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.
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.
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| Finished drawing of natural forms - pencil |
