Drawing Monday One thing in many ways 20th October

One thing in many ways 20th October

This Monday we were starting a new subject in drawing, and I was interested to find out what we will be asked to do.

Today's class was focusing on natural forms while concentrating on tone and texture. We were given a variety objects to choose from, and a range of media to use.

Before starting we had a short discussion about how to present our drawing on the A1 page. We were asked to make smaller studies that were to take no longer than twenty minutes. We also looked at some design sheets from 3D. This was so we could get ideas on how to lay out our page.

With the talk over with, I picked my object. I started with what looked like a plant of some sort? I chose it because of the interesting centre it had; many different lines that looked like little veins.

I started my first drawing with a side view of the strange object. I did this so I could include a view of the intricate veins inside. I drew in pencil as it was a starting point, as well as a good way to familiarise myself with the subject. I concentrated on tone, and tried to work quickly, aware of the 20 minute time limit for each drawing. This limit was so we could have time for more than three drawings in the lesson.

After a little over 20m minutes had passed, I'd nearly finished my first drawing. I moved the object so I could only see the top. With the interesting web like inside, I quickly mapped out the outline using a pen. Capturing the intricate details without making it look messy was difficult. I started at the centre and worked my way out from there, slowly building on the lines, trying to keep the flowing winding feeling. I decided to keep the top half unfinished, partly because the 20 minutes was up, but also because I thought the composition was more interesting that way.

Moving swiftly on to the third drawing, I grabbed some white and black charcoal and started sketching out a detail of part of the inside; layering the black and then the white on top. This wasn't as successful as I would of liked. I wanted to get a feeling of depth in the drawing; one of the main reasons I started this sketch.

During a short break, I walked around the room looking at other people's drawings, asking them why they chose their objects and what they found difficult. I got mixed comments, but most people chose their object because of one or two parts they found interesting; either the feel, texture or tone, or a combination of these things. A lot of people were doing ink washes and using paint. This is something I haven't done much of yet, seeing as colour is in the last section of our drawing lessons .

When the break was over, I started on my fourth drawing. This time I decided on a soft brown and white, focusing on the textured outside of the object. I wanted to capture the contrast of shadows on the bumpy skin.

I moved onto my final drawing of the day; a view of one side, as well as the inside of the object, using an ink wash. I focussed on the negative space and used cross hatching to cover the outside of the object. I then filled in the space in between the intricate veins on the inside, using a small amount of water to keep it light.

At the end of the lesson, I had done more than I initially thought I would. I later found out that the object I was drawing was a part of a natural loofah. This made me look at it differently in some way. I think if I knew exactly what it was before I started, I might have drawn it differently? However, I'll never know for sure.