Monday 14 February 2011




Course work: Started painting Project 3: Painting a Flower or Plant. Used cadmium yellow as an underlayer for the chair, and various mixtures of cadmium yellow and ultramarine blue as provisional colors for the leaves on the plant. I think that I should paint the background next.





Reading and theoretical studies:



E.H. Gombrich, The Story of Art

Phaidon Press Limited, Oxford 1978

Pp. 277-300



Sketchbook work: Some pencil studies of books on a shelf, in preparation for the background work in the painting.

Time today: One hour 30 minutes (101h17m)

Sunday 13 February 2011




Course work: Did most of the underdrawing for the full-size painting for Project 3: Painting a Flower or Plant. I made a few small design changes as a result of having worked through the preliminary studies.



Reading and theoretical studies:



Phil Metzger The Art of Perspective

North Light Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 2007

Pp. 146-173



Sketchbook work: An attempt at capturing a chair using only twenty lines.

Weekly reflections on learning experience: This has been a better week: I have come near to fulfilling my week’s objectives.



Time today:1 hour 5 minutes

Saturday 12 February 2011




Course work: A color study for Project 3: Painting a Flower or Plant. I simplified the plant a bit for purposes of the study, and used a sheet of paper cut to 15 x30 cm. The study was done fairly roughly, in a little over two hours. This study was very helpful for planning purposes, as it revealed some problems that were not apparent in the preliminary charcoal sketch, and enabled me to try out a few design changes, one of which (making the flowerpot vertical instead of tapered) proved unsuccessful; it makes the pot look bottom-heavy.

Reading and theoretical studies:



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

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

Pp. 367-396

(This volume originated from a series of lectures given in 1956, and it still has more of the flavor of speech than of writing. Primarily an extended rumination on the psychology of drawing and painting, there is much to be thought about here. The occasional introduction of psychological hypotheses now known to be incorrect does not detract from the text. One significant weakness is the illustrations, which are small and mostly black and white. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in why artists do the things that they do, and who is willing to take the time necessary to work through it.)



Sketchbook work: A little cartoon strip about the difficulties of creativity.

Time today: Two hours 39 minutes (98h42m)

Friday 11 February 2011





Course work: Today I moved my peripatetic Sanseveiria to the top of a filing cabinet, giving me a view from beneath for my third preliminary study. This, together with looking out one door and partially into another, is fairly interesting, but perhaps a little “gimmicky.” I think that I prefer the first setup, and will try a color study based upon it.

Reading and theoretical studies:



Douglas Cooper Toulouse-Lautrec

Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 2004

Pp. 9-37



Sketchbook work: Some foreshortening practice using a manikin.

Time today: 1 hour 29 minutes

Thursday 10 February 2011





Course work: A second sketch of the potted plant, on a rectangular table by another arm chair. I abandoned this one fairly early, having concluded that the front-lighting was less than optimal, and that the lamp and the chair had become the dominant features, rather than the plant. If I wanted to use this location, I think that I would have to work after dark, light it from the left, and work closer to the subject in order to increase the prominence of the plant.

Reading and theoretical studies:



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

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

Pp. 350-366



Sketchbook work: Some preliminary attempts at depicting coloration of the Sanseveiria with acrylics.

Time today: 62 minutes

Wednesday 9 February 2011





Course work: Selected a Sanseveiria as the plant subject for Project 3: Painting a Flower or Plant. This plant has the advantages of durability, slow growth, and a shape compatible the vertical format required for this project. The first preparatory charcoal sketch was done with the plant on a small table near an armchair in front of a bookcase.

Reading and theoretical studies:



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

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

Pp. 330-349



Sketchbook work: A caricature self-portrait.

Time today: 1 hour 8 minutes

Tuesday 8 February 2011




Course work: Further work on the second attempt at an apple for Stage Two of Project Two: Solidity. I think that I am about done now: this apple appear much more solid than my first attempt. I’ll start work on the next project, and look at this again in a day or so, to see if any further correction is needed.

Reading and theoretical studies:



Cynthia Freeland Art Theory

Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001

Pp. 122-140

(This is a brief, densely-written introduction to art theory; it probably contains about as much information about this nebulous subject as anybody really needs. I have read other books on the subject but found little in any of them except unsupported opinion, usually tainted by the author’s personal political beliefs. This volume is no different.)





Sketchbook work: A page of small charcoal sketches of reflective metal objects found in a bathroom.

Time today: 1 hour 30 minutes (92h22m)