Landscape - Final

This is a 30 minute soft pastille study of a sea/skyscape. The contrasting orange sand and blue sea and sky are aesthetically pleasing as they are opposite each other on the colour wheel. The colour of the sea changing gradually from a more saturated blue to a less saturated blue/grey and then hitting the lighter value blue of the start of the sky creates depth.

There is a line which leads the viewer’s eye diagonally across the image created by the row of small wooden pillars that go from the sand into the sea, as the perspective on the row forces the viewer’s eye to continue moving across the page in that direction in an implied line after the row itself has stopped. This is also aided by the composition of the image showing the shore line at an angle which goes against the angle of the wooden pillars, to force the perspective, as would not be the case if the shore was in a straight line across the page.

Still Life - Final

This is a 45 minute oil pastille study of an arrangement of peppers. They are arranged in a good composition which fits with in the rule of thirds and creates a ‘v’ shaped line by none of the objects ‘kissing’. Shadows are created following the rules of colour theory where the base colour for the shadow on each different coloured pepper is the colour as closely possible to being opposite the main colour of the pepper on the colour wheel to create realistically coloured shadows. Varying tone with high contrasting highlights help to emulate the smooth shiny surface texture of the peppers, and is particularly successful on the red pepper.

Light and shadow on the material beneath the peppers, created by contrasting tonal values, give the peppers more form by creating space between each object and showing the three dimensional space around them. 

Life Drawing - Final

This is a 30 minute figure study drawn using a 6B pencil. The study is proportionally accurate, fitting into roughly seven and a half head units, as is average for a male body. The composition of the image is successful with the figure taking up most of the space on the page and drawing the viewer’s eye down the image in a line following the curve of the models spine and then across and down the legs . The contrasting darker values in the background and on the material beneath the model, against the lighter values of the body, push the body forward and give it an increased sense of form and placement. Tone on the body also creates form by creating depth though showing how light hits the body, and also increases the sense of the models open gesture by showing how the figure is slightly hunched over and relaxed.

Life Drawing - Expression

This is a 30 minute study of facial expression drawn using a 2B pencil. Expression is shown through the arching shapes of the mouth and eyebrows. Generally the face is very relaxed as this was a longer drawing, so there is no tension in the facial muscles, especially around the cheeks, making the whole face look quite flat and long. Tone is used to show depth around the eyes, ear, and hands by showing contrasting light and shadow hitting the face, as well as give a sense of the colour value of the hair. Better observation of tone would improve the image by creating more depth and form as, whilst there is a reasonable likeliness to the model, currently the image seems flat and stylised rather than a realistic observation, this could be more effectively achieved by using a softer pencil that does not leave such harsh lines. 

Life Drawing - Faces

This is a 25 minute study of facial proportions drawn using a 4B graphite stick. The composition of the image is aesthetically pleasing with the main detail of the face and then the end of the head, around the ear, falling within the rule of thirds. Tonal values are used to show the change in light and shadow across the face and give it a greater sense of form. There are some problem areas that could be improved upon: incorrect observation of perspective and bad measuring practise has resulted in the eyes not being entirely aligned and they are drawn at different angles, the more visible of the two is also slightly out of scale, it should be slightly bigger; otherwise there is a reasonable likeliness to the model. 

Life Drawing

This is a 45 minute figure study drawn using a 4B pencil. There is a good sense of proportion with the figure comprising of 7 and a half head units which is standard in the average person. There is also a good sense of anatomy regarding muscle structure with varying tonal values showing light and shadow on the body to give it a sense of form. Tone is also used to show the shadow cast by the figure and show the distance between the model and the pole, giving the image a sense of perspective. The tone also creates depth with the shaded areas behind the model giving a sense of placement within a 3 dimensional space. Depth is also created within a smaller area of the cloth with the dark values showing the shadow behind the pole and shadows on the cloth to show folds to give it more form.

Life Drawing

These are a series of 10 minute studies showing the human form. The first image is created using charcoal and effectively shows the high contrast light on the model using dark and light tones with few mid-tones. The two pencil drawings are more effective as they have a better quality of line and can more accurately show muscle definition on the model. Form is created through the use of line to create areas of shadow to give each sketch a more three dimensional feel. The proportions on the third image with the model on the chair feel off with the body seeming to be slightly elongated, this might be partially due to the stance feeling very rigid; a greater range in tonal value would more accurately show the posture of the model by giving the image more depth and short the foreshortening on the bent legs.

Still Life - Attention to detail

This is a graphite pencil study of the inside of a pepper. The dark tones create depth separating the inside of the pepper from the outer layer in front of it. Contrasting tone is also used to create detail in the form of the seeds. The image would be more successful on a larger scale as the top of the pepper is touching the top of the page, whilst some of the background is shown using a variety of tones to prevent the pepper from floating on the page, it would be improved with a slightly greater space shown around it. However, as the object does take up most of the page, it holds the viewer’s attention and the high detailed area of seeds sits in the top left corner of the rule of thirds, making it aesthetically pleasing.

Still Life - Scarf

This is a charcoal study of an arrangement of scarves on a table. The vantage point shows the arrangement in such a way that creates a line from the top of the scarves and curves around the table. A range of tonal values is used to show light and shadow, which creates depth, however this is preventing the textures of the scarves to be apparent; the scarf at the front seems to have a smooth shiny texture rather than a woollen one, this is less of an issue with the scarf at the back which is more textured. This was not helped by the choice of media; charcoal smudges easily and so texture was lost throughout the process, had the scale been a lot larger, it would have been possible to focus on accurately showing the texture of the scarf using charcoal, but on a smaller scale the texture was lost in exchange for tone.

Still Life - Vehicle

This is a 2 hour study of a vintage car created using an 8B graphite stick. The chosen vantage point shows 3 sides of the vehicle and so three-point perspective was used to accurately portray the dimensions of the vehicle. There are some issues with the perspective where the back of the car seem too thin and doesn’t quite line up with the interior, the front headlamp on the right doesn’t seem to be big enough, and the line showing the car door is at a slightly off angle, so greater care could be taken in future to prevent this as these problem areas distract from the rest of the image. 

High contrasting tone is used to show the shiny elements of the black metal trim. Light is also shown through the use of tone, and the dark shadow under the vehicle and to its side creates depth and helps show the vehicle in relation to its surroundings.

Landscape - Morning Sky

This is a 20 minute colour study of an early morning sky. The contrast between the blue and orangey yellow complement each other as they are opposite each other on the colour wheel and so are aesthetically pleasing together. The change in colour diagonally across the sky shows perspective, and creates depth. The direction of the colour being consistent across the sky, alongside the direction of the lightly implied clouds, also creates an implied line which forces the viewer’s eye to look from the top right corner diagonally cross to the left rooftop and then along the silhouetted skyline.

Landscape - Atrium Exterior

This is a 1 hour soft pastille study of a building exterior with a vantage point that shows more than one side of the building to show two-point perspective. The study is on coloured paper to provide a mid-tone, so only highlights and shadows need to be added; this was done unsuccessfully as the colours used try to closely match their real life colour, and the chosen mid-tone colour is wrong in most cases, causing some areas to be overloaded with colour to try correct this.

Colour is used to show the reflective properties of the roof that is visible; however this was only partially successful as the long time frame the image was created over meant that the sky changed over time, and the colours used to create the overcast sky do not quite match up with the colours of the roof, put down when the sky was clear, and end up making the roof look too blue. The harsh shadows on the roof also appear off as the colouring is not right; the area seems detached from the rest of the roof, this could have been prevented by highlights carrying on through the shadow rather than missing at the edges of the shadow, and by working over the lighter coloured guidelines that show where the shadow ends.

Landscape - Church Interior

This is a 1 hour charcoal pencil study of a church interior. The chosen vantage point creates a sense of depth by showing the varying perspectives on each arch. Depth is also created through the range of tonal variation to show the change in light, with under the arch being in shadow, but bright light coming from the other side of each of them.  Changes in texture are implied through the use of line and tone to create the impression of brickwork in some places that can be assumed continues along adjacent and similar areas, and also show the change in material from the brickwork to the fabric curtain by implying the folds, and the wood on the ceiling by using line to follow the grain.