Facial Expressions

These facial expressions were drawn in pencil. In these images I have attempted to show two unlikely and complicated expressions. In both you are able to see the facial muscles working beneath the skin, for example where the muscles around the lips are contracting to pucker the face. I believe that the angle used in the bottom picture is a good one that adds interest to the image and creates an alternative perspective from which to view the face. The proportion of the face in the top picture is accurate and life like. However, I could have made greater use of shading to create texture and depth in the image.

Landscape Drawing

This landscape drawing of a clock tower was one I composed with charcoal. This was to improve my use of this particular medium, but also because the use of charcoal gives the picture a mixture of hard and soft lines, which makes it stand out more. I am satisfied with the low angle perspective of the tower, because the perception of looking up at it gives it height which cannot always be achieved in a 2 dimensional drawing. I would definitely add more detail for an improvement on the image, and I might have additional features such as clouds in the background to create further depth. 

Figure Drawing

 

This is an observational drawing of a figure seated in an armchair. In this drawing I am incredibly happy with the proportion, which is accurate throughout the composition, despite the complicated detail. The foreshortening of the figure's left arm is something I feel I managed to complete well, because it shows that the arm is pointing towards the camera, creating a 3D illusion of depth. The use of shading to show the creases in the material was successful, with the use of etching to show texture. To highlight the main curves of the figure, shading was again used, such as how the legs curl round in the seat. To improve this composition I would add more detail to the hair to lend it the same detail as the rest of the image.

Still Life

 

For this image, a still life drawing of two pens and a lighter on a handkerchief, I used a graphite stick. This allowed me to create better tonal value in the picture than if I had used a regular pencil. I am pleased with the way I have depicted the curvature of the material using etching and cross hatching. The detail is greater and sharper in the foreground of the image in comparison to the background as this is where I wanted the focal point to remain. I feel that the way the objects are set up, with the three overlapping each other, is accurately shown by the shading. The way the shadows fall help the viewer see that pen lying across the image is sloping downwards. On the other hand, the proportion of the lighter on the left hand side of the composition is slightly off, making it seem squat compared to the pens that are drawn. Altogether, though, I am happy with the way this sketch has turned out. 

Composition In Tone And Colour

This composition is an image of a figure drawn with tone and colour. I used colouring pencils for this task. This allowed me to add texture to the image as it provides detail to the image that cannot be seen when drawn with a regular pencil. More obviously, it adds colour which creates a greater level of interest in the picture, namely making it more eye catching. I didn't add colour or great detail to the seat so that the colour on the figure would stand out a lot more. I am pleased with the depth in the picture and also the use of mixtures of colours such as greens and purples to create the darker levels of shading. I feel that the way the colour is used creates a more realistic shading than grey would. Improvement could be added to the hair in the use of more varied colours in order to fully transfer the accurate texture of the hair from reality onto the paper. Overall, however, I am greatly pleased with the success of this composition.

Portraits

This week we were looking at portraits of our model in order to develop higher detailed drawing techniques. I used graphite stick for the drawing above. I think that the proportion in this image is accurately represented. This is because the planning of the drawing went very well, which meant that I was able to concentrate on the fine and complicated details in the drawing, such as the lips, the little wrinkles in the lips and the lines of the forehead. This helps to show the age of the model, which is what I intended as they also work with the nose, eyes and ears to show unique characteristics of the model, making them recognisable. 

In this second drawing I drew with white chalk on coloured paper. This was due to the model having a light shining on her face, meaning that it a shadow would have been cast. I am pleased with most of the proportion but I feel that in this image the forehead is a bit too big. Possibly the hair should have come down more. The use of the chalk to outline the wrinkles adds to the shading in helping to show the model's age and traits unique to the model . Highlighting where the light hit was a successful way to add shading. It was a technique that I hadn't used before, but after doing it I would say that it works very well and it would be a technique I'd like to use again.

Fabrics and Clothing on People

This week our concentration was focused mainly on fabrics on people. I used charcoal for these drawings. In the first image (above) I feel that the foreshortening in the top of the right arm helps to demonstrate that the model is led down and displays the angle of the model really accurately. I believe that the foreshortening of the left leg is also good as it shows that the position of the leg is curled up under the right leg: although you cannot see it underneath the fabric, it is implied by the angle of the foot. The use of shading has been successful in order to show the creases in the fabric, because when drawing fabric hard lines are uncommon. Thus shading is used with the intention of softening the edges. Further, I think the shading is effective because it shows the direction of the light source.

The shading in the second image also feels successful to me. More time was available when drawing this image, which meant that I was able to use shading around the image to define it and was also able to use a rubber to highlight where the light hit the fabric most. The foreshortening in the right leg, I believe, did as well in the first image to outline the figure. Overall, I am happy with both these pieces and think that my skill when using charcoal is growing.

Posture and weight

This week we had to draw a life model mainly concentrating on the posture and showing weight in the figure. I used Graphite stick to draw this image. I think that the slight curve at the top of the spine going into the neck positively shows the weight of the head on the top of the spine and is also showing the posture of the model. This small detail would be unique the the model. This technique is able to be used in animation. I am pleased with the foreshortening of the top of the left arm and the forearm of the right, because the way the arm hangs from the coat hanger shows that the weight of the arms are pulling down on the shoulders and putting strain on the fingers, which is what was intended. The model was in a long robe as you can see, with the creases in the robe at the bottom of the image adding depth. In order for improvement to be made, more detail would have to be added. However, the focus was on the posture and weight, so I thought it better to pay greater attention to them. Altogether I am happy with how I portrayed this model's posture and weight and also the rough style of the drawing due to how it shows the loose and relaxed state of mind I was in when I did the drawing.

Landscape Drawing of the Richmond Building

This week's task involved going out and selecting a good vantage point of the Richmond building, focusing mainly on the bubbled roof and portraying the light reflecting off of it. I like the use of shading on the roof as it shows the direction of the light from the shadow that is cast from the building on the right. On the left of the roof the shading hows the roof curves. The lack of detail in the other buildings was intentional as I wanted the roof to stay the main focal point of the image. I feel the range of tone used in the image is successful as it shows depth in the image. Critically, I think that the angles of the building in the top right need improvement as it is too steep an angle which is incorrect. If I could redraw this image I think I would focus more on the detail of the picture as it would look more closely accurate and more advanced.

Fabric Textures

                                                         

A composition of fabrics concentrating on varied textures was the focus of this week. I decided to use Pro Marker Pens so as to shade more easily and Indian ink for finishing off. I am pleased with the use of the Pro Markers due to the way it has helped me to show the direction that the fabric is falling. This is shown mostly at the bottom of the image. Further to this, the darker shading helps to add depth. I think the detail in the fabrics was successful as the top fabric in the image is a wool scarf, which can be seen because I drew in the stitches. This was easier to do with Indian ink as it is much more effective for outlines than any other medium. In the bottom left I again used Indian ink with the Pro Markers to show the curvature in the wool scarf, which I believe worked well. Overall I think this was a good composition to draw. The composition of these images helped me to understand how to draw fabrics a lot more.

Vehicles and Mechanics

This week we went to the industrial museum in Bradford to draw machinery. I chose to draw an old motorbike and car both using a different medium. I enjoyed drawing the car (on the left) because it involved the use of a graphite stick which I am now finding easier to use. I'm not happy with the symmetry of the car because it isn't even, which in drawing vehicles you must get right in order for it to look accurate. I think that the shading is good quality as it shows the texture of the car and is also used in the back of the car to show depth. Focusing on the front wheel arches, the shading with the light strips that follows the curves of the arches is successful because is shows the metallic texture with the shine but also shows the curve in the metal. I also like the way that the grille of the car turned out as it has high levels of detail and is sufficiently symmetrical. Overall I like this image which is why I uploaded it to my blog, but in reflection I could have done more to add further detail and ensure better overall detail.

I drew the bike (in the right of the image) in Pro Marker Pens and finished it with a fine liner, which happens to be my favourite medium. I like the level of detail and the use of colour in this image, although I think that in this image I became too intently focused on the detail and forgot to think about the proportion in the image. This is why the wheels have ended up as different sizes. If I had done a rough sketch first like I usually do I would have managed to get the proportions correct and made it a better picture. Altogether I am pleased with the detail in the image but should have planned the image better. 

Trip to Bradford Cathedral

A trip to Bradford Cathedral was included this week, where we were asked to choose a good vantage point and draw a part of the amazingly detailed architecture. I used graphite stick to draw this image as I found that this was a good choice because I was able to then use a rubber to recreate the light through the window which seemed a good finishing touch. I feel the layers in this image is successful as it manages to show the depth well, achieved by using shading in different gradients and at different levels of detail. The detail in the foreground is very high mainly on the arches, helping to define the shape of the arches. This is also aided by the shading. This is in contrast to the background which is not as detailed, which was intentional as firstly it is at a greater distance and secondly I didn't want it to draw the focus from the foreground. I was very happy with the finished product of this image and would say it is one of my best to date.

Reflection

This week the focus was reflection. In this composition a skeleton was led on a flexible mirror with two other mirrors propped up on the right side and on top. In this image I used Pro Marker pens and fine liners as my chosen medium. The foreshortening in the rib cage turned out well, along with the arms, due to the skeleton being on an angle. The different shades of grey used in the shading stages show the depth in the skeleton mainly apparent in the rib cage. They were also useful to use as shading on the mirrors in order to highlight the reflected skeleton in the top mirror. The only point of concern on this image is that the skeleton and mirrors are floating. This is because the table was sketched out but not drawn in. If this was done it would look more accurate. I am happy with this image and like the depth of it as a whole. I also like the detail that I have achieved with the fine liner pen.

Light and Shapes

This week we where asked to show light and how shapes are portrayed. We were asked to draw a composition consisting of a beach ball resting atop a stool with a sheet over the top. In this 30 minute drawing I attempted to show the layers of each shape whilst showing the light. I think that the creases in the fabric are done well as they really stand out, mainly in the centre of the image where you really notice the depth due to the shading. The lack of shading on the inside of the cloth by the stool shows that the light source is on the inside of the image which is what I was aiming for. I added shading around the image to emphasise this. I also like how the light has shown the pattern of the beach ball through the cloth which helps show that the material was thin. Overall I think that this was a good composition subject to draw and although it was quite hard to get the lighting right, altogether I feel my drawing was a good attempt.