The first assignment was to prepare a stack of journals/sketchbooks and folders which I spent yesterday afternoon doing. I must say, it looks like it's really going to suit the way I like to sift things and organise things until I am ready to permanently attach them to a book. I particularly love the folders and clipboard and see them in my mind stuffed full of scribbled notes, little studies and marks.
I chose a large box folder for my Gathering Portfolio as I imagine that I may put a couple of small 3D things in there or maybe some cloth items. Not sure yet... I must continue on with the course and wait and see what happens!
I'm a little afraid of the huge black sketchbook that I bought for the Observational Studies, but there it's not like I know what is going to be in there yet... If nothing else, I will hopefully learn to "mess up" a book and not worry about things being "good", "finished", "exactly as I want", "perfect". This kind of fear is what holds me back. FEAR BEGONE you do not serve me well!
In other news, in my drawing class, we are having our end of year exhibition and must draw a piece which is related to the local village. I have chosen to draw a monument in the graveyard using pencils and inktense pencils from a photograph that I took.
I had made a start on my drawing and had just started to briefly put in some colour. My homework this week was to complete some studies of how I was going to represent the brickwork on the church in the background (which I wasworried about!) and how to represent things like the tree branches and the roof.
My teacher pointed out to me that doing little studies and experiments are essential to determine if what I had in mind was going to work -- otherwise, I risked ruining my drawing with a badly drawn background. She pointed out the way I was starting to draw the roof was not in keeping with the rest of the monument and she was so right. I had started to just make a series of slightly curving sweeps from left to right and it looked terrible. I had no idea how I was going to do the brickwork on the church.
I erased the curved lines on the roof as soon as I got home but I wish I had taken a pic first... Never mind, from now on I will be much more mindful of what I am doing and keep records of what works and what doesn't. So this is my drawing after the erasing. I like how the monument is starting to feel in this early stage.
I did my studies yesterday and today,
playing with marks, colour choice and water placement.
I experimented with the brickwork marks and the tree branches
I also had a go with the sky, which in the photograph I am working on,
is a very bland shade of white with no interest at all.
I like the effect of the bottom left, when I layered inktense ink brushed off the pencil
with a very wet brush, adding more as it dried.
I fancy trying some more studies, working on adding in some greys to make it a bit more moody.
Feeling very good about my drawing and looking forward to seeing how it progresses!
