Final Assignment 3 - A Townscape View in black pen and coloured pencil

A third and final attempt at Assignment 3 entailed a return visit to the Townscape in Line exercise, prompting my decision to pursue another (similar) version. At first I placed it  almost at the end of this blog because I completed it between finishing the rest of this course and sending off the work for assessment. But somehow it didn't seem appropriate as, being Assignment 3 it should probably be at the end of Part 3. I guess it's a matter of opinion.  I was well into selecting the drawings to send away for assessment before I finally chose to do this townscape drawing and only after  I’d already made, in preparation for a third version of a view of my garden, several more sketches from various vantage points in the house. I came to the conclusion that it was a little safer to use this piece for assessment, owing to the earlier version having already received (mostly) positive critique from my tutor - that isn't to say that this version has anything more going for it, but at least there's a slightly better chance. 

Some preliminary sketches

Conversely my previous two Assignment pieces for Part 3 had received unfavourable feedback from my tutor. Another important factor in my decision was that the tutor had previously suggested I could use an alternative drawing from one of the exercises in Part 3 as the assignment piece. The idea of attempting a totally different drawing clearly felt to me like taking a step into the unknown.

All the same, it was difficult to decide between the Study of an Individual Tree or the Townscape. However, on studying the brief once more for Assignment 3 the townscape drawing seemed to contain more elements that fit the bill than the Tree study because, being a built environment, the townscape scene offers linear perspective, with some natural foliage in places and a small amount of colour.

The viewpoint for the initial sketches was from a slightly elevated position overlooking rooftops and the backs of buildings. They were done while I was looking out through the window of my car, parked in a car park.

I was also quite keen to try and include  a range of subjects and media, including  architectural, for assessment. The main reason I didn’t submit the first version was because I had spoiled it through getting carried away on the hatching under the eaves of the two most prominent buildings. Although there is an obvious similarity to the first townscape, this drawing is treated in a slightly different way.  The new version looks slightly softer than the first, due to the incorporation of coloured pencil, albeit mostly black, with just a hint of colour, which I think gives the composition a bit of lift and added curiosity. I found using coloured pencil lent itself more easily to adding general tone to this drawing than the first townscape in line. Initially the colours were too vivid and dominant over the rest of the composition, so I erased them a little to lessen their impact. As the weather was quite overcast, there's a small amount of subtle shading. The resulting shortage of light and shade made tonal contrasts relatively difficult to pick out and I had to repeatedly screw up my eyes - all surfaces seemed to be in mid tone. Apart from this, and some artistic licence, the best I could do was to rely on my knowledge of the position of the sun at that time of day - it was slightly behind the main buildings and to the left. 

The media I used here is mostly a combination of the same media I had used in two earlier exercises on the course. The coloured pencil is reminiscent to me of the other (limited palette) streetscape I did in coloured pencil in Part 3, particularly the shading, though the colours aren’t blended in this one. The line and some of the textures remind me of those in my drawing of Still Life Fruit and Vegetables in Line with a hint of colour from Part 2. Using line in this way, to give only a suggestion of the surface texture really appeals to me. The slates on the roof of the nearest building are an exception. Here I initially tried to only partially complete the detail but it didn't appear to look right. It might be due to the fact that the roof was very close. All in all I did find it was enjoyable to try out the techniques once more. However, I do have the feeling that I may have have been a bit  clumsy with the pen when I put in some of the background textures such as the buildings. The impossibility of erasing is the major drawback of pen to me, so I will just have to live with that. 

Eventual final drawing - Pitt artist's pen and coloured pencil

Also see the post A Townscape in Line