Exercise 1: Observing shadow and light formations on a surface
For this exercise, I chose a small apple and a small, empty Playdoh pot. After commencing drawing the studies, I realised my choice of objects weren’t as simple as they could have been; the apple was not just one colour but pale green with darker red markings, and the empty, yellow pot became rather translucent in places where the light hit. However, I chose to persevere with my selection, viewing it as a challenge.
I did a few small studies of the pair, switching their positions to see if I could achieve different shadow effects. Side by side, the apple presented some reflected light on its right side, a yellowish glow that was emitted by the pot next to it. When the pot was closest to the light source, the light rendered is somewhat see-through in places, creating some strange patterns of shading i.e. the shadowed right side contained a narrow band of a lighter tone. When the apples was placed behind the pot, it almost lent a certain darkness to the pot’s own shadow, more so than in previous compositions. So, I was happy that I had achieved differences in shadow and light formations in each composition. I drew with a B pencil, and concentrated on suggesting the wider areas of shadow and light, without becoming too fiddly.
I then drew a larger composition of the objects, opting for the side by side setup, and this time, rather than continuously shading as I worked on finishing the drawing, I used a 2B pencil and lightly marked out the areas that showed various gradations of light. I started by working in the mid-tones, followed by the lighter tones (leaving some paper white to suggest highlights) before finishing with the darkest tones, which brought the entire drawing together.
I am pleased with how I have merged the tonal areas together, by using soft, multi-directional strokes – although I was a little sceptical at first at how this would work, as I don’t normally draw in this way. The apple, surprisingly, was easier to draw in this way as the shape wasn’t so uniform and had interesting dips and curves on its surface. I blocked in the main tonal areas before adding detailing to represent markings on the the skin. The pot, however, presented a problem in that the light seemed to pass through it in a strange way i.e. on the right hand side, starting from the centre working outwards, the tone ranges from mid, to light, then dark. I followed as closely as I could but ultimately found this trickier than the apple.
Exercise 2: Tonal Studies
Hatching doesn’t come completely naturally to me – although I have used this method in past drawings, to some extent – so I did find it a little difficult to produce areas of tone that merged convincingly. I usually use a pencil for any hatching works as it is softer and easier to ‘blend’ the marks, however I decided to opt for a ballpoint pen here to get out of my comfort zone.
I chose a teaspoon, satsuma, apple and mug , and arranged them in a composition that wasn’t too complex, so that each object was receiving sufficient light. I followed the areas of tone on the spoon to the best of my ability but I’m not sure I fully achieved a totally realistic shift in tones, apart from maybe the shadow underneath that suggests it curves up and away from the table surface. The natural forms – the apple and satsuma – were easier to render; they created solid shadows and the areas of tone were close together and easy to blend, with no high shine areas like the spoon. The mug was tricky as it had an expansive, high shine surface with some reflected light, which I tried to depict with the lighter band of shading where the white of its handle was reflecting back onto the main body. The shading inside the mug consists of broad, curved hatching which I felt would work better on this kind of continuous, uniform surface rather than short, sharp hatching.
Conclusion
These exercises have made me more aware of reflected light; in my past drawing, I may have overlooked this somewhat and drawn a consistent dark shadow where two objects meet, one of them being slightly reflective (like the yellow pot I used in Exercise 1). Usually my observation skills are quite good and I will draw what I see to the best of my ability, but I wont say there haven’t been times where I’ve simply drawn ‘what I know’ and not paid as close attention to these light patterns as I should.
As I have painted more in the past than I have drawn, I haven’t much employed the ‘half-closed eyes’ technique; I can see the benefits of doing this, especially in tonal drawings, and the difference it makes in highlighting usually undetectable flaws or omissions in shading.
I would like to continue hatching in further work, as I believe I still have more to learn insofar as controlling the marks I make and ensuring they blend more satisfactorily.
Research Point: Odilon Redon
After reading about his life and looking over his impressive variety of works, I can say I am truly astounded by this enigma of a man – and artist. Born in 1840 in Bordeaux, France, Bertrand-Jean Redon (nicknamed Odilon as it was derived from his mother’s name, Odile) was an important Symbolist painter with a remarkable imagination that helped him to produce numerous dream-like – and not to mention menacing and melancholy – works.
He obviously had the skill in him from an early age, as he won a school prize for drawing at the age of 10; one has to assume this wasn’t awarded for any old drawing of his family lined up outside a pretty house. He then moved on to formal training at the age of 15 but was urged by his father to pursue architecture instead. However, Redon failed the entrance exams to the Ecole des Beaux Arts, which pretty much put paid to a future career in architecture, however he would later go back to study there.
When back home in Bordeaux, he began to study sculpture and was instructed in etching and lithography by Rodolphe Bresdin, a fellow Frenchman who specialised in engraving. Unfortunately, he had to put his artistic career on hold as he joined the army and served in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. The end of the war marked a new way of working for Redon, as he began to work almost exclusively in charcoal and lithography.
Perhaps the first work he gained most recognition for was Guardian Spirit of the Waters (charcoal, 1878), a rather unnerving depiction of a large head overlooking a lone boat on an expanse of water. One would imagine this creature was friendly and overseeing the safe journey of the vessel, although there is something quite menacing in the sheer size of the disembodied head and its disproportionate features. Strangely enough, Redon appears to have added a halo-type effect around the head of the guardian, which ultimately may speak of its kindliness.
Redon produced many charcoal drawings such as this, with strange creatures that are sure to have come from pure imagination. He called them his ‘noirs’; a nod to the colour of the material used perhaps, or the themes they portrayed? They have an illustrative quality to them, as though telling part of a story, but at the same time they are a statement in themselves and perhaps show an insight into Redon’s mind, conveying expressions of his feelings and emotions. The Smiling Spider and Cactus Man (both 1881) again feature rather large, imposing figures that could almost be the product of somebody’s nightmares or feverish dreams; the devilish grin of the spider suggests danger, and the wistful look of the head-shaped cactus is almost sad and regretful. It is a rare skill to be able to depict such lucid imagery that comes from one’s own imagination.
In the 1890’s, Redon began to use more colours in his work, incorporating oils and pastels. He was painting dream-like images of wistful-looking, ethereal heads surrounded by flowers or mythical creatures. It shows the versatility with which he worked, being able to go from his earlier, darker monochromes to the more indulgent colour works. Flowers (oils, 1903) is an extraordinary study of colour in floral form, a decadent array of jewel-like colours on an almost golden background. His study of colour is evident, as he is careful to balance out the rich ochres and oranges with equal amounts of turquoise and blue.
Redon was producing imaginative images of nature that explored the potential of colour, which contributed greatly to Post-Impressionist art. His work had taken him in two directions; he influenced Surrealist and Dadaist art with his early prints, and won admiration from the likes of Henri Matisse for his later colour works.
Redon revealed, in his 1922-published journal A Soi Meme (To Myself), the he was not satisfied with painting direct from an object, merely noting down every last minute detail; he was in fact much happier painting from the rich source of ideas that was his imagination. This approach is highly admirable, and no doubt leads to the creation of some truly beautiful and thought-provoking works.
My BA (Hons) Creative Arts Journey with the OCA 