Drawing 1: Part 2 – Assignment Two

For this assignment two, I looked through the previous exercises that I did in part two and collected ideas such as mark-makings, colours, mediums, materials and etc. I also did some tests with different drawing mediums on different types of paper surfaces, also going through some stages at fixing the composition and perspective. I planned on doing an interior this time, because I felt like I needed to come away from doing a lot of still life drawings and do something different.

The subject that I choose for this assignment two is an interior of my art studio, this is something that relates to me a lot, I spend a lot of time in my studio. I also love the character of this room, it has different textures, culture and colours. One of the main focal point in this room for the drawing is the red coffee table. It has a striking red colour that catches my eyes when I walk into this room every time.

Finding A View Point:

I did a couple of photo shoots of my art studio from different view points, even from standing, sitting on a chair or sitting on the floor. I also did some rough sketches. At this point I felt that I wanted the red coffee table to be the main focal point, but I also wanted to add the black sofa, terracotta brick wall and the two large paintings.

So my view point for the final assignment was taken from while I was sitting on the floor, looking straight towards the red coffee table, where it included the terracotta brick wall with my two large paintings hanging against it and the black sofa.

Here is the photo reference of my view point for this assignment two, as seen in (Figure 1) below:

Figure 1 – Photo Reference of the View Point

Testing Mediums:

First I started an exercise project where I did a lot of a tests on mediums, to find which one was the appropriate medium for the interior drawing. The drawing mediums were based on pencils, crayons, fineliners, highlighters and pastels. I wanted to feel comfortable with a medium, but I also wanted the medium to work well with the subject and its textures. I did tests on these mediums in my A4 sketch book.

I decided to try these different drawing mediums on three different type of papers, which were the: White Cartridge Paper 240gsm, Black Paper 140gsm and Brown Kraft Card Paper 380gsm.

I also did some studies on colour with the three different type of papers, my main point is to make sure that a medium has a good colour pigment and is not too messy for the subject.

1. Testing Mediums on White Cartridge Paper 240gsm:

So the first testing is on a white cartridge paper 240gsm on page 66 in my A4 sketch book, seen in (Figure 2) below:

Figure 2 – Testing Mediums on White Cartridge Paper 240gsm in A4 Sketch Book (Page 66)

The Mediums I used in (Figure 2):

• Oil Pastels (Reeves)
• Wax Crayons (Faber-Castell)
• Coloursoft Pencils (Derwent)
• Studio 12 Pencils (Derwent)
• Fineliners (Beifa)
• Soft Pastels (Mungyo)
• Acrylic Drawing Ink (Dala)
• Inktense Durable Pens (Colour)
• Highlighters (Tratto Video)

 

2. Testing Mediums on Brown Kraft Card Paper 380gsm:

The second testing is done on the brown kraft card paper 380gsm on page 67 in my A4 sketch book, seen in (Figure 3) below:

Figure 3 – Testing Mediums on Brown Kraft Card Paper Page 67

The Mediums I used in (Figure 3):

• Oil Pastels (Reeves)
• Wax Crayons (Faber-Castell)
• Coloursoft Pencils (Derwent)
• Studio 12 Pencils (Derwent)
• Fineliners (Beifa)
• Soft Pastels (Mungyo)
• Acrylic Drawing Ink (Dala)
• Inktense Durable Pens (Colour)
• Highlighters (Tratto Video)
• Visa Inktense Pens

 

3. Testing Mediums on Black Paper 140gsm:

The last test is carried out on the black paper 140gsm on page 68 in my A4 sketch book, seen in (Figure 4) below:

Figure 4 – Testing Mediums on Black Paper 140gsm in A4 Sketch Book (Page 68)

The Mediums I used in (Figure 4):

• Oil Pastels (Reeves)
• Coloursoft Pencils (Derwent)
• Studio 12 Pencils (Derwent)
• Soft Pastels (Mungyo)

Testing Gouache Paints on the Three Different Type of Papers:

I decided to test some gouache paints on the three papers, this gouache paint is a nice medium for applying like a base coat on a paper surface. It’s also an opaque medium which allows pencils, wax, inks and pastels to work well on top the gouache paint surface. It also helps the drawing mediums to stand out when applied on the gouache paint surface.

So I did another test on different gouache colours on the three different papers, to see which one works well with gouache paints. This can be seen below the page in my A4 sketch book on page 68, seen in (Figure 5), below:

Figure 5 – Testing Gouache on Three Different Papers in A4 Sketch Book (Page 68)

• Black Paper Results – When adding white to the colours, it helps them to become more opaque and also makes the colours to stand out on this paper.
• Brown Kraft Card Paper Results – Works really well on this paper, will be great for allowing other mediums to overlay. The colours stand out fresh.
• White Cartridge Paper Results – Love the opaqueness, also adding white helps to improves the colours to stand out well.

I also planned to use the gouache paints as a based foundation medium for the final assignment drawing.

Choosing The Best Drawing Medium and Paper for the Final Assignment Drawing:

At this stage, I decided to test the drawing mediums on top of the gouache paints on the three different type of papers. I wanted to find which is the most outstanding drawing medium that works well with gouache paints and the paper. But at the same time I also want to find which is the best paper for the final drawing. These were done in my A4 sketch book.

So I went to take the three different type of papers and painted ten gouache colours blocks on each of the three papers. Then I tested ten different drawing mediums on the gouache blocks. This helps me to find which is the best medium that works well on gouache. But this also helps me at the same time to find which paper really works well.

1. Ten Gouache Blocks Testing on White Cartridge Paper 240gsm:

Figure 6 – Ten Gouache Blocks Testing on White Cartridge Paper 240gsm in A4 Sketch Book (Page 69)

The Mediums I used on Gouache Paints in (Figure 6) above:

• Oil Pastels
• Wax Crayons
• Coloursoft Pencils
• Studio 12 Pencils
• Fineliners
• Soft Pastels
• Koki Pens
• Watercolour Pencils
• Highlighters
• Visa Inktense Pens

Results – I find the Oil Pastels, Studio 12 Pencils, Coloursoft Pencils and Soft Pastels work well on gouache paints on this paper.

2. Ten Gouache Blocks Testing on Black Paper 140gsm:

Figure 7 – Ten Gouache Blocks Testing on Black Paper 140gsm in A4 Sketch Book (Page 70)

The Mediums I used on Gouache Paints in (Figure 7) above:

• Oil Pastels
• Wax Crayons
• Coloursoft Pencils
• Studio 12 Pencils
• Fineliners
• Soft Pastels
• Koki Pens
• Watercolour Pencils
• Highlighters
• Visa Inktense Pens

Results – I find the Oil Pastels, Coloursoft Pencils and Soft Pastels work well on gouache paints on this paper.

3. Ten Gouache Blocks Testing on Brown Kraft Card Paper 380gsm:

Figure 8 – Ten Gouache Blocks Testing on Brown Kraft Card Paper 380gsm in A4 Sketch Book (Page 71)

The Mediums I used on Gouache Paints in (Figure 8) above:

• Oil Pastels
• Wax Crayons
• Coloursoft Pencils
• Studio 12 Pencils
• Fineliners
• Soft Pastels
• Koki Pens
• Watercolour Pencils
• Highlighters
• Visa Inktense Pens

Results – I find the Oil Pastels, Studio 12 Pencils,  Coloursoft Pencils, Soft Pastels and Highlighters work well on gouache paints on this paper.

After doing the ten gouache blocks testing on each of the three different type of papers. I find the Coloursoft Pencils (Derwent) the most impressive pencil medium that really works well on gouache. I also see that the other two mediums that worked on all three different papers, which were the oil pastels and soft pastels. But I find the oil pastels and soft pastels are tricky to keep clean and to use for small areas. So I still went with the coloursoft pencils, because they are much easier to erase, more comfortable for smaller areas and neater to use.

So my next thing is to draw a little sketch of a table with a window and curtain on each of the three different type of papers. This was done in my A4 sketch book. By doing this, it will help me to find the right paper type for the final drawing.

After doing the sketches of the same subject which was a table with window and curtain on all three different type of papers. I then added gouache paints on all three sketches using the same colours for the same areas in each sketch on the three different papers. After doing this, I went over the gouache with the coloursoft pencils by doing the hatching line marks. By doing this, it helps me to find the right paper, also it helped me to experience with texture, tones and colour that works well with the three different papers.

1. Sketch Testing with Gouache and Coloursoft Pencils on White Cartridge Paper 240gsm:

Figure 9 – Sketch Testing with Gouache and Coloursoft Pencils on White Cartridge Paper 240gsm in A4 Sketch Book (Page 69)

Results – It works well with the white paper and gouache paints. I feel the white paper needs a tone wash surface before applying gouache and coloursoft pencils. The white base on the table is too sharp and clean. I think it would be better to try another toned surface paper, as the reason is that the foundation is too light for the gouache and coloursoft pencils. Other options for this paper is to bring more mediums, maybe a fineliner or a gel pen. It just needs a fine pen, that I can over some sharp areas on the furniture’s, like a line stroke on the table corner surface. This may also help to make the table stand out more.

Suggestion – My suggestion is to drop the white paper, and go for the next two different papers. I rather try a different colour paper, as I used white paper a lot in the whole course.

2. Sketch Testing with Gouache and Coloursoft Pencils on Black Paper 140gsm:

Figure 10 – Sketch Testing with Gouache and Coloursoft Pencils on Black Paper 140gsm in A4 Sketch Book (Page 70)

Results – I feel that the paper surface is too dark and harsh to add light tones on it, also the gouache doesn’t like this paper, due to the paper is 140gsm, which it’s too thin for a water medium. It is difficult to make the gouache paints thick and opaque to cover the surface with a solid colour. Other options is to add more white in the gouache and don’t add any water.

Suggestion – My suggestion is to drop the black paper, and maybe look at the white paper again and see if the brown kraft card paper is better than the two papers. I feel like the surface needs to be lighter than dark.

3. Sketch Testing with Gouache and Coloursoft Pencils on Brown Kraft Card Paper 380gsm:

Figure 11 – Sketch Testing with Gouache and Coloursoft Pencils on Brown Kraft Card Paper 380gsm in A4 Sketch Book (Page 71)

Results – I find the Gouache Paints and Coloursoft Pencils really work well on this paper. I like this paper for the fact that it has a toned surface to work on. It also has a perfect foundation colour base. I find the brown surface nice for warm or cool tonal values, also it’s not too dark or light, but well balanced between light and dark. The thickness of this paper is perfect, because it can take as much water mediums and the toothed texture surface is nice for holding the coloursoft pencils.

Suggestion – My suggestion is to use this paper for the final assignment drawing. I like the fact that it meets all the resources that I’m looking for.

Quick Rough Sketch of the View Point:

I did a quick rough sketch on the brown kraft card paper 380gsm with a white chalk pencil in my A4 sketch book on page 72, in (Figure 12) below:

Figure 12 – Quick Rough Sketch of the View Point with a White Chalk Pencil (Page 72)

I did this to help me to identify the light areas, which are shaded in white. The brown tone surface is the dark areas. The white chalk pencil is a great medium to start a light layout sketch on any toned papers, before adding the gouache paints and coloursoft pencils. Doing a light sketch, is a good thing, because it helps me to get the composition, scale size and perspective correct. It’s always important for me to have the layout balanced before going into details.

Furniture and Objects Colours Mix – Using Gouache Paints:

My next stage was to draw some of the main furniture and objects with a Lyra Graphite Pencil on the Brown Kraft Card Paper 380gsm in my A4 sketch book.

The next step was to paint with gouache paint and write down the colours that I used to make the one colour. Which you can see in a square box filled with the mixed colour with a line attaching it to an area of the object or furniture. Next to each box are the names of the paint tubes colours that I used to mix together to make the colour.

This also helps me to be able to mix the correct colours for my final drawing. These can be seen on pages from 73 to 75 in the A4 sketch book.

Red Coffee Table and Black Sofa (Figure 13) below:

Figure 13 – Colour Mix for the Red Coffee Table and Black Sofa in A4 Sketch Book (Page 73)

British Flag Rug and Terracotta Brick Wall (Figure 14) below:

Figure 14 – Colour Mix for the British Flag Rug and Terracotta Brick Wall in A4 Sketch Book (Page 74)

Two Large Paintings (Figure 15) below:

Figure 15 – Colour Mix for the Two Large Paintings in A4 Sketch Book (Page 75)

Final Drawing – Stage 1 – Light Sketch Layout Drawing:

I started a light sketch layout drawing of the interior with a white chalk pencil on the A3 Brown Kraft Card Paper 380gsm. This is to get the proportions, composition and perspective right. You and see this in (Figure 16) below:

Figure 16 – Final Drawing – Stage 1 – Light Sketch Layout Drawing

Final Drawing – Stage 2 – Light Gouache Wash:

I then did a light gouache wash on the big areas of the drawing. This was to help me fill in the large important tonal areas. But doing it in a light wash is a better thing, because I can go back and apply over a mistake or adjust some errors. This can be seen in (Figure 17) below:

Figure 17 – Final Drawing – Stage 2 – Light Gouache Wash

Final Drawing – Stage 3 – Opaque Gouache Wash with Coloursoft Pencils Cross-Hatching and Hatching Marks:

In this stage three, I filled the large areas with more opaque gouache wash and started working with coloursoft pencils in cross-hatching and hatching marks on the large tonal areas. I love the results of the floor marks and the black sofa cross-hatching marks. I also planned on keeping the brown tone of the paper still visible in some areas, for example it can be seen on the grey floor. This progress can be seen in (Figure 18) below:

Figure 18 – Final Drawing – Stage 3 – Opaque Gouache Wash with Coloursoft Pencils Cross-Hatching and Hatching Marks

I carried on with this progress until the final drawing.

Final Drawing – Final Results:

For the Final Drawing stage, I am so happy with it’s results, it has so much energy, character and texture in it. The progress of this assignment is looking back at when I first started this course, and seeing how much I have improved with my drawing skills.

The colours combine well with the energy and expressive marks, also the colours are clear to understand the background story of this room.

The mediums used for this subject is perfect and feels fresh, also the composition and context comes together well with the mark-makings. My mark-makings connect with the mediums and the day light, also a strong connection to the contrast areas by the build up process of the cross-hatching marks.

The tonal values are well balanced with the light coming from the window, also I love the tones on the red coffee table, because it’s the main focal point in the interior. The depiction of the interior is accurate and expressive, which looking at the directions of the mark-makings helps to create more space in the surrounding areas.

The experimentation with the idea of the gouache on the brown kraft card paper was to keep the subject fresh and neutral, the materials I used for this drawing really worked well together and the method of doing this is to help me understand the energy I have put into this drawing, is based on the skills I learnt from this course.

The Final Drawing called “An Artist Studio”, done with Gouache Paints and Coloursoft Pencils on an A3 Brown Kraft Card Paper. The Final Drawing can be seen in (Figure 19) below:

Figure 19 – Final Drawing called “An Artist Studio”

Close Ups of the Final Drawing in (Figure 19) above:

Close Up of the Red Coffee Table

Close Up of the Black Sofa and the Two Large Paintings

Close Up of The British Flag Rug

Close Up of the Curtain and Grey Wall

Close Up of the Terracotta Brick Wall

My Log Book – Pages:

Here the images of my Log Book pages below:

Log Book – Page 1

Log Book – Page 2

Log Book – Page 3

Log Book – Page 4

Log Book – Page 5

The log book was one of my important resources to help me answer this assignment questions. I made sure that my log book was kept up to date throughout this assignment.

Assessment Criteria Points

• Demonstration of technical and visual skills – materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills (35%)

The materials I used for this particular subject is very suitable for creating the colours, tones, effects and mark-makings. I can see that I have further developed in the understanding of the perspective, foundation of building up the process from the beginning to end with the material resources and balancing my compositional skills of my layout drawing in this assignment, by collecting tips from my previous exercises in this course. I find the observational skills based on the interior subject, that I have the ability to capture my art studio in neutral tones, the depth of some areas, also giving the interior a surrounding space of energy and natural light resource. My visual awareness plan is to focus on an interior subject of my art studio, because I have a connection with this room due to the character, the different textures, culture and colours. I also combined my visual awareness with my design thoughts by focusing on the depth, dimensional objects, tonal values, 2D perspective and the different techniques, which are the mark-makings such as the cross-hatching and hatching marks.

• Quality of outcome – content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts, communication of ideas (20%)

I used my time to ensure this assignment was right and followed the growing understanding points that were asked in this assignment. I needed to make sure I have covered the tips and helpful resources from the previous exercise, researches and keeping my log book up to date. I became more confident in doing some experiments on three different type of papers with different drawing mediums and gouache paints. I also focused on the communication between me and the drawing and the material resources I used. I want it to be able to communicate to the viewers on why I have a strong energy and relationship with my art studio. For the discernment, I focused on being aware of not losing the information and colour taste in the drawing, also not overworking on the drawing. I took wise into not being to serious with my drawing, for example telling myself that it must be a perfect drawing, this is where I made sure I avoided those examples.

• Demonstration of creativity – imagination, experimentation, invention, development of a personal voice (25%). Experimentation

My imagination clarified what I was looking for in the final drawing, like I have said that I wanted to express my feelings and knowledge of what I was seeing from real life and the view point. I also did experimentation in this assignment and inventing my own mediums, which was important for my understanding of the drawing foundation. I enjoyed the creativity progress on my side with this assignment, also it made me to build up a lot of skills.

• Context reflection – research, critical thinking (learning logs and, at second and third level, critical reviews and essays) (20%)

I kept my critical understanding by telling myself, things like ‘this isn’t working with this medium well”, or “telling myself do I need to get rid of this colour or objects”. I shared my thoughts from my log book with the assignment, I kept the updating my log book every time I have done an experiment or a progress. My understand for the research was based on the research post that I did on about Domestic Interiors, I focused on the energy and tones of artist Vilhelm Hammershøi interiors artworks, which you can see in the link here to my research post – Part 2: Project 4 – Research: Domestic Interiors.

 

Part 2: Project 4 – Exercise 3: Material Differences

I actually found this exercise more understanding in the composition and more freely to choose what mediums to use from the previous exercises in project 4 section so far. I chose the same mediums that I used in “Exercise 1 – Quick sketches around the house”, which was the black fine liner 0.4 pen and Navy Blue (Deep Blue) acrylic drawing ink. My paper size is an A2 landscape format. My subject location was my “Art Studio” and the viewpoint for this exercise is the drawing table with the large window and art easel with table.

First Stage:

For the first stage, I set up my observational position, which was looking straight ahead while sitting on the stool with my drawing board. I used a Lyra HB sketch pencil to map out the composition. These were quick 10 minutes line marks. Sorry for the image blurry quality, but you can see the mapped out marks in (Figure 1), seen below. 

Figure 1 – Map Out the Composition with Lyra HB Pencil

Second Stage:

The pencil marks weren’t all well balanced, but I would straighten all the pencil marks and make the composition more balanced with my first chosen medium which was the black finer liner 0.4 pen. This was a good practice at not using a ruler to make all those lines straight, you will see some lines are a bit skew, for example the black window frame line is not straight or the drawing table on the left is a bit sloping downwards.

But I’m really happy with the composition, as it’s well balanced. The tonal values created by the cross-hatching and line marks are clear to understand. As you can see the fine liner drawing results in (Figure 2), below:

Figure 2 – Black Fine Liner 0.4 Pen

Final Stage:

For this stage, I decided to use my second chosen medium, which was the Navy Blue (Deep Blue) Acrylic Drawing Ink with oriental brushes. I would then dilute the ink with water. Then I went over the black finer liner 0.4 pen marks with an ink wash by building the tonal values from light to dark by adding the next ink layer to darken some shaded areas.

I love how the drawing table is separated from the curtain, the floor surface tonal values were very tricky, but I took it slowly and build up the shaded tones by adding layers on top another. The floor level turned out to be well balanced at the end.

I kept the landscape scene behind the large window more light ink wash and less detailed to show where the light source coming from. The tonal values and composition was more important in this exercise, which this final drawing results turned out to be impressive. I call this drawing the “Art Studio”. Final drawing result is  seen in (Figure 3), below:

Figure 3 – Title: “Art Studio” – ‘Navy’ Acrylic Drawing Ink

Part 2: Project 4 – Research: Domestic Interiors

Research Point:
Look at the image to the right and consider how you might work with unusual or multiple viewpoints. Find contemporary artists who focus on domestic interiors and analyse their choice of content, medium, format, etc.
Consider how their work reflects its context in terms of era, fashion, mood, current issues, and so on.

Anthony Green RA:

(b. 30 September 1939, London)

Anthony Green RA is a very well known British painter. Green creates artworks of middle-class domestic lifestyle interiors that communicates with the era, fashion and different moods. He often paint on large scale and oddly shapes canvases. Green likes to do skewed perspective, colourful and very graphic style. His likes to depict subjects such as erotic, amusing and quirky.

His scenes are like a three-dimensional scale, even you get to see every wall and ceiling surfaces. It’s like a folded shape box been opened to expose it’s interior. Green used colours that are clear to read and fresh, but gives a domestic feeling towards the era that it was captured, where floral patterns and rich velvet tones became popular.

Madeline Joscelyne with her Son, 1987

Madeline Joscelyne with her Son, 1987:

Artist – Anthony Green RA

Medium – Watercolour, oil pastels and pencil on paper.

Dimensions – 109 x 104 cm

Art Funded – 1993

Vendor – Piccadilly Gallery

Image Link – https://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/4486/madeline-joscelyne-with-her-son

Information Link – https://www-oxfordreference-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/acref/9780191782763.001.0001/acref-9780191782763-e-1046?rskey=l8N0hG&result=1034

Here is other Artworks by Anthony Green RA:

Casimir Dupont 1980 Anthony Green born 1939 Purchased 1981 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T03259

(c) Anthony Green RA; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation

 

Anthony Green RA Images Links:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/green-casimir-dupont-t03259

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02cv49b/p02cv5c7

https://www.artranked.com/topic/Anthony+Green

George Charles Deem Jr.:

(b. August 18, 1932 – d. August 11, 2008)

George Deem was a well-known American artist. Deem’s paintings change the great masterpieces of Western art with sharp-witted and outstanding skills. He mostly worked on interiors of masterpieces and combining them into other masterpieces, ending up like a collage done with medium such as oil paint.

We can see he used same colours of old masterpieces such as Vermeer’s colour palette, giving a masterpiece a new era style. Deem’s artworks have a fantasy feeling, that tells us all about the facts and fictions of art history. Deem also enjoyed using other mediums such as pencils, ink and charcoal.

Seven Vermeer Corners, 1999

Seven Vermeer Corners, 1999:

Artist – George Charles Deem Jr.

Medium – Oils on Canvas

Dimensions – 127 x 218.4 cm

Location – Wellington Management Company Collection, Boston, Massachusetts

Is a very interesting painting, it reminds me of the previous exercise, where we had to draw different corners of our own rooms.

Deem has used a very clean palette to capture the different tonal values. It’s like our minds can create a story when we look at the seven corners, also looking at the sunlight changing its position over time during the day. This has a very domestic style, comparing to the artist Vermeer, who enjoyed painting people in a domestic middle-class lifestyle. Deem would do a lot of prepare studies before doing his final painting.

Image Link: http://georgedeem.org/works/view/Seven-Vermeer-Corners-1999-01-01

Information Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deem

Here is other Artworks by George Charles Deem Jr.:

Three Windows Study 2004

The Love Letter Again Study 2005

Studio Visit 1993

School of Hopper Study 1984

Everybodys Schoolroom 1994

Easel Painting 1993

The Landscape Painter 1993

Cubist Cache 1995

Images Link: http://georgedeem.org/works

Henri Émile Benoît Matisse:

(b. 31 December 1869 – d. 3 November 1954)

Matisse is one of the greatest art masters of his time, he fluently helped to better understand the subject “Visual Arts” as a very important topic for the twentieth century art world.

Matisse was well-known for his bright mood and bold tones. Some of  his interiors had different dynamic angles, meanwhile others had balanced perspective and composition angles. Matisse interior paintings in later life became more decorative patterns and thick bold style, with colours that were light and solid to brighten your moods feeling into full of positive energy. He depicted his interiors paintings in many subjects such as entertainment lifestyle, music theme, art studio theme or domestic lifestyle, which makes us understand what the early twentieth century lifestyle was like.

 

Here are paintings of Henri Matisse interiors:

L’Atelier Rouge (The Red Studio) 1911

Interieur au Violon 1918

STUDIO, QUAI SAINT-MICHEL 1916

INTERIOR, FLOWERS AND PARAKEETS 1924

 

Images Link – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_works_by_Henri_Matisse

https://www.1000museums.com/artists/henri-matisse

Information Link – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Matisse

Vilhelm Hammershøi:

(b. 15 May 1864 – d. 13 February 1916)

Hammershøi is a Danish painter, who is well known for his poetic, subdued portraits and interiors. His paintings of interiors are represented in a calming mood with muted tonal values. He likes to depict a figure in a room to give it a subject, but we can see more as an interior artwork. He liked to focus on tonal values of light and dark. His palette consisted of natural and pastel colours. His interiors clearly shows us what the wealth and domestic lifestyle was like in the early twentieth century.

Here are paintings of Vilhelm Hammershøi interiors:

Interior with young man reading 1898

Interior, With Piano and Woman in Black. Strandgade 30, 1901

Interior in Louis Seize style 1897

Interior in Strandgade, Sunlight on the Floor 1901

INTERIOR, STRANDGADE 30, 1902

Interior with an Easel, Bredgade 25, 1912

Images Link – https://useum.org/artwork/Untitled-Vilhelm-Hammershoi-2

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/19th-century-european-ptgs-l18102/lot.23.html?locale=en

https://museums.eu/collection/object/236453/interior-with-piano-and-woman-in-black-strandgade-30-vilhelm-hammershi-18641916

Information Links – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhelm_Hammersh%C3%B8i

https://www.scandinaviastandard.com/better-know-a-dane-artist-wilhelm-hammershoi/

Part 2: Project 4 – Exercise 2: Composition – An Interior

For this exercise, I chose my art studio as the location for these drawings. I find the window view point interesting, because of the strong shade contrast makes the window stand out. Below the window is a small telephone cabinet with my LP record player and a jar of paint brushes along with the book, also against the wall is a large painting with a cardboard covering it, due to the disturbing mistakes that I made, seems ouch for me.

My medium is the Conté Pierre Noire “2B” and “H” pencils. For the A3 drawings, I use a White 300 gsm Cartridge Paper. I also used a putty eraser for lighting up and fixing the mistakes.

First Stage:

I was asked to find a good view angle and establish my observational position, which I chose to stand, sit on a chair, sit on the floor and lay on my stomach on the floor. I shifted my view point for every sketch.

Here is my subject angle of the round window with the small cabinet, seen below:

 

Second Stage:

I first did sketches on one paper in my A4 sketchbook, which I divided into three blocks, two portraits format and a landscape format. I used the Conte Pierre Noire “H” pencil. These were quick sketches, I did two close up drawings for the portrait format blocks. The landscape format one was a further away distance and manage to fit the whole cabinet.

For this stage, I actually liked the landscape format drawing. It shows good contrast and the composition is well balanced. The texture is great, also the strong contrast line of the cabinet makes it stand out, also I did that, because it was my focal point.

A4 Sketchbook Drawings

Final Stage:

For this stage, I did two A3 drawings with the Conte Pierre Noire “2B” pencil on A3 white 300 gsm cartridge paper.

Portrait Format:

For the first A3 page drawing, I divided the A3 paper into two portrait blocks by ruling a line in the center. So now I have two A4 portrait format blocks on one A3 paper.

Left Side Drawing – Was executed while sitting on the floor, I found this one more balanced and the contrast tonal values are great. From that angle, there was more shadow and less light.

Right Side Drawing – Was executed while standing, I found this one tonal values good, but the cabinet is not well balanced, it looks more sloping downwards. From that angle, there was more light and less shadow. If I had fixed the composition of the cabinet, then it would be a good drawing.

A3 Portrait Format Drawings

Landscape Format:

For the second A3 page drawing, I divided the A3 size paper into two landscape blocks by ruling a line in the center. So now I have two A4 landscape format blocks on one A3 paper.

Top Drawing – Was executed while standing, I found this one tonal values all lost and messy. The cabinet is also not well balanced, again looks more sloping downwards. The art easel tonal values are good and clean. This drawing needs more fixing, but it will become messy, so I moved on to the next drawing.

Bottom Drawing – Was executed while sitting on the floor, I found this one more balanced and the contrast tonal values are great. From that angle, there was very much same balance of light and dark. I find the cabinet the focal point as what I wanted it to be.

A3 Landscape Format Drawings

I find doing the landscape format more interesting, because you can fit more objects and furniture’s. It also gives you more space to experience with texture and tonal values.

Log Book:

Here is what I wrote in my log book for this exercise, seen below:

Log Book Page

Part 2: Project 4 – Exercise 1: Quick sketches around the house

For this exercise, was very interesting in how to speed up your drawing skills and learning how to fix the composition and structure in the drawings. I find it useful to draw with less details and shading big parts, it helps to balance the composition and tonal values.

First Stage:

In the beginning of this exercise, I found working fast in my A4 sketchbook a bit messy, with using Lyra Graphite thick pencil. But it was a good start as a warm up for this exercise. Each pages has a room and it’s four different corners. Here are the five rooms and their four corner angles, as seen below:

First Page – Art Studio & Study Room

Second Page – Dining Room

Third Page – Guest Room

Fourth Page – Outdoor Courtyard

Fifth Page – My Bedroom

 

Second Stage:

I did four different angles on one page in my A4 sketchbook, this page is known as the sixth page for this exercise in my sketchbook. I used Lyra Graphite thick pencil and a Deep Blue acrylic drawing ink (Turquoise and Process Magenta = Deep Blue). But I found the graphite pencil disappear after I added the ink. Also the paper was too thin, that the ink would bleed through the paper.

The Deep Blue ink represents the shadow tones and the white paper surface is light tone. Here is the drawing, seen below:

 

Final Stage:

I fell in love with these final drawings, they were fun and quick to do, also choosing the right medium and paper thickness made a difference. I used a black fine liner 0.4 and Deep Blue acrylic drawing ink for these drawings.

I decided to change the size of the paper, by making my own handmade paper strip, by size 140,5 cm x 17,7 cm. Then I divided this paper strip into ten frames (each frame measures 17,7 cm x 12,6 cm). The paper thickness is 300 gsm and it has a smooth surface.

Here is the full strip of ten frames with different view points, seen below:

Full Strip with Ten Frames (size 140,5 cm x 17,7 cm)

Here is close-ups of each frame, seen below:

Final Sketch – Living Room with lamp light only

Final Sketch – Sunlit Dining Room

Final Sketch – Dining Room

Final Sketch – Art Studio Window

Final Sketch – Kitchen

Final Sketch – Sister’s Room

Final Sketch – Entrance Room

Final Sketch – Bathroom

Final Sketch – Washing Room

Final Sketch – Archway in Passage

Each of the ten frames were executed at different times during two days. The Deep Blue ink represents the different shadow tonal values, and the white paper surface represents the sunlight tonal value.

I love the medium, because it helps to balance the gravity and structure of each rooms, this medium is what I will look back and use it in other exercises in future.

 

Log Book Information:

Log Book – First Page

Log Book – Second Page

Log Book – Third Page

Part 2: Project 3 – Exercise 4: Monochrome

For this exercise, was very interesting in the way of creating a drawing with using only one colour. I find using one colour can make a good learning lesson on how to make different tonal shades. It’s a brilliant way to practice and teach a learning student with less drawing experience on how tonal values are very important to create a very interesting subject.

So I selected objects that are man-made and natural for this exercise. I selected objects that describe the adventurous life and memories, because they come from different cultural countries such as Thailand, Egypt, Karoo areas.

Objects For This Exercise in (Figure 1):

Man-Made Objects:

• Green Glaze Vase from Egypt.
• Little Leather Purse from Thailand.
• Dark Wooden Bangle from the Karoo area.
• World War Two Trunk that belonged to my grandmother’s father Laurie.

Natural Objects:

• One Yellow Lemon
• Two Bright Green Limes
• Dried Old Leaves

 

Figure 1 – Selected Objects

First Step:

For the first step, I decided to set up the objects on the old trunk next to a window with the sunlight striking on the objects from one side. Next was to do some rough sketches on a page in my A4 sketchbook, as you can see the different view points and composition in (Figure 2) below.

Figure 2 – Rough Sketch in A4 Sketchbook

Second Step:

Also after doing the rough sketches and chose the view point for my final drawing which was the image no.1, because I find the close-up interesting. After selecting my view point, I went to write down some information in my Log Book, such as which view point I liked the most, also what medium I chose to use in this exercise. You can see in my log book under as page 1 in (Figure 3) below.

Figure 3 – Log Book Page 1

Then on page 2 in my log book, I did some little colour tests with acrylic drawing ink and oriental brush. These are the medium I’m using for this exercise, because this medium gives a lovely natural effect. So you can see in my log book under as page 2 in (Figure 4) below.

Figure 4 – Log Book Page 2

Then after doing the colours tests, I chose the first colour, this colour was made with yellow and turquoise acrylic drawing inks. I found it a very natural colour for achieving the different tonal values, also it matches the cultural colours from these objects. So you can see in my log book under as page 3 in (Figure 5) below.

Figure 5 – Log Book Page 3

Final Step:

So after finishing my log book information and planning for the final drawing. I got myself set up in front of the objects, and started drawing with a very light wash of the acrylic drawing ink as the beginning foundation. I did this on a Fabriano Disegno White Ecological Artist Paper, 200gsm, size was A3. This paper is wonderful for doing ink drawings and it has a lovely toothed surface.

I started from light wash to dark wash, this is a way I build up my drawing with acrylic drawing ink when I do figure drawing at class. It’s the only easy tip to do.

During this final drawing, I would take a twenty minutes break every hour to refresh my mind and then come back to my drawing and see what needs to be adjusted or darkened or fixed.

When the final drawing was done, I was very impressed with it’s outcome, especially capturing the different tones, glaze texture from the vase and the other textures on the objects. I kept the background with light wash ink and less detailed to make the main objects to be the focal point, which is very important to me in this exercise.

I’m very happy with the composition of the objects, tones that combine with energy and the contrast that stands out clear.

Here is the final drawing as seen in (Figure 6), below:

Figure 6 – Final Drawing

Mediums used in the Final Drawing in (Figure 6):

• Fabriano – Disegno: White Ecological Artist Paper, 200gsm, size was A3.
• Acrylic Drawing Ink – Yellow and Turquoise made into one colour.
• Oriental Brushes – Sizes: 2; 4; 6; 12.
• Toilet Paper – For lifting the wet ink off paper.
• Water – For diluting the ink.
• Palette – For putting the ink in.

 

Part 2: Project 3 – Exercise 2: Still Life in tone using colour

I find doing this exercise was amusement, creative and easy. I have done a similar project related to this exercise before at art classes. Mostly what I looked forward about doing this exercise, is exploring line marks and overlaying with different colours.

I chose to use soft colour pencils as a medium on A3 white 240gsm paper for this exercise. The chosen objects are shoes in different colours of blues and purples. The subject matter that I chose is sunlight striking over the shoes on a bedroom carpet, which reminds me of home and it’s warm environment. My intention is to depict interesting shoes with different styles, that some belong to my family members.

Giving my Final Drawing a title called “In the Blues and Purples”, because the shoes are depicted in different blue and purple tones.

I used natural sunlight, but I ended up working from a photo reference to finish off the background, because the sunlight direction was moving. But I’m glad to finish off the shoes composition before the sunlight changes direction.

Here is my photo reference of the viewpoint in (Figure 1), below:

Figure 1 – Photo Reference

Objects Used in this exercise – Using Objects Reference (Figure 1) – Shoes from (Right to Left) for below bullet points:

• Thailand Silk Shoes – My Sister’s
• Blue Shoes – Mine
• Turkish Shoes – Mine
• Blue High Heels – My Mother’s

First Drawing – Bold Solid Colours:

In this first drawing as seen in (Figure 2) below, which I did, was all about getting the composition right and to layout the three tonal values, which is Light, Medium and Dark on the shoes and the surrounding areas of the objects before the sunlight changes direction. Doing it this way helped me to identify the three tones and the layout of the composition.

The surrounding area of the shoes is different from the final drawing in the later stage, as this was a quick drawing, so I didn’t want to waste time on going into details in the background due to sunlight changing it’s direction.

This drawing was done with soft colour pencils on A3 white 240gsm paper.

So after this drawing, I was ready to use line marks and some cross-hatching marks with colours, also I planned using this drawing to help me to indicate where the tonal values were. I also arranged on using the same mediums and paper that I used in my first drawing.

Figure 2 – First Drawing

Final Drawing – Title: “In the Blues and Purples”

For this final drawing, I took time to do it quick but also creating a more balance composition than the first drawing. I kept the same energetic line marks throughout the whole process, which I’m impressed with myself.

The line marks are created with bold, narrow and loose in different areas of the drawing, also I kept the background loose and less detailed, so the shoes are more of the important focal point.

I’m very impressed with the carpet floor at how I have captured the direction of the line marks, making it more balanced surface.

This was done with soft colour pencils on A3 white 240gsm paper.

Here is my Final Drawing in (Figure 3), below:

Figure 3 – Final Drawing – Title: “In the Blues and Purples”

The Mediums Used in Final Drawing in (Figure 3):

• Derwent Soft Colour Pencils 24 pencil set – Colours Used: Bright Lilac C260, Bright Fuchsia C140, Royal Purple C270, Electric Blue C320, Indigo C300, Peach C560, Pale Brown C530, Dark Brown C520, Black C650, Persian Grey C660, Dove Grey C670.

• A3 White 240gsm Paper

Some things I need to improve in my future drawings:

• Be more bold and deepen the colours to stick out more.
• Learn to be less sensitive when making mistakes, and end up worry too much about it, which is not necessary.
• Practice more in doing line, hatching and other marks with other mediums, like pastels, wax crayons, chalk, ink and etc.
• Make right choices at understanding what is the best medium to use, it must have strong colour pigments, it must be more comfortable, it must be handy if I need to do a drawing in a short time limit. Like I found these soft colour pencils nice to use, but they got to be sharpen a lot during a short time limit, like the sunlight changing it’s direction quick.
• Need to learn to add more patterned objects, like floral pattern vase, or beaded cloth or unusual shape object.

 

Here is some log book information I wrote about doing this exercise seen below:

First Page in Log Book

Second Page in Log Book

Third Page in Log Book

 

Soft Colour Pencils – Chart of the 24 Colours in (Figure 4) below:

Figure 4 – Chart of the 24 Soft Colour Pencils

 

Part 2: Project 3 – Exercise 1: Still Life using Lines

In this exercise, it was very interesting to use lines in many useful ways, this was also tricky, but it’s very motivating to create a line style for yourself that you can enjoy practicing.

I used same topic objects and combined them into a drawing using lines only. I used objects that connect naturally into one topic, which were fruits and vegetables. Title for this drawing is “Harvest from Life”.

First thing to think about these elements they asked here:

• How will you treat the objects?
• How will you make their connections apparent?
• How will you capture the differences between the objects?
• How do the objects relate to the background?
• What is your viewpoint?
• Will you look straight ahead, to the side, from below?

I used these elements to help me plan and get ready for the final drawing, for example test different mediums to use, getting the composition right, choosing a very interesting topic and etc.

Before I could start, I looked at what objects to be selected for this exercise. Also looking at the relationship with these selected objects and their height, shape, story, texture and etc.

Here is the selected objects for this exercise in (Figure 1) below:

Figure 1 – Selected Objects for this exercise

Objects used:

• Onion
• Butternut
• Orange Bell Pepper
• Apple
• Red and Green Grapes – Fake Fruits
• Brown Table Cloth as a backdrop

Step One – Testing Mediums:

Step One, I did some testing of different mediums such as Fine Black Pens, Acrylic Drawing Inks with Dipping Pen or Oriental Brush in my A4 sketchbook. As you can see from page 1 in my A4 sketchbook for this exercise in (Figure 2) below, of the different mediums being tested by drawing line marks, trying different colours and using different sizes tips.

Figure 2 – Page 1 Testing Different Mediums

The Mediums I tested were:

Fine Black Pens sizes – 0.1mm; 0.4mm; 0.5mm; 1.00mm

Black Brush Pen

Acrylic Drawing Ink Colours – Orange, Scarlet, Sepia and Black

Dipping Pen Sizes –

• Flat Nib Sizes: 1, 2, 3, 4,5
• Round Nib Sizes: Tiny, Small, Medium, Large

Step Two – Sketches of an object with different mediums:

Step Two, I did some sketches of each object in my A4 sketchbook using the different mediums, to find which one suits for the final drawing. As you can see on page 2 in my A4 sketchbook for this exercise in (Figure 3) below.

Figure 3 – Page 2 Sketches of an object with different mediums

So far I found using a dipping pen my favourite to try, also it has a range of different ink colours to try. The large round nib size is much easier to control with making line marks. I also found the colours Sepia and Orange Acrylic Drawing Inks mixed together as the best option colour. But I would like to maybe bring in a bit of black ink colour to darken the ink for drawing shadows.

Step Three – Sketches of Objects in a group, using different Mediums and looking from different view points:

Step Three, I did sketches of the objects in a group together this time by using the same different mediums and looking from which view point is the best choice to be use in my final drawing. As you can see on page three in my A4 sketchbook for this exercise in (Figure 4) below.

Figure 4 – Page 3 Sketches of Group Still Life Objects with different mediums, different view points

I find the right view point angle best view so far, also the chosen medium is a dipping pen with large round nib size, using Sepia mixed with Orange Acrylic Drawing Ink together. Also planned to used a little bit of black ink to the mixed colour to darken the ink for the dark tones.

I also planned to give my A3 paper surface some ink wash with the sepia and orange ink mixed together and diluted with a little bit of water for my final drawing negative space surroundings as a base foundation.

Step Four – Final Drawing:

In my final drawing, I was very pleased with the finished results, even using a dipping pen with ink, can be one of the trickiest thing to use in a drawing. But, learning this medium, has made me become more comfortable at drawing with a dipping pen.

For my final drawing, I basically chose the right view point angle as seen in the Photo reference in (Figure 5), below. I did struggle with the table surface and background table cloth drape, because it was just an ink wash surface without any line marks. So I went further in details by adding line marks on the table surface and it helped to make the objects sitting on a surface, than floating in the air before. The line marks in the table cloth backdrop has created a very interesting relationship with the objects by looking at the age, character, same marks and environment space. I find that I have captured the texture well on the objects and backdrop.

Figure 5 – Right View Point Angle Reference

Here is my Final Drawing called “Harvest from Life” seen in (Figure 6), below:

Figure 6 – “Harvest from Life” Final Drawing

I really enjoyed this exercise, because learning to overcome a fear of using a medium that if you make a mistake and you then can’t erase out, like ink. So this exercise took time to practice how to handle a dipping pen and controlling the diluting ink.

Mediums I used in my Final Drawing in (Figure 6):

• A3 White Cartridge Paper 240gsm
• Acrylic Drawing Inks – Colours: Sepia, Orange and Black
• Dipping Pen with a Large Round Nib Size
• Water to Dilute the Inks
• Oriental Brush for the Ink Wash backgrounds

Extras:

Here is my Log Book answers to the Elements:

 

Part 2: Project 2 – Exercise 1: Detail and Tone

For this exercise, was very interesting to learn composition, detail and tonal values by using the cross-hatching and hatching techniques. But what I really enjoyed the most about doing this exercise, was using soft colour pencils, as they make me want to practice more in using them.

Objects used in this exercise – (Figure 1):

Figure 1 – Photo of the Objects used in this exercise

Objects used:

• Red Rock
• Pink Salt Lamp – Warm Light Bulb
• Gold Painted Pebble
• Glass Deep Blue Pebbles

Planning and Rough Sketches – (Figure 2):

Before I started this exercise, I first did some rough sketches of the objects from four different angles in my A4 sketchbook. Also I planned out what colours to use for my main drawings.

Doing this way, can be very helpful for making sure that you are creating an interesting drawing and also asking myself some questions such as these:

• Is this going to be an interesting view point?
• How is my colours going to blend well with the hatching techniques and what the results going to come out at the end?
• What doesn’t work must have a solution to resolve the problem?
• Will it have a good impact on the results for the final drawing?
• What drawing medium works well?

Figure 2 – Planning and Rough Sketches

Log Book: Practice with Soft Colour Pencils – (Figure 3):

Here is also another planning out on the different tonal values using Soft Colour Pencils with the cross-hatching and hatching techniques. In (Figure 3) below, you can see what colours I used for each of the objects. This helps me to find the correct colours for the Light, Medium and Dark tones.

Figure 3 – Log Book – Practice with different tones using Soft Colour Pencils

The Photo Reference – (Figure 4):

I chose this view point as seen in (Figure 4) below, it has a very interesting tonal value and I love the warm light tones that struck on the rock and the table surface. The shadow is much clear than any other view points.

So this is the view point that I used in the next Practice Drawing and Final Drawing.

Figure 4 – The Photo Reference

Practice Drawing on A3 White Paper – (Figure 5):

For this practice drawing on a A3 white 250 GSM paper with Soft Colour Pencils as seen in (Figure 5) below, was to test with these soft colour pencils, as I’m new to them.

So I made a decision to myself that will make it much easier for me to be able to cope in my Final Drawing. The decision is to practice on one chosen object and practice the cross-hatching and hatching techniques with the soft colour pencils. So the chosen object was the pink salt rock lamp, as it has more colour tones to practice with the pencils.

Honestly, I was very surprised that I can actually work well with using colour pencils for the first time. I love how the colours came out in such warm and vibrant tones, than what I thought earlier on.

Sometimes, I have to tell myself to never think too hard that the results are going to come out negative, because half the time, it actually comes out positive.

Figure 5 – Practice Drawing on A3 White Paper

So I felt very positive and comfortable to get on my Final Drawing of this exercise.

Final Drawing – (Figure 6):

In this Final Drawing on a A3 white 250 GSM paper with Soft Colour Pencils, was all about what I have explored in the previous stages in this exercise and putting them together to create the Final Drawing as seen in (Figure 6) below.

I am very impressed by creating good tonal values with the objects and table surface, as the table surface shows the weight of these objects very well balanced. The contrast on these objects are well captured, but I plan to practice more on improving some colour tones.

The details with these cross-hatching and hatching techniques on these objects create a very interesting texture. When I look at the red rock, seeing the dark hatching marks that help me to identify the sharp surfaces on the rock. The pale tones help me to identify that the surface of the objects is smooth.

For the background colour was going to be blue, but I realized that the grey colour tones that I used from Practice Drawing in (Figure 5) works well with the objects. The grey helps to separate the background from the table surface and objects well.

The point of why I chose these objects, is that it relates to my mood feelings of happiness, brave, nature and peaceful.

 

 

Figure 6 – Final Drawing

So this is the final results of this exercise.

The Mediums used in this exercise – (Figure 7):

• Soft Colour Pencils (Set 24) – Derwent (Brand)
• Soft Eraser
• Putty Eraser
• 30cm Ruler
• HB Pencil
• White A3 250 GSM Paper

Figure 7 – Mediums used in this exercise

 

Before you move on, review your work for this project and make some notes in your learning log.

• Which drawing media did you find most effective to use for which effects?

I found the Soft Colour Pencils more effective, as they got a very vibrant pigment to create different colour tones. They also easier to create different marks and techniques.

• What sort of marks work well to create tone, pattern and texture? Make notes in your sketchbook beside some sample marks. This will prove useful as you continue your journey as an artist.

I find the cross-hatching and hatching techniques useful. They create very interesting pattern and texture. They make more sense when you want to blend colour tones with a bit of pattern in one way. To prove it is useful, is by learning to gradually build those marks as I continue on this art journey.

• Look at the composition of the drawings you’ve done in this project. Make some sketches and notes about how you might create more interesting compositions.

As I have done some sketches in my log book, also my A4 sketch book has plans and sketches that I did before I started my final drawing. Doing this way has helped me to choose the right view point and to identify the composition balance. Also it helps me to resolve problems and creating new ideas to help fix those problems.

 

Drawing 1 – Part 2: Positive and Negative Space Project

I was very thrilled to do this project, I wanted to teach myself more about the positive and negative space, the composition and how to give the object a weight balance. So I decided to try a practice project from my own image of my paint brush jar.

Doing this with acrylic paints, which saves me more time on A4 black paper. This wasn’t a fancy practice, but a very exciting one to discover what colours go well with the positive and negative spaces.

Below here in (Figure 1) is my photo reference of my paint brush jar.

Figure 1 – Photo Reference of Paint Brush Jar

So I used this reference for tracing it on tracing paper with myself being aware of not tracing every detail, but only outlines around the object, also it’s light source and surface.

So in (Figure 2) below, here is the result of the image being traced with solid outlines from a black marker on tracing paper, as you can see it depicts less detail information been traced out from the photo reference.

Figure 2 – Traced Image on Tracing Paper

After done with tracing the image, I went to rub white chalk on the back of the tracing paper and laid it on the A4 black paper. Using white chalk is better to transfer the image from a tracing paper onto a darker colour paper such as the black paper I’m using.

I did this process on each of the six A4 size black paper. This is where I begin my project practice.

Project 1 – (Figure 3):

My first project was to try white acrylic paint on black paper. I wanted to identify the contrast between the black and white colours. This had no table surface and felt like the paint brush jar was floating.

So my plan for these exercises was to build up from two colours in first place and move it to three colours in the next five projects.

Figure 3 – Project 1

Project 2 – (Figure 4):

In project 2 in (Figure 4) below, we can see that I have moved from two colours to three colours. Adding the table surface also helped to make the paint brush jar have a weight feeling, but I noticed that the paint brush jar looked very flat without highlight to show it’s roundness.

I also found the background too boring and plain. So that was also my next idea to give it an interesting background in my next project.

Figure 4 – Project 2

 

Project 3 – (Figure 5):

In this project 3, I added white for the highlights to the paint brush jar to give it a round surface. But looking at it, I felt like the black colour for the paint brush jar was too harsh and it created a feeling like the paint brush jar was floating in the air full with white and grey clouds.

The idea giving the background an interesting atmosphere, made a big and exciting difference. It also helped the table surface to have a balanced composition.

Learning through this practice, has helped me to identify my mistakes with tonal values, which I learnt a lot about fixing the mistakes along the way.

Figure 5 – Project 3

 

Project 4 – (Figure 6):

In this project 4, I have now used a light grey for the paint brush jar, which the results were much better. The black background and black shadow helped to create a weight feeling and a very interesting atmosphere.

Then I had a feeling that I wanted to try with colour, which I have learnt from the research project that I did on the positive and negative space.

Figure 6 – Project 4

Project 5 – (Figure 7):

In project 5, I tried purple instead of having the sharp black colour, then using turquoise for the mid-tone. Then for the highlights was the grey, which I loved from the previous projects above.

Using colours made it more interesting, I really liked the three colours, but I had a feeling that the turquoise was a bit dark for the paint brush jar, so for my final project was to make sure I go a lighter colour. But I was impressed that this came out as a well balanced positive and negative space image.

Figure 7 – Project 5

Project 6 – (Figure 8):

In this project 6, I used yellow instead of the turquoise, which it came out well. I found the yellow a bit bright, but made it more balanced. I’m happy with my final project image.

I love the combination of Project 5 (Figure 7) and Project 6 (Figure 8) results, it creates a very bold and modern style.

Figure 8 – Project 6

Looking at this practice project, which shows me how important positive and negative space can help you with choosing the right colours to help with your tonal values,  composition, weight and perspective.