the outlines as best I could, loaded it into the computer, added work space, and drew in my perspective and eye level lines. Because of the confusing number of lines, I placed a dot at the place where each line pair crossed. For some reason, the perspective lines projecting to the right are more nearly accurate than those projecting to the left, with some of my leftward lines being parallel or nearly so. The eye level line as drawn corresponds closely to the observed eye level line. Overall, this is my best effort to date. However, it is clear that a good bit more effort will be needed to become adequate and consistent with my perspective efforts.
Started work on the simplified copy version of the Sir Muirhead Bone drawing on p 14 of the text. After an unsatisfactory start, with some careful observation, I discovered that there are at least three vanishing points, as the structure(s) depicted are sitting upon a gentle hill. Abandoned my initial drawing effort (in which I had failed to recognize the hill) and will restart after further study.
Reading:
Rose-Marie & Ranier Hagen What Great Paintings Say (Vol. 2)
Taschen, Köln, 2005
Pp 500-511
Total time: 1 hour 41 min
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Sunday 2 May 2010
Course work: Sketched two outbuildings (a run-in shed for the horses, and a tack shed). Photographed them, loaded them into the computer, added some work space on the right side, and applied the projected perspective lines. As expected, some of the lines extended well beyond the page…in fact, some were parallel to the eye-height line, and one rose above it. The tack shed sketch worked out better, perhaps because it was built by professionals instead of being my construction, and thus actually had some right angles.
Dissatisfied with my work here, I decided to try drawing the books, and arranged several of varying sizes. My outline drawing looked superficially satisfactory.
After I loaded the picture into the computer, added some space to work in, and drew my lines, I was more dissatisfied than I was with the buildings. The vanishing points bear little perceptible relationship to the eye-level line. I’ll try this one again tomorrow.
Reading:
Howard Etter & Margit Malmstrom Perspective for Painters
Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, Pp 74-95
Rose-Marie & Ranier Hagen What Great Paintings Say (Vol. 2)
Taschen, Köln, 2005
Pp 488-499
Personal sketchbook work: A drawing of a battered old brass jug, in graphite.
Weekly reflections on learning experience: It appears that I have less grasp on the principles of perspective than I had thought: my work over the past several days has been disappointing, and it is clear that I need more than just a quick review of the subject.
Total time: 2 hours 19 minutes (25 h 50 m)
Course work: Sketched two outbuildings (a run-in shed for the horses, and a tack shed). Photographed them, loaded them into the computer, added some work space on the right side, and applied the projected perspective lines. As expected, some of the lines extended well beyond the page…in fact, some were parallel to the eye-height line, and one rose above it. The tack shed sketch worked out better, perhaps because it was built by professionals instead of being my construction, and thus actually had some right angles.
Dissatisfied with my work here, I decided to try drawing the books, and arranged several of varying sizes. My outline drawing looked superficially satisfactory.
After I loaded the picture into the computer, added some space to work in, and drew my lines, I was more dissatisfied than I was with the buildings. The vanishing points bear little perceptible relationship to the eye-level line. I’ll try this one again tomorrow.
Reading:
Howard Etter & Margit Malmstrom Perspective for Painters
Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, Pp 74-95
Rose-Marie & Ranier Hagen What Great Paintings Say (Vol. 2)
Taschen, Köln, 2005
Pp 488-499
Personal sketchbook work: A drawing of a battered old brass jug, in graphite.
Weekly reflections on learning experience: It appears that I have less grasp on the principles of perspective than I had thought: my work over the past several days has been disappointing, and it is clear that I need more than just a quick review of the subject.
Total time: 2 hours 19 minutes (25 h 50 m)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Saturday 1 May 2010
(Home and able to resume work on course.)
Course work: As an overview of previous work, and an introduction to the next section, I took the gate in my foreground-midground-background drawing, and projected its lines with the computer, finding, as expected, that they did not “vanish” at the same point. Then I added lines in red, and in blue, with the computer to show two possible vanishing points. I think the blue set are drawn more correctly and would produce the better drawing. This was a useful exercise, and can be done very quickly with the digital camera and the computer.
Because of structural factors, including high ceilings, it is difficult to find a doorway in my house thorough which one can see receding lines of floor and ceiling. For this reason, I did a limited rough sketch down the hallway, including only the major features, but omitting moldings, details, and tone, using a graphite pencil. The hall carpet requested by the instructions was included, represented as a quadrilateral shape on the floor. Since the right wall of the hall is shorter than the left, I had to allow for this. I drew in the eye level with a green colored pencil. Using a red colored pencil, I drew in the projections of my lines, and ended up with two distinct “vanishing points.” The vanishing point for the floor and the carpet was entirely incorrect, lying on (or above) the ceiling about four feet in front of the end wall, and several feet above the eye level, although the lines did converge in a relatively small area. The lines from the upper part of each wall and the top of each door were surprisingly close to the eye level and the actual vanishing point. I then took a blue colored pencil and redrew the lines in the correct position; the bottom of each wall and the margins of the hall carpet were most strongly affected by this. It is clear that I need more work on exercises of this sort.
Searching about, I found a spot where one can look through two doors at a third, with additional doorways on each side. Asymmetry of construction still produces some visual confusion. I used the same sketching methodology as above (black lines for structure, green for eye level, red for projected construction lines, blue for corrected construction lines). Three of my four major black structural lines projected reasonably near the vanishing point: one of the wall-base lines, and both of the door top lines wandered off by themselves.
Reading:
Rose-Marie & Ranier Hagen What Great Paintings Say (Vol. 2)
Taschen, Köln, 2005
Pp 476-487
Personal sketchbook work: Some ripening plums. Leaves are highly variable in size, as shown, with some variability in shape, and very slightly serrate edges. At present, the plums are about 2 cm in diameter, but will get a good bit larger.
Total time: 1 hour 16 minutes
(Home and able to resume work on course.)
Course work: As an overview of previous work, and an introduction to the next section, I took the gate in my foreground-midground-background drawing, and projected its lines with the computer, finding, as expected, that they did not “vanish” at the same point. Then I added lines in red, and in blue, with the computer to show two possible vanishing points. I think the blue set are drawn more correctly and would produce the better drawing. This was a useful exercise, and can be done very quickly with the digital camera and the computer.
Because of structural factors, including high ceilings, it is difficult to find a doorway in my house thorough which one can see receding lines of floor and ceiling. For this reason, I did a limited rough sketch down the hallway, including only the major features, but omitting moldings, details, and tone, using a graphite pencil. The hall carpet requested by the instructions was included, represented as a quadrilateral shape on the floor. Since the right wall of the hall is shorter than the left, I had to allow for this. I drew in the eye level with a green colored pencil. Using a red colored pencil, I drew in the projections of my lines, and ended up with two distinct “vanishing points.” The vanishing point for the floor and the carpet was entirely incorrect, lying on (or above) the ceiling about four feet in front of the end wall, and several feet above the eye level, although the lines did converge in a relatively small area. The lines from the upper part of each wall and the top of each door were surprisingly close to the eye level and the actual vanishing point. I then took a blue colored pencil and redrew the lines in the correct position; the bottom of each wall and the margins of the hall carpet were most strongly affected by this. It is clear that I need more work on exercises of this sort.
Searching about, I found a spot where one can look through two doors at a third, with additional doorways on each side. Asymmetry of construction still produces some visual confusion. I used the same sketching methodology as above (black lines for structure, green for eye level, red for projected construction lines, blue for corrected construction lines). Three of my four major black structural lines projected reasonably near the vanishing point: one of the wall-base lines, and both of the door top lines wandered off by themselves.
Reading:
Rose-Marie & Ranier Hagen What Great Paintings Say (Vol. 2)
Taschen, Köln, 2005
Pp 476-487
Personal sketchbook work: Some ripening plums. Leaves are highly variable in size, as shown, with some variability in shape, and very slightly serrate edges. At present, the plums are about 2 cm in diameter, but will get a good bit larger.
Total time: 1 hour 16 minutes
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