Friday 7 January 2011




Course work: Additional work on the apple and the background for Stage Two of Project Two: Solidity. At this point, I feel that I have made a little progress; although it doesn’t look that much like my subject apple, what I have done makes me think “apple”.



Reading and theoretical studies:



E.H. Gombrich, The Story of Art

Phaidon Press Limited, Oxford 1978

Pp. 260-276





Sketchbook work: With leftover paint and a ¾” brush, I set out to do a quick apple: in less than ten minutes I arrived at something little worse than the several day’s work so far done on the Solidity project. There’s a message in this: perhaps I tend to overwork things. I do find that I like many of my quick studies more than the work over which I labor.

Time today: 1 hour 22 minutes (72h23m)

Wednesday 5 January 2011




Course work: Continued development work on the apple and the background for Stage Two of Project Two: Solidity. I am having difficulty in obtaining a reasonable representation of an apple, and will probably have to overpaint most of today’s work, perhaps several times more.







Reading and theoretical studies:



Cynthia Freeland Art Theory

Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001

Pp. 60-92



Time today: 58 minutes

Monday 3 January 2011




Course work: Further development work on the apple and the background for Stage Two of Project Two: Solidity.





Reading and theoretical studies:



E. H. Gombrich Art and Illusion (11th Printing)

Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 1969

Pp. 288-299





Sketchbook work: A sketch of three partially squeezed-out paint tubes of differing sizes.

Time today: 1 hour 11 minutes

Sunday 2 January 2011





Course work: Started work on Stage Two of Project Two: Solidity, on a 20 cm square of paper, blocking in the shape and putting in some rough color notations.



Reading and theoretical studies:



Phil Metzger The Art of Perspective

North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 2007

Pp. 39-75





Sketchbook work: An acrylic sketch of three apples in a plastic bag, using paint left over from today’s course work.

Weekly reflections on learning experience: This has probably been my best week’s work in about two months; with a diminishing number of demands on my time I hope I will be able to work with more time, more enthusiasm and less fatigue. Finishing up with the still-life project that has, for all practical purposes, been a major activity since August is a welcome event. My sketchbook work is a bit more faithful; reading and theoretical work are progressing to my satisfaction.



Time today: One hour 2 minutes

Saturday 1 January 2011




Course work: A third apple sketch, on ~A4 tinted charcoal paper with a small amount of white pastel for highlights, and a fourth, on ~A4 white charcoal paper.

Reading and theoretical studies:



Weckbach, Kevin: A Visual Palette: A Philosophy of the Natural Principles of Painting


iUniverse, Bloomington, Indiana, USA, 2008

Pp. 10-27



Sketchbook work: A threatening winter sky, in charcoal, in my ~A4 sketchbook.

Time today: One hour 25 minutes

Friday 31 December 2010







Course work: A few final brush-strokes on Stage Three of Project Two, which I think I’ll call done now. I am far from happy with the overall result: shapes are reasonably well depicted, shadows are only fair, the apple seems to have advanced in the picture plane to the point it appears ready to roll on to the floor, and fabric folds appear mechanical for the most part. Color is fair; detail is poor, blending and soft edges are virtually nonexistent. Some of my frustration with this Project arises from the knowledge that I could have produced a better result working with oil paints.

A second apple sketch for Stage One of Project Two, using charcoal in my A4 sketchbook. Changed the apple’s position and the direction of the light.

Reading and theoretical studies:



E.H. Gombrich, The Story of Art

Phaidon Press Limited, Oxford 1978

Pp. 247-259





Sketchbook work: A small pile of mushrooms awaiting preparation.

Time today: One hour 34 minutes

Thursday 30 December 2010





Course work: Did the first of the four apple drawings for Stage One of Project Two, using charcoal in my A4 sketchbook.

Reading and theoretical studies:



Sarah Simblett The Drawing Book

Dorling Kindersley, London, 2004

Pp. 108-129



Phil Metzger The Art of Perspective

North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 2007

Pp. 9-37



Sketchbook work: A line sketch of an apple, done with pen.

Time today: 1 hour 28 minutes