I'm Afraid So...

I joined a portfolio styled site as an add on so some of my work can be seen more easily than scrolling through the blog. As soon as I get more on that I will link it.

I've been trying to do some experimenting with Photoshop lately, including making a picture in a kind of 1930s Japanese Art Deco style (specific, I know), so if I am pleased enough with any of these attempts, I might plop some on here soon.

Anyway, along with the usual:

Week 5 - Inner Emotion

We had to shut our eyes and feel our face in order to create this drawing - tapping into our 'inner emotions'. I thought this image would go everywhere, considering I kept taking my charcoal off the paper, however it doesn't look too bad - albeit a bit scary.



I'm not so sure the idea of 'inner emotion' got past the first exercise, but it has something.



We drew a diddy version and split it into four to then draw these four sections separately, larger. We then pieced the parts together and I was pleased to see the sizing of each part wasn't awfully different.



Week 6 - Combined and Rubber

The first exercise was started a drawing, and then moving on to another easel to finish another. It was quite a fun exercise and interesting to draw over another person's art - and notice in a way, that it is easier to see errors when it is not your work. In this piece below I continued the one on the left and started the one on the left. So for these next few images I do not take all the credit!



This should be first; I started this one off.



I continued this one and found quite a bit I needed to change. So it does look quite scruffy, yet in a way it makes it quite alive.



Then we moved off that and made pictures by rubber on to charcoal. I probably didn't press well enough with the charcoal or rubber but the marks are quite interesting. Also it's hard not to notice an obvious cup ring came through on this easel from years gone by...



A section of the model, again with rubber on charcoal.

More Lifeus Drawingus

Week 3 - Ink

In my experience of using ink, I've always felt I become somewhat clumsy and confused (depending on the weapon with which to ink). So with the usual frustration was also added the holding of the 'weapon' by its tip. But here's my attempts from the class:

Okay, so this was actually charcoal on a long stick, holding at its tip. I keep making my drawings too big so the feet can't be seen - need to work on that.

I never truly 'got' how to hold a fountain pen properly. Add a sort of large version of one, set upon an easel, again holding the thing at the tip (and trembling), and frustration occurs. Unfortunately the ink decided to give up on me altogether on these!

Mercifully, the brush wasn't quite so difficult to go places with. But not hugely satisying either here.

Brush again, I actually quite like this one.

Week 4 - Pastels

I haven't used pastels in a long time. Like the week before, I feel I can get more messy then necessarily nice outcomes with the material. But it is good to try out and improve on these things!

Rather firey, I didn't realise I should probably have added more colours in.

However, I began to take this on board.

Still six weeks to go!

It's Snowing & Life Drawing

Quite a bit, but it's not settling on the grass at the moment.

So I booked up for a 10 week life drawing workshop. Started last week and discovered it was a proper taught one, harking back more to my Art Foundation and before days. I thought during it that actually this was exactly what I needed: a freshen up. My life drawings have not pleased me so much for a while so it's good to be getting ideas and techniques into my work again. Anyway, here's my stuff from the first two weeks. Taken photos as too big to scan.

Week One - Line:

Drawing with my left hand and then solely looking at the model, not the paper.

Using pen and pencil with both hands at the same time, aiming to make the closer [to me] a tad darker line.

Using two different pencils again, darker and the lighter line. The head went wrong here. The light pencil line for the leg was showing where it should have been going by actual distance and height between parts of the body.

Week Two - Tone:

Photographed not too clearly so some quick editing in Photoshop brought out the colour a bit better. Charcoal used only to show the darker tones of the body; not supposed to use lines.

Chalk is a lot of fun to work with - it really can give a pleasing effect. Chalk used to show the lighter parts of the body.

Chalk and charcoal used for light and dark.

I am also working on - and considering - other animation and illustration related things at the moment - maybe more on them soon.

The snow is beginning to settle more.