Reflection on Assignment 5 Feedback

Overall

I waited a while between the last tutorial to write up my reflection on the feedback. This is partly because I have been very busy, and partly because its was worthy of significant consideration. In approaching Part 5 I was focusing more on my approach to work than on the finished result. I am planning, as discussed, going to create more work using this approach and possibly base much of my on-going work on the approach I’ve developed during this part. Where relevant I will update the cycle write up for the work I complete before submitting for assessment. If the new work is part of the best then I will include it in my assessment submission, and I would hope that there will be at least one piece that does.

Assignment 5 Feedback

Overall Comments

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You set out a clear plan – described as a series of ‘cycles’ – for the creation of several work informed by the work of other artists. As discussed, the submission seems a little thin when compared to – for example – the figure drawing submission last time. You have time to return to the project(s) you have set yourself and flesh them out and explore them more fully.

Cycle 4: The sea

Note: There has been some rework of this article since the Assignment 5 Tutorial. This has been highlighted in colour and dated.

Context

Although this isn’t exact a new concept for drawing it is definitely one that is close to my heart. I’ve spent much of my life on and near the bodies of water. Early in life it was the Lakes of Cumbria and smaller bodies of water. Later this has expanded out to the sea, and threaded through all of this is running water in rivers and streams – with the inevitable water falls. For this cycle I’ve decided to focus on the sea.

Visit to the National Gallery

It is strange, given I work in London and am on an Art Degree, that this was my first visit to the National Gallery. In visiting the Gallery I needed to focus, at least to a degree, and so I chose to consider primarily Landscape images. That didn’t restrict me too much, as there are large numbers of them in there, but it at least allowed me to have a meaningful approach.

Project 1: Trees

On consideration of my feedback from my tutor I’m trying a new format for this blog. I’m going to be starting to write each project up in a single post. I will add to the post as I do the drawings for the project, which I’m hoping will make the intention of the drawing process clearer.

Ex 1: Approaching a single tree

Making a start

I started by experiments in my sketchbook.

Assignment 2: Lichen revisited

Note: Reworked following Part 2 feedback, including merging together the parts of the thread.

I’ve had a few ideas for Assignment 2, but since my earlier lichen drawing it’s a subject I’ve wanted to revisit. This time, however, I’m planning to take a different approach.

Playing with colour

A slight tangent for the interior exercise, as I think it’s supposed to be in black and white (achromatic). I took a bit of time out to play with getting a better tonal range with coloured pencils.

Project 3: Still Life

Reworked following Part 2 tutor feedback. This includes bringing the parts of the project together and extending the commentary.

Art being viewed…

Legacies of Biafra

Image from https://www.omenkaonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/full125858.jpg

Back in February I visited this exhibition, and for various reasons I keep coming back to think about it. Unfortunately you couldn’t take photographs and there is little about the exhibition available on the Internet. The works were highly varied, within the theme of the Nigerian civil war. This is a subject that I have little personal connection with, but it has made me think about artists’ responses to such events and the fallout from them.

Assignment 1: Evaluation and Reflection

Reflection and Evaluation

What went well?

I like the image overall, as stated previously. The items have meaning for me, and I am hopeful that at least some element of that shows through. The drawing was well received by my wife, who will have similar associations with the individual objects chosen. She called it “An homage to Greece” which fits my intention fairly well.

Assignment 1

 

Key Points

Preparation:
• convey feelings
• believable shapes
• use of tone, using light and shadow
• a few objects that trigger a response for you
• ordinary, funny, practical or ornamental or a mixture
• Set them up in a space so that they create interesting shapes and angles
• good light hitting the objects at an angle
• make the tones on the object obvious and the light and darks clear
• Look at the spaces between the objects as well as the objects themselves.
• Take the two experimental mark making sheets that you did exploring texture and gesture and pin them up nearby

Playing with a Surface

I’ve managed to get my hands on a Microsoft surface and have been trying it out with Krita and Corel Paint Essentials...

It make take me a while to learn to use the tools well, but I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to use it effectively. My hope is that I can use it as a sketchbook when its impractical to carry a good range of paper and tools.

Looking at Cubism

After the Coursera modern art videos I’ve stayed subscribed to the MoMA YouTube channel, and this video on painting like Picasso caught my eye.

How to paint like Pablo Picasso (Cubism) | IN THE STUDIO

Colour wheel

Next step in my colour mixing journey.

Playing with colour

Starting to look at colour theory, and decided to start with Betty Edwards (of Drawing on the Right side of the brain fame) book to start with. This starts with a couple of simple exercises: (a) Colour I like and Dislike; and (b) Colours of the seasons. Not exactly great art, but it was quite fun.

Project 5.2: Narrative Evaluation and Reflection

The Images

Storyboard

Project 5.2: Photomontage so far

I’m working on the production of a Photomontage that places an English Festival in Austria. I have pastel drawings of WOMAD’s Siam tent and some flags. To that I’ve added a pastel sketch of some figures and inserted the whole into an Austrian Landscape. I’m not fully happy with the figures, but like the tent and general effect.

Project 5.1: Testing the leaf print…

Despite my earlier post‘s statement that I wouldn’t bother, I decided to try to elicit some feedback on the print from the OCA forum here: https://discuss.oca-student.com/t/foundation-drawing-abstract-monotype-on-the-theme-of-balance/5846