Exercise 1: Exploring coloured media
I was a little reluctant at first to get going with this exercise as I felt it was very similar to one I had done in the first part, where I gathered all of my drawing materials and ‘let loose’ with them. So, I admit that this time around I froze up a little when it came to making a variety of marks; it was almost like artist’s block, I just couldn’t seem to force myself to come up with lots of different ways of making marks, no matter how hard I tried! I managed to do the usual lines and hatching, along with blending and dots/dashes, but there was nothing new here. I used coloured pens and pencils, pastel pencils, conte crayon and oil pastels.
Coloured pens I absolutely adored using; the flow of the pigment is constant (unless the ink is really down to the hilt), the marks are strong and there is no snagging on the paper. I like the effect I achieved with hatching, as all of the lines are of the same thickness/strength etc to result in a good, consistent shaded area. Pastels were a little unpredictable, if a little frustrating, as the pastel would crumble slightly if I applied too much pressure to create thicker lines. And of course it smudged easily with the tiniest brush of a hand.
Conte crayon is, for me, very similar to pastels due to its consistency and tendency to smudge. I didnt have any real problems using it, except that they always feel so delicate in my hand and liable to break with too much pressure. Oil pastels….I have to be honest, I do not feel comfortable using these in the slightest. They feel too greasy and sticky and – although it may just be the brand I use – they seem to snag on the paper a lot and leave behind little waxy deposits of colour. I cant honestly say I created any marks with these that would satisfy me enough to include them in one of my drawings. Perhaps I just need a little more practise with them in actual drawing, rather than just mark-making.
Coloured pencils were also a joy to use, and rank right up there with the coloured pens. They are strong, produce crisp lines when sharp and softer ones when more blunt. I get a variety of marks by using either the sharpened tip or by turning the tip on its side and making broader strokes. Given my preference for the coloured pens and pencils, I found I was also able to produce much better stripes of blended colour when going from red to blue; the softer materials didn’t really allow me to hatch or stipple very well at all.
Conclusion
Its probably already quite clear what my preference is from the above description of the exercise. Without a doubt, coloured pen or pencil is my material of choice, although if I had to pick one it would be coloured pencils.
However, I’m not sure about their ability to be expressive, which makes me think I have a preference for them purely because of their ease of use and lack of mess. I am not likely to use oil pastel unless absolutely necessary, and conte crayon I feel is to delicate to be entirely expressive, therefore I would select pastel pencils for this purpose; they can be built up beautifully in layers, or used at different angles for various strengths of mark. And they also come in pencil form, which is ideal for my way of working.
For detailed drawings, I believe pencils to be the better suited medium. They offer a certain precision that other materials cant; they can be sharpened to a very fine point, can be overlayed without fear of smudging and disturbing other details on the drawing, and are generally very flexible when it comes to varying the pressure and achieving a range of different marks.
Research Point: Detailed drawings
Stephen Wiltshire (Born 24th April 1974)
Although he had a somewhat unconventional upbringing and training in drawing, it can nevertheless not be disputed just how skilled and detailed Wiltshire’s drawings are. Although he works primarily in black and white using a variety of fineliners and technical pens, his work is testament to his dedication to realistically capturing subjects such as cityscapes, landscapes and buildings.
At the age of three, Wiltshire was diagnosed as being autistic, with no real desire to interact with others. Upon beginning Queensmill School in London at the age of five, his skill in drawing became clear and he was able to express himself comfortably in this way, and with such a mastery of perspective and line.
Having travelled extensively all over the world for his drawing subjects, one can see how the confidence of the artist is conveyed in the pieces; there are no obvious mistakes, just an impressive array of lines and marks that are built up to suggest tone and texture. In Big Ben and Westminster Bridge (London), a whole variety of marks are employed but the drawing still retain a strong sense of realism and atmosphere. For example, clouds in real life are not ‘cross-hatched’, but the depth of tone that Wiltshire has built up is suggestive of a stormy, overcast day. His vertical lines on the buildings are extremely well-executed in that they do not bend or warp and create a strange, abstract cityscape. Perspective is achieved well through the steady decrease in size of the bridge towards the centre of the drawing, and the gaping space beneath them. The water shows numerous ripples and reflections from the buildings on the waters edge, which gives the buildings a sense of place.
In Westminster Abbey, you almost get a sense that you are looking at a very technical, architectural rendering but in fact this is actually quite a relaxed drawing that exudes detail and is actually quite beautiful considering the grandiose perspective that is chosen. If you look close enough you can clearly see the attention to detail – such as the spires and the windows – which shows the advantages of using a tool such as the technical pen which is capable of the finest marks. Wiltshire is clever in taking advantage of all the possible marks he can make with this tool, using hatching, overlaying, dots, dashes and lines to build up his realistic renderings.
Wiltshire is probably not an obvious choice when choosing a modern master of detailed drawing – in that his tool of choice is pen and not the standard pencil – however I have admired his work for years and feel drawn to it, so much so that I feel totally immersed in it due to its abundance of detail.
Reference: www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk
Albrecht Dürer (21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528)
Dürer immediately came to mind when selecting a 19th century master of detailed drawings. One glance as his impressive works gives the biggest clue as to why I chose to study his techniques. The third child of many siblings, he was a printmaker, engraver and painter who built up a huge body of work including woodcuts that pioneered whole new possibilities with the medium.
However, here I shall just be focusing on his drawings. One of my personal favourites is Dürer’s Portrait of his Mother, a strikingly honest study of his frail mother that doesn’t hold back and isn’t in the slightest bit idealistic. Dürer has used a combination of fine line, hatching and tone to make a ‘warts and all’ account of this elderly woman, and has been meticulous in his approach. Although his mark-making is not excessive, he succeeds in depicting the wrinkled skin, sunken cheekbones and sinewy neck. The neck below the jawline gives a sense of depth to the piece with carefully rendered dark tones and carefully observed anatomical detail.
Speaking of anatomical detail; Dürer’s Young Hare is just as carefully observed, as we can look upon the piece and almost see what could almost be a photograph of the animal. What I love about this drawing is how the quality and length of hairs on different parts of the body are suggested; short, sharp marks on the ears to show bristly hairs, and sweeping, more curved marks on the rest of the body for the thicker fur. He cleverly shows the lighter areas by avoiding too many marks, such as the scruff of fur around the neck and above the back leg. The eyes appear dark and moist where a small area of the paper has been left to shine through.
Dürer really is a true master of both detailed drawing and mark-making; combining the two is an impressive skill, one of which I hope to master myself as the course continues.
My BA (Hons) Creative Arts Journey with the OCA 