Beginning the assignment I found my confidence levels were low, despite drawing every day over the past few months.
I was particularly concerned about drawing the made objects, so decided to begin with this.
After much deliberation I chose; a figurine of a girl holding a small dog, which was carved and provided an unusual texture; a chiffon scarf; and a painted straw glass pot. I tried several ways to position the objects but decided I wanted to keep the figure as the central object, and use the soft folds of the scarf against the other hard surfaces.
The first 20 minute study was done in 2B sketching pencil .The composition did not work very well, too much of the scarf was included, and it was much too complex. I was also unhappy with the media I used. I realised I was trying to do a full drawing rather than a study.
For study 2 I used a sepia drawing pencil, which was much more waxy, and covered well. I tried to draw much more quickly and put in blocks of tone, which partly worked -but I could not get the placement right for the pot. It looks isolated from the group and the angle is wrong.
For my third study I decided to throw caution to the wind and chose to use Carre pastels (a medium I would normally shy away from as being too thick and heavy for me). I took time to re-evaluate the position of the items I'd chosen, making the composition much more simple, but keeping the figure as the central point.
I was very surprised to find how much I liked this study, and how things had improved for me when I 'let go' a bit. I found it much easier to place the tones quickly using the pastels.I decided to use this study for the main drawing. However, instead of using the pastels I decided to use yet another medium - a combination of 6 and 8B graphite pencils - which are very much softer than I am used to.
I was happy with the result, because it had been a complete departure from how I usually draw. The white cartridge paper and the graphite really suited the objects I'd chosen and I felt that they gave a good interpretation of the group.
I was especially pleased at how this section of the picture developed.
For the natural objects I agonised over what to draw, but in the end chose to use vegetables as they were accessible and gave me a range of interesting shapes and textures. I used a large head of broccoli, a red pepper, a field mushroom and a couple of smaller mushrooms.
I used a combination of ink/dip pen and charcoal for the first study. Charcoal is another medium I am uncomfortable using. However, I found this study fun to do, although the composition did not quite work out.
For Study 2 I used coloured drawing pencils and tried a complete different type of composition, working in a linear way. It was an interesting experiment, but did not quite gel. I did like the placement of the smaller mushrooms though!
I decided to use study 1 as the basis for the drawing, but removed the small mushrooms and re-positioned the vegetables slightly. I placed them on a white cloth. Despite reservations I carried on taking 'risks' and used charcoal on a pale brown ground. I really surprised myself at the result, and actually could not believe that I had done it, as it's so unlike me.
I was pleased with both drawings. I felt I had chosen the best preliminary study in each case and made adjustments to improve the compositions.I used A2 paper in both cases, to try and make myself draw as large as I could - but it was still not large enough! Despite that these are definitely the largest drawings I've ever done, so I'm not unhappy.
A key learning point for me is that once I took a 'risk' with the pastels, the challenge began to reduce and I saw more opportunities than concerns! So by the time I came to the second drawing I felt much more ready to try things I'd usually shy away from. This is a big step for me.
