Observing Negative Space and Perspective

Drawing 1

Drawing 2 - without removing pencil from the paper

Still Life - man made and natural objects

 1. To obtain an impression of three dimensions on either manmade or natural objects I would say there is a need to be mindful of following the direction of the curve when rendering an object with hatching. This is what I tried to do with many of them. Perspective comes into play more so I think, on made objects. Largely because I found on those I drew in previous exercises, errors I made became more obvious when the hatching wasn’t adequately curved around the sides of the object. This also tended to result in a flatter appearance. Ellipses and cubes on man made objects presented me with some difficulty, as I found that if these aren’t exact, the result isn't convincing – I’m not too happy with the ones here, so it’s something I definitely need lots of practice with. Conversely I found the natural forms were easier in this regard, as being freeforms, more leeway is allowed before mistakes show up. In the foreground of the apples, foreshortening and perspective became noticeable to me in the leaf, which I found to be a bit of a challenge. It did seem to add further to the sense of depth, but I had to make a couple of attempts at this before I felt it looked convincing.

2. Because the man made objects I chose for the sketches were all reflective and mostly transparent, particularly the glass bottles, I found these presented me with more difficulty when attempting to convey solidity than with the two apples in the next exercise. Reflected light and shadow was bouncing around in all directions between the glass objects adding to their more transparent appearance. The ceramic jug was less of a challenge, being opaque, though still reflective.  If they had matt surfaces and were more opaque (as with the apples I chose for the drawing of natural forms) I think obtaining a sense of solidity would have been a simpler task, as the tonal values would be less complex. Yet, the leaves didn’t look as solid as the other objects, maybe because they are not solid objects in reality, so the perception of solidity isn't there to begin with. For the same reason, I think if the man made objects were non-reflective they would appear more solid.

3. I moved the objects around in both arrangements, sketching out various combinations, until I was happy  that there was an adequate balance and depth in them. With the natural forms group I moved the apple with four leaves at least four times before I decided that I had the most balanced arrangement. Using methods such as including more than two objects helping to give a feeling of unity, and overlapping so that some objects were further away, helped I think to give the illusion of form and depth. Changing the viewpoint of the man made objects, gave them a much more three dimensional look when I viewed them from a high position, rather than when they were placed at, or almost at eye level. This high viewpoint transformed their shapes so that they became more elliptical and cylindrical, giving more form to their appearance. On the other hand I found them more difficult to sketch from this angle, as I had to deal with drawing ellipses and some foreshortening, presenting more of a challenge and a source of frustration at times when things began to look distorted, particularly around the jug tops. Although the cast shadows they produced helped to ground the objects, adding I think, to their sense of solidity.

Additional Note: When I took a closer look at the negative spaces in sketches 3 and 4 a few weeks later, I noted  a few points of interest:
I think the negative spaces in no.3 are more balanced and interesting than those in no.4, especially those caused by the cast shadows - this was something I ignored at the time. A pattern is produced by the cast shadows in no.3, whereas this is almost non existent in no.4, which I think would be improved it they were more broken up in the centre of the arrangement.

4. To obtain all of the above elements I decided the best position was to place myself well above the man made objects and slightly above the natural forms. The former (bottles and jug), which although it was an interesting angle to draw from, also proved to be quite uncomfortable before long, as I was looking down to a much greater extent.          

Finished drawing  of natural forms - pencil

Patrick Caulfield

Common characteristics of Caulfield’s paintings would be to use flat images of objects paired with angular geometric shapes. He would also use realistic images of, for example a still life or a landscape and combine them with plain areas of vivid colour in the negative space. Alternatively he also placed plain flat objects in combination with patterned loud patterned backgrounds. These all appear to depict to me, everyday objects in everyday settings but in an extraordinary way, like pictures within pictures and the longer I look at them the more complex many of them seem to appear.

The positive and negative spaces would be amplified, as in these two images:

Interior with a Picture 1985-6 Acrylic on canvas

Happy Hour

The unmodulated black line in much of his work, enhances the negative spaces incorporating elements of trompe l’oeil.

He was associated with British Pop Art but he rejected this label and his heroes were the cubists. I retrieved a couple of newspaper articles which I put away a few years ago, one of which is an obituary in The Gaurdian. These contain information I found quite illuminating such as: that he found much of his early inspiration in the poems of Jules Laforgue (some of the lines became titles of prints he made ie. I’ve only the friendship of hotel rooms) and other literary works, and later from locations such as the interiors of urban public houses, cafes, restaurants and hotel foyers. The connections between the two encapsulate to me, the biggest influences in his work.

Autumn Fashion -
 from The Gaurdian newspaper



My own interpretation of Caulfield's style
- oil pastel on pink paper



Reflected Light

1. During the exercises I squinted a lot to help simplify the area's tonal values. Despite this I still had trouble with the base of the mortar and pestle and the surrounding area, as it was very dark so I couldn’t really see much variation between where the reflected light from the supporting surface ended and where the cast shadow began. As a result it isn’t as rounded as I would have liked. Its surface is shiny, but much less so than on the stainless steel pan with the glass lid. Reflected light and shadow and cast shadows were easier to make out around the shinier objects – it produced a dappled effect upon the surface of the objects and to some extent, those they were resting on, although this made them quite complex. The light and shade was also bouncing from one surface onto another and back again, including I think, cast shadows. I was confused as to whether there was cast shadow on the surfaces of the objects - unless this was actually reflected shadow bouncing up off the cast shadow below. The effect was the same on both objects in the second exercise as they are also very shiny stainless steel, so more light and shade was bouncing around here.
All this resulted in a distinct (rather than gradual) separation between the darkest area of cast shadow nearer the objects, and the outer areas. I think this effect could have been at least partly due to some reflected light from the shiny objects onto the lighter areas of shadow.


2. The alternating values on the stainless steel objects in particular, produced an interesting pattern of light and shade on the surface.
For the mortar, pestle and stainless steel pan I lightly added the outlines with an F pencil and for the shading - 2B and 4B pencils. I tried to follow the round curving shape of the two objects using various weights of line, depending on the depth of tone. I don’t think that I curved the lines adequately towards some of the sides, for instance on the pan – they are a bit too horizontal looking, adversely affecting it’s form. It was difficult to do any obvious hatching on some areas like the handle on the right of the pan, but I  tried to follow the curves. I think that the many areas of reflected light and shade on the body of the objects have too hard a division between them. I’m not sure how I could correct this in future – we’ll see!
Note: I later rounded the ellipses more at the base of both objects in the two drawings - the first below and also the coffee pot and sugar bowl further down. The improvement is evident and they appear much more natural now, but I would say the ellipses should be deeper than  those at the top of the objects as the angle is sharper from those viewpoints. Then again, since I  made the changes the initial ellipses look extremely flat in comparison. 

Before

After curving the ellipses more on the base of both articles

The medium used for the coffee pot and sugar bowl was willow charcoal in various thicknesses. The areas of reflected light and shade seemed to follow a straight vertical pattern around the upper two thirds of the sides, as they also followed the length of the handles and coffee pot’s spout, so I tried to emulate this in the direction of my rendering of them. With the later addition of some random short horizontal  flicks of charcoal I tried to balance the contrasting effects on neighbouring areas. Some of them were again too horizontal where they should have curved more around the sides. On the lower third of the objects and the inside surface of the sugar bowl the surfaces were angled inwards and this suggested to me the use of a fairly horizontal treatment from the start, following the curvature of both objects. The same went for the lids, although it was more obvious on the underside of the sugar bowl’s open lid. I had difficulty using the charcoal in a way which seemed to demand a more controlled approach, but I enjoyed the challenge.

Before

After

Nick Millar drawings

TRUCKSCAPES: Drawings from a mobile studio love these ink drawings from the back of a truck

Exhibition - Close to Hand @ Crawford Gallery Cork

link to NICK MILLER site

Lissadell Bay, 2010. Casein on Arches paper on Aluminum composite.
24 x 146 cm. (5 panels)

annidraw: Nick Millar

This group exhibition explores relationships between building inhabitants and their surroundings, both indoors and outdoors. The artists use a variety of media to explore the theme such as photographs, video and audio installations, sculpture and paintings. Of the very few paintings on display at this exhibition, what attracted my attention most of all were the paintings by Nick Millar. These prompted me to look further at his work and I found a beautiful selection in his catalogue over to one side, of drawings he had completed in Chinese ink. These are part of a series of drawings and paintings called ‘Truckscapes’, all produced from inside the back of a van. They are my personal favourites as I think the way the marks produced in them are just so alive with texture and movement with a strong emphasis on the application of sinewy yet squiggly twisting lines. The way he has used the brush to apply the ink appears to gives real atmosphere and depth - heightened by the monochromatic scheme. It seems to me that a similar technique has been employed in the paintings. The medium used for these is casein, which is apparently a protein found in milk. Some interesting information about casein paint can be located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein_paint

Odilon Redon's Pastels and Noirs

Link  http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v14/bp14-08.html

Odilon Redon



The Apparition (Charcoal)
©The Bridgeman Art Library - London, New York, Paris.



The French artist Odilon Redon was very private person and led a retiring life in the early part of his career when his work was made up almost totally of black & white charcoal and lithographs. He was interested in exploring his inner psyche and I don’t find it surprising to discover that he was inspired by the works of the writer Edgar Alan Poe; judging by his frequent use of macabre themes featuring quite disturbing bizarre imaginary creatures (reminiscent of human, animal and plant life) in barren landscapes.

Some of his works appear ambiguous, giving me an intriguing sensation that nothing is at it seems.
He was a relatively unknown artist for a large part of his life, until the publication in 1884 of a cult novel by Joris-Karl Huysmans, in which his drawings are collected by the book’s main character - a disenchanted aristocrat.
From the 1890’s onwards his work became more in colourful and upbeat, which before long caused his career to improve greatly, although he was still a very private person. He was associated with the art movement known as the Symbolist group of painters and the Surrealists regarded him as one of their main precursors. Towards the end of his life he was much admired by many other artists.



Tree & Stars(charcoal) O Redon1895

©The Bridgeman Art Library - London, New York, Paris.

 I noticed strange tiny orb like creatures floating around in this image. Even the foliage on the tree seems to be full of mysterious ghost like faces; the more I look the more faces I see. Redon appears to have made use of the eraser to great effect, obtaining strong tonal contrasts around the base and left side of the tree.

Tone and Form

Observing Shadow and Light Formations on a Surface
In the first exercise the primary light source was a lamp on the right hand side.
As much as I squinted my eyes to blank out unnecessary detail I was a little confused about the light source in some areas.
As far as I could make out there was a lighter area on the top left of both objects but I wasn’t sure whether it came from the primary source or from another lamp which was illuminating my drawing surface.
I couldn’t distinguish much reflected light bouncing up from the surface even though it was almost white, apart from the lower right hand side – the opposite side to the shadows.
The cast shadow on the left of the objects appeared (confusingly) to be lighter quite close to the objects and darker further away. I was guessing this may have been due some light from the second lamp. I’m not sure also if the transition ought to have been more gradual between the lightest and adjacent areas.

For the second exercise I found things a little easier, I think partly because there was only one object for each study, so the light and shadow wasn’t as interrupted as in the first exercise, also I was generally more aware of what to look out for. It was trickier to separate the tonal ranges in objects without a uniform colour range, such as the plain plastic cube I used for the tonal drawing with a dip pen. I guess I could have said the same about the natural objects in the previous exercise.

These exercises have forced me to re-evaluate my approach to value/tonal drawing – whereas previously it was more simplified i.e. I looked at only light/middle and dark tones, with maybe a couple of tones in between. The difference now is that I'm more sensitive to subtle nuances in light and shade and where they should usually be placed on and around the object/s such as: cast shadow and their make up and reflected light from other surfaces and how much more three dimensional they become once tone is added. Hopefully my future work will begin bear out this assertion. 

Final drawing

Basic Shapes and Fundamental Form

Boxes and Books
I built a tower with the six items so that they turned in different directions. To follow the instructions to draw them as if I could see through them, I concentrated on drawing with line around and through each object so as to make them appear transparent. Early in the drawing I started to extend the outside edges of the objects towards the edges of the paper, with the help of pencil and ruler in an attempt to give myself a clearer idea of the correct angles. I soon found the ensuing mass was starting to become confusing on approaching the middle section, and because the objects were stacked up, I had to erase these extended lines.

The three dimensional complexity of the arrangement, I think looks quite intriguing. I find it almost impossible now to isolate each object from the second one down, as my eye is instantly and unavoidably drawn to the other forms in the arrangement. It reminds me of the optical illusion drawings MC Escher, but of course nowhere near as good.

Check & Log

They appear to be the correct shape and size in relation to one another partly, I think because: after drawing the first edge of each object with the help of a ruler, I used the ruler to slide back to the position I thought the corresponding edges on the opposite side should be in (keeping it parallel), then drew them in, while mindful to retain the same length of line as the first. It did prove also, to be a more technical drawing for me than the following 2 exercises.

The only spaces between objects, form I believe, an interesting series of triangular shapes around the areas where they meet near the ends.

Because of their transparency I wouldn't say the objects look as solid as those which are not.

Boxes and Books

Jars and Jugs
This exercise turned out to be more difficult than I expected. There were several objects, for which I had to resort to measuring with a pencil and ruler to try to get the proportions correct. Some of the edges are thick where I repeatedly went over them to try and improve the shape.
Check & Log
I think their shape and sizes in relation to one another are generally correct apart from:

•  The straight cylinder changes in dimensions and size between drawings 1 & 2. 
• The rolling pin is at the wrong angle in drawing 2 as (a) in reality the jar behind it would be on top of it, or (b) it would be going through the centre of the jar. 

 Shapes between aren’t too bad except for:

•  No. 2 - as previously mentioned, the position of the rolling pin doesn’t quite add up. 
•  No. 3 - the rolling pin and the rear left container look almost as if they are just touching and I don’t think they sufficiently overlap which seems to send the arrangement slightly off balance.

2

They mostly appear to look solid despite nos. 1 & 2 having guide lines in certain places which may detract from this. For instance there are no guides in drawing no.3 and the forms seem more solid to me.

1

   

- the third drawing was too feint to reproduce clearly on here.

Supermarket Shop

I used the paper in a portrait orientation as I wanted to exaggerate the objects vertical emphasis, which I think worked, but it’s a tight squeeze on A3 paper as I also drew them all rather large. The box of green tea on the left of the 1st drawing is too large and squat in relation to the other objects, as is the pepper jar.

In the 1st drawing I think the space is too narrow between the sides of the soya drink container on the right and the pizza box at the back so I widened this slightly on the 2nd (coloured) version. I also think the shapes between the objects help to give a diagonal emphasis, but the arrangement might benefit from moving the tall narrow pizza box further back. In the 2nd drawing I decided to erase and move the bean can as when I studied it after my initial drawing, it was almost on the same level as the pepper jar and I thought it needed more diagonal emphasis here too.

I think the objects look the most solid of all drawings in this section as they are rendered in colour and contain text and motifs. However, at the same time this seems to detract somewhat from the look of 3D form, because of my faulty attempts with the perspective in the text and motifs in many places. As these drawings contain the most texture, this also helps to give them the most solidity. They would certainly have more depth and solidity if I'd used tonal shading and had made some of the objects fuzzier than others – giving more emphasis to just a couple of objects, but rightly or wrongly, as it wasn’t part of the brief, I didn’t use it.
I would say the feeling of depth exists in all drawings in the 3 exercises because:

 The objects are placed at an angle so that one side and the upper surfaces of the boxes and the ellipses in the cylinders are all apparent.

 They also overlap (one object is placed infront of another) at varying heights on the paper so that they appear to recede, giving a foreground, middleground and background.

The feeling of depth would be improved in all exercises if I had made more use of perspective and tonal shading. On reflection, some of the supermarket shop objects look almost like cardboard cutouts, not helped by the fact that, as my tutor later pointed out, the ellipses are too flat at the base. Of the three exercises, I think the boxes and books have the most depth  because of being able to see both through and around the objects, producing a transparent appearance.

Eric Ravilious 1903-1942

One of the best known artists of the 1930’s and a successful and prolific wood engraver, ceramic and graphic designer, producing designs for Wedgewood and London Transport.
He lived in Eastborne most of his life and from looking at his work appeared to have great feeling for the ocean, which seemed to be echoed in his paintings of the landscape of the South Downs. He was greatly inspired by this landscape. I think many of his landscape paintingst exude a certain moodiness and a touch of surrealism about them. His paintings almost always contain the presence of man made features (fences, war constructions such as coastal defences and mooring posts) existing in concurrence with the natural world such as in: Chalk Paths (1935), The Westbury Horse (1939). In the painting Demonstrating a Gun, light is employed in such a way that it seems to very effectively illuminate and draw attention to certain areas. The fine stippling technique in his watercolours was applied in a way which gave great significance to lights and darks. Other techniques included using dry brush marks and scraping the paper to bring back the white. Paintings were very detailed yet understated and contemporary looking.


 Demonstrating a Gun - watercolour
©The Bridgeman Art Library - London, New York, Paris.

 


 
       Chalk Paths - watercolour

©The Bridgeman Art Library - London, New York, Paris.

Some of Ravilious' work was quite emotional, containing very solitary features and empty spaces, mostly I think in interiors paintings, giving importance to ordinary objects.

He was an official war artist during World War 2 and was killed on an air sea rescue mission over Iceland.

The Imperial War Museum holds an impressive exhibition of his work.

                                                    Eric Ravilious (1903-1942)- exhibition Imperial War Museum

Vincent Van Gogh - Starry Night pen & ink drawing

Starry Night - In more than one sense this is a later pen and ink drawing of Van Gogh's, as it was completed following the painting of the same name. It forms part of a series known as ‘Cypresses’ and uses a lot of the same strokes as those in the painting.
The marks employed here (and in others in the series) appear to be a reflection of the artist’s agitated and tormented state of mind at the time - as though searching for some form of release.
Using short straight and curving multidirectional pen strokes throughout, I think he has created a drawing full of rhythm. Upward twisting swirling spirals in the cypress trees are countered by the reverse spirals of the clouds, bushes and hills, even many of the buildings, creating a feeling of turbulence.
In a slightly earlier series of mostly pen and ink landscape drawings, completed around the area of Arles, stippling is used extensively in a very expressive way to depict mostly the texture of crops or earth. Dots very effectively describe undulations or a look of recession by a change or reduction in the size and density as they move further away into the distance. As well as stippling, there is also a great variety of lines and dashes, including crosshatching. All the marks are played off one against the other, creating a feeling of energy even without a curved line in sight.
Arums
Drawing, pen, reed pen, brown ink
Saint-Rémy: May - second part of month, 1889
Van Gogh Museum
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Europe
F: 1613, JH: 1703

Line and Other Marks and Trying New Media

Initially it felt quite inhibiting trying to fit the composition inside a small box, and I almost decided to do the designs on a larger area and cut and paste 5cm² pieces onto the sketchbook page. Instead I decided to persevere with trying small designs within the given area and after a while I got used to it. Infact I would say it was probably a good discipline for me to fit these designs into a thumbnail size area, generating a self contained composition in each box.
The small area became once more very apparent to me when using pastels which were tricky to maneouvre properly, but easier if used on the side of the flat end.

Added  interest and lift, I think was produced by adding colour contrasts and harmonies to some designs.

For certain types of marks in this exercise, I found the most enjoyable tools and techniques to use were:

Gel pen – for thin scratchy marks

Feather and ink (top end) held near opposite end, lightly twisted and flicked

Ink – with feather, homemade stick pens such as teasel and course grass stems and bamboo were all enjoyable for easily producing a wide variety of lines with, an often unpredictable outcome

Ballpoint pen – energetic and whispy

Watercolour crayons – grainy and smooth with the addition of a damp brush on some areas

Oil pastel – resist and scratching out

Soft media (charcoal, pastels etc.) - stipples for speed of coverage and relatively large scale

Soft pastels – easy to blend

Homemade sticks and ink ie. bamboo, teasel, reed, feather, coarse grass - a diverse range of marks and lines.

Using Charcoal

After much experimentation with charcoal, I found it difficult to stop, mostly because it seems to have such great versatility. It seems to me that the number of effects achievable is almost endless and great depth of tone and atmosphere can appear very easily and quickly. Almost any thickness of line is possible depending on the size of the stick, the angle and pressure applied.

Using a piece lengthways (either full or broken) it was good for rapid, straight or wavy lines.

Straight lines could be useful for many buildings and angular objects, poles, stalks and conifer trees. If moved from side to side using straight or wavy lines the look of calm, rippling or choppy water can be brought about. The same method could also be used to emulate hair, rays of light or windy weather, rain and blizzards, an approaching storm and heavy cloud cover.

Using the side at a 90° angle to the previous method the thickest lines can be created – ideal for covering a large area quickly with tone and/or texture i.e. water, sky, rocks, rough surfaces, tree trunks etc.

When using a piece on the flat end, medium or thick lines appear, and if twisted or twiddled around the lines become more uneven and expressive, similar to those of a bamboo or dip pen and ink.

Using the end of a stick on the side I could get quite thin lines. The thin stick looks similar to charcoal pencil, except unlike pencil, it creates a much darker and more dramatic looking line if more pressure is applied. At the other extreme, light wispy looking lines are very little effort to produce.

Charcoal’s speed of coverage and its ability to easily create mood and atmosphere to almost anything, is second to none - in a format large or small. It would lend itself well to sketching many subjects (large or small) when out and about or when time is short  – particularly landscape sketches. It is definitely ideal for large expansive drawing.

The only drawback I find is its inherent messiness, but this is also part of its attraction because this makes it so easy to produce fascinating effects by erasing or manipulating with any eraser, fingers or cloth.