Project 3: Composition

It took some re-reading and thinking to understand what this exercise was really asking for. I decided that this was one of the projects which is effectively a single piece of work. The first part is to play with ideas for a major composition. The second part is to create an A3 landscape drawing based on the selected composition.

Exercise 1 Developing your studies

Seaside sunset

Some initial thoughts in my sketchbook…

Project 5.2: Storyboard

Starting to think through concerns, and play with ideas.

Project 5.1: Reflections on balance

As the Project calls for “an abstract image on the theme of balance” I’ve been reflecting on the connotations of that. Initially my thinking was “Balance of what?”

Project 3.2: Developing ideas

I’ve been working on the idea in several ways, as can be seen from my previous post. I seem to have settled on an arrangement of items on a chopping board, though I’m split between basic vegetables or whether to include the spices. As a first run at a good image I started with Charcoal. 

Project 3.2: Playing with ideas

I been trying to consider how best to approach this one. I tried to think through approaches and ideas. The concept of “larger than life” came through from the brief and started me thinking… The most obvious idea is something like an arrangement of vegetables, but other ideas can work…

Reflection on Tutor feedback

On consideration I’ve decided that it is appropriate to reflect on my tutor’s feedback again. This is more for my own thinking than as a response. After my Assignment 2 feedback I realised that I hadn’t understood and/or followed some of his advice. Considering each point explicitly at this point seems worthwhile as a completeness check, and to build a “further work” list.

Project 3.1: Through to Completion

Continuing the cupboard top left side I started to add boxes and try to slant them, as planned in my sketchbook. I just couldn’t get them to look how I wanted them to be, so I tried adding flat boxes instead:

Project 3.1:Starting Again

Practice Reflection

I’ve been looking back at my practice sketches from December with a critical eye and my current study of perspective in mind. Issues start to build fairly quickly, although in many ways it is still an improvement on previous work. Possibly the biggest single issue is that the cupboard sketch was supposed to be face on, so the top and bottom of the cupboard facing should be parallel. They aren’t, and in fact they slightly diverge.

Project 3.1: Thinking though cupboard and viewpoints

I’m trying to decide how to work out which cupboard is best, what viewpoint and how much to open the door. We have three cupboards in the house that meet the brief, with one having double doors. One has cans and such in, another is tea boxes and drinks and the last spices and jars.

I like the cupboard with the spice jars. This is the one I chose for my earlier practice, but the cupboard with the tea packets would work as well.

There is also the question of whether to ‘tidy’ the cupboard. I’m thinking not. In fact I may even add some extra stuff. My life is full to over flowing, and I want the drawing to reflect that. If that is the driver then the double door cupboard, with its stacked up contents would be best.

On amount of the door to show, I think it looks best with just a bit of the outside of the door showing. Decisions, decisions…

Project 3.1: Restart

Starting the project again, following a new approach. First I’m thinking through the sorts of questions I need to think through. Basic approach and how to make the pieces seem grounded is the first challenge. 

Exhibition: XPO Picasso

Exhibition

We were in Bruges and ran into a Picasso exhibition. It’s a very interesting exhibition of 300+ of his pieces. Many were from Sketchbooks. One sequence, for example, was a number of drawings done about the same model. I’d speculate from the same sitting. There was quite a variation in style and approach across them, giving an idea of how Picasso approached his work.

Project 3.2: composition practice

Depth before perspective

The course notes indicate that we should undertake a view on perspective over time (p58), first looking at the representation of depth before the formalisation of linear perspective, and then at modern art representations. As part of this research I ran into multiple descriptions of the primary principles of linear perspective. One of the most readable is this: 

Grayson Perry: The Vanity of Small Differences

This was being exhibited at a local Gallery, so I decided to go along to have a look. The work has been fairly extensively documented, and so I won’t attempt to describe it in detail here. Suffice it to say that there are 6 tapestries and  wealth of background information to view and consider.