Part 2 Project 2 Physical and Visual Texture Exercise 1 Experimenting

Experimenting

For this exercise, I completed a few studies in my sketchbook of objects of varying textures, using varying media to try to emulate the surface nature of the objects. The object which I think could create an interesting extended study is the perlemoen shell seen in the top left-hand box on this sketchbook page. The trickiest surface to draw was the curtain tassel. I chose to use ink pen to describe this texture, but I had to abbreviate the texture, as it was so intricate. Each thread was made up of intricately linked loops. For the sponge, I found that using soft chalk pastels as a base upon which to use fine markers for the impressions seemed to work quite well.

Sketchbook study of textures

While researching the depiction of textures, I was also intrigued by the exercises found in Drawing Projects on pages 66 to 75 in which they describe doing tactile studies using two drawing media taped together to make a "single unit"- such as two pencils - for about 15 - 20 minutes. This preliminary sketch is then honed and adjusted by placing darker marks in strategic areas to clarify the line of the surface. "This clarification may be tighter, [more focused] but the tightness will rest on top of, and integrate into the earlier and looser drawing process". (Maslen & Southern, 2014) I started with a pencil drawing of varying objects seen below. The teabag was the textural surface I enjoyed drawing the most for its folds and puckers. I then went on to do two studies of a bitten guava. I used two different green fine markers for the initial sketch. I then clarified some shadows and lines using a dark green marker. In order to help to pull the pen marks together, I used soft pastels to add a swath of color. I really loved the details of the grooves created by the teeth marks in the guava.

For the frottage exercise, I took a walk along the Port Elizabeth foreshore. I was fascinated by the variety of textures available on the palm trees that lined the beach. Large sections of the textures originate from differing palms. The rubbings I most enjoyed doing were of the palm fronds and the barks of the base of various palm trees. According to ArtSlant when discussing the work of Max Ernst, “Unexpected characteristics would manifest, revealing narratives that he then embellished.” (Levy, 2009) I did find that the marks I created often surprised me and I found the whole experience quite energizing. It was interesting that sometimes what I thought would make a great rubbing, turned out to be a disappointment. The pebbled pathway was one such example: it looked very textural, but most of that was created by the appearance of shadows and lights on the stones. In reality, the frottage it created was very non-descript. I found the rubbings of names written into concrete quite interesting. Their impression created a subtle area void of texture. The writing on the Jewish memorial plaque transferred really well onto paper as the marble letters had crisp cut edges.

 

Works Cited

Levy, M., 2009. Contemplating the Act of Rubbing. [Online]
Available at: http://www.artslant.com/ny/articles/show/11750
[Accessed 11 August 2015].

Maslen, M. & Southern, J., 2014. Drawing Projects. London: Black Dog Publishing.

 

 

The Iconic Route 67

Donkin Reserve, Port Elizabeth.

I am currently staying with my parents in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. This afternoon we took a tour of parts of the city that I have not visited for many years. Iconic to Port Elizabeth is the Donkin Reserve with its pyramid and lighthouse. What I did not know was that this is now the starting point of Route 67. In commemoration of Nelson Mandela, for his 67 years of service in South African Politics, Port Elizabeth has an Arts and Culture Heritage Route which encompasses 67 different artworks created in his honour. As part of this exhibition, I got to view the Voting Line, Lighthouse Mosaic Moments and Beaded Quotes, along with some other public art works.  



Donkin Reserve sculpture, Voting Line detail.

Shadow cast by Silhouette
of a steel cutout
from Voting Line.





A section of the  Voting Line by Anthony Harris and Konrad Geel.



The silhouette of Nelson Mandela stands triumphantly at the head of the Voting Line.

The artwork which appealed to me was Voting Line by Anthony Harris and Konrad Geel. The “life-size laser-cut steel figures form a symbolic voting line that evokes a memory of voters as they were seen in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.” (Arts and Culture Heritage Route, 2014) As a student at college, I clearly remember creating black and white shadow versus highlight portraits, and I have subsequently lead many classes through this same exercise. Today, however, this technique of portrayal took on whole different dynamic when seeing Voting Line. The carefully observed and simplified portrayal of a vast variety of figures - representing the different ages and people groups who took part in the democratic elections - line the curved surface of the semi-circular wall surrounding the gigantic flag post on the hill in the old city center of Port Elizabeth. As the sun sets, the shadows cast by the black steel cutouts create clear shadows across the surface of the irregular stone wall. The shadows are clearest when the cutouts are at ninety degrees to the direction of the sun’s rays. The movement of the sun enlivens the whole sculpture as it travels across the sky. I also loved the way the silhouettes of the figures appeared against the blue of the sky and sea, as well as the green of the surrounding grass.

The figure of Nelson Mandela stands slightly in front of the line in his iconic freedom stance. His cutout is treated differently in that there are words describing his character and involvement in South Africa engraved across the surface of his silhouette. The steel is also a more reflective surface causing the light to play off of the engraved letters. This sculpture is a fitting tribute to a remarkable man and his role in enabling voting to become open to all of the people of South Africa. The figure of Mandela is actually the new logo for the Nelson Mandela Foundation's Madiba Trust, who gave permission to the MBDA for the Voting Line artists” to incorporate into their artwork. (South African Tourism , 2015)

Unfortunately, the sculpture is not likely to remain in its current condition for long, as children climb onto the stone bench seat on the opposite side of the wall enabling them to cavort around the sculpture, clambering over the figures and scratching the painted surfaces. This is infuriating as the sculpture is truly well-executed!

Steel-cut figures depict varying ages and ethnicities of people within the Voting Line.

 



Strip from Lighthouse Mosaic Moments, Donkin Reserve, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Details of hands from Strip from Lighthouse Mosaic Moments.

Another artwork from The Iconic Route 67 is Lighthouse Mosaic Moments. This mosaic is a colourful double-layered strip which frames the base of the famous Port Elizabeth lighthouse. It incorporates “a celebration of symbols and icons within Port Elizabeth...” (Arts and Culture Heritage Route, 2014) What I particularly enjoyed about this set of tiled artworks was the fact that they had interpreted numerous hands in varying gestures, styles, and poses. The artists of this mosaic are Nombuso Jacobs, Sinethemba Joy Mabope, Zandle Snam, NkosoxoloVegani, Ntombizanele Nojo Ko, Andiswa Manyota, Tuso Mosia, Patrick Loli, Malcom Medela, Siyolo Ketababilte and Jan Du Rand. (Arts and Culture Heritage Route, 2014)

Beaded Quotes, 2014.

Close-up detail of Beaded Quotes, 2014.

The last piece that I found interesting was Beaded Quotes by 30 beaders from this region, creating 67 abstracted motifs of narratives from South Africa’s heritage. (Arts and Culture Heritage Route, 2014) Xhosa women, known for their intricate beadwork, create beaded designs as narratives of their personal and cultural history. Each design carries a symbolic message through its choice of motifs and the placement, sequence, and choice of colours. Although I do not know enough about the symbolic nature of the colours and designs, they create an interesting band across the urban landscape.

Works Cited

Arts and Culture Heritage Route, 2014. The Iconic Route 67. Port Elizabeth, South Africa: Mandela Bay Development Agency.

South African Tourism , 2015. Nelson Mandela Voting Line sculpture, Port Elizabeth. [Online]
Available at: http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/articles/entry/article-southafrica.net-nelson-mandela-voting-line
[Accessed 15 July 2015].     

Part 2 Project 1 Composition Exercise 2 Compositional studies of natural objects

Sharpie at the end of a
feather duster handle
at about 0.6m.

As I have been having problem getting my proportions right and generally need to work on my eye-hand coordination, I fancied working through the exercises in Drawing Projects by Mick Maslen and Jack Southern (2014). For this exercise, I went to the beach to collect whatever I could find washed up on the rocks. I found a selection of pieces of driftwood which I thought would work for this exercise. I read the instructions from pages 66 to 69 and went about doing the exercises described. I set up an easel with A2 size paper, selected a piece of driftwood, a feather duster (which I attached drawing materials to) and commenced these exercises.

I drew my first three drawings using the feather duster at a distance of 0.6m from the easel. Although initially unwieldy, I found that I started using whole arm movements and my ability to control my medium improved. Although the exercise called for using graphite, I chose to use a sharpie as I remember doing similar exercises in Sharpie while at college. However, the Sharpie marker was hard to control as the grain of the paper influenced the flow of my strokes when being drawn from 0.6m. It was virtually impossible to get some of the strokes to follow the path I was trying to draw. I then switched to charcoal. Although better, this also did not have the control and flow I required when working at 0.6m. So I then followed the instructions more closely and used a 6B pencil, this time working at a distance of 0.3m from the easel. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this drawing as the angle I had made for an interesting placement of the wood on the page, and I had better stroke control. My final sketch for the day was with a 2B pencil holding it at the very end of the pencil. I found that although this drawing has greater finesse in the degree of control, I fear that the drawing might be a little tight once again.

0.6 m stick with sharpie

 

Charcoal at 0.6m
 

Pencil at 30cm

Final sketch 2B pencil

These drawings helped to encourage me to use my whole arm in a more gestural, expressive manner. It also forced me to observe the driftwood and move my arm in accordance with my observations. I had to force myself to concentrate on the main contours and gestures that gave the driftwood character. I could relate to the words of Jeff Koons as quoted in Drawing Projects: "If I try to articulate every little detail in a drawing, it would be like missing the forest for the trees, so it is just about getting the outline of the forest."(Maslen & Southern, 2014, pp. 70,77). I also played with the perspective of the driftwood, experimenting with the articulation of the negative space. I felt that my first pencil drawing was the most interesting in the way the negative space was divided.

As a continuation of my study of composition, I started out by selecting a Spartacus shell I bought at the seaside craft fair, a sea sponge and oyster. My compositional exploratory sketches compromised of observing the objects from about 45 degrees above, at a slight position above the objects, and then an overhead view. Out of these initial three drawings the view which used the negative space to assist in connecting the objects was the sketch taken from directly above the objects. This view had a lot of potential, allowing for a more abstract approach to composition. I took a few photographs of these arrangements to also play with varying picture plane formats.

Exploration of composition using photos.

I then decided to use a coral with the Spartacus shell, a shell indigenous to South Africa. I liked the idea of having the coral break up the negative space around the shell which is very compact in its shape. I completed a sketch of this shell on top of the coral. I then used my cell phone to take snapshots of the drawing. Using the reframing option on the camera, I played with a variety of format options. I liked the slightly elongated rectangular format as I like the inclusion of more negative space, then with a traditional format. I decided to use a more elongated format as it has elegance reminiscent of Japanese scrolls. However, instead of using the page in portrait, in landscape, as I felt the detailed drawing of the Spartacus shell would create a rather top-heavy arrangement.

Sketchbook Studies

Before choosing my composition layout, I once again played with my cell phone camera zooming in and out of the collection of objects until I was satisfied that the composition had enough negative space in contrast to the positive space. I decided to have a fairly large space at the bottom to hold the placement of the shell and coral, and to allow the eye to flow up the coral towards the center of the swirl of the shell.

Photo of subject

To enable me to get my proportions correct, I used a grid copying technique. This helped a lot in being able to understand the complexity of the coral with its shadows. I spent some time experimenting in my sketchbook with my watercolor pencils, aqua plus Monami markers, and Neocolor II water-soluble crayons. A number of the markers changed hue when interacting with water. This was actually handy as the black of the shell is more of a dark green then a pure black. In the end, I used a combination of all three media with black find liner used to provide the occasional details. I particularly like the way the crayons dissolve to create the strokes of the coral.

 

Textural Exploration

I found the shading on the pearlescent sections of the shell hard to portray. I had to observe the shadows very carefully in order to get the impression of its being knobby and yet still curved. I also found the intricate designs found in the skimmed off sections of the shell quite difficult to portray. In getting caught up with their designs, it was easy to detract attention away from the form of the shell. Initially, I wondered if I needed to fill in the dark color of the coral, or whether to leave this as a more abstract white shape. I took a photograph of what it looked like at this stage. I think that given the natural objects I used, I was able to create a composition with strong directional forces leading to the spiral of the shell, wrapped in the swathe of white from the negative space of the foreground. This swathe is influenced by the white that Kandkinsky used in Painting with White Border.

Final Spartacus shell

Is it easier to suggest three dimensions on man-made or natural objects?

Drawing the shape of natural objects seems easier than man-made objects due to the fact that man-made objects tend to be so well-known, that we can immediately spot flaws in its symmetry. Symmetrical man-made objects tend to be harder to draw, as their very symmetry is hard to emulate, especially when the objects are being drawn from a slightly elevated viewpoint. I would agree with the authors of Drawing Projects that: “Nature still provides the most interesting objects of a student of drawing to practice their drawing skills on…(as they) offer more leeway to be approximate enough, and allow the drawing to be freed from the inhibiting need to having to make it absolutely correct.” (Maslen & Southern, 2014, 44) However, I think depicting objects three-dimensionally, is totally depends on the nature of the objects. I find rounded surfaces easier to indicate three dimensional depth, whether man-made or natural objects, as they have a fairly recognizable shadowed area and highlights.

How do you create a sense of solidity in your compositions?

Looking back over my compositions, the placement of the subject matter is definitely crucial to creating a sense of solidity. Often the area of interest is placed using the principal of the rule of thirds of quarters - which in turn is influenced by the Golden Mean. I also ensure that the lines of the composition create directional forces towards the focal point. The focal point is often emphasized by being different in nature or color to the other objects of the composition.

The acute awareness of the impact of the negative space created by the placement of the subject matter helps to create a dynamic of stagnant composition. Ensuring that the negative spaces are carefully placed to guide the eye to the focal point and to invigorate the background to increase interest, is as important as the consideration of the subject matter itself. This was clearly demonstrated to me in a work on exhibit at the "Celebrating the Baakens Valley" art exhibition, Metropolitan Art Gallery in Port Elizabeth (July 2015). A painting by Fred (Frederick Hutchinson) Page called Freeway (1984) is dynamic in its placement of the stark whites of the freeway superstructure against the dark blacks and charcoals of the surrounding buildings, night sky and foreground (Page, 1965). There is a tension created between the barrier in the top left-hand section of the painting and the solid pillar of the support structure in the intersection of thirds in the right-hand section.

Page, Fred (Frederick Henderson) Freeway, 1965.
Oil on board.

I also found that using perspective techniques like overlapping, foreshortening and one-point perspective were important in creating the illusion of depth and three-dimensionality.



Did changing your arrangement of your composition make a difference to your approach and the way you created a sense of form?

What radically changed was my perception of depth and foreshortening. This then in turn influenced the way that the shadows and highlights played across the surface of the subject and the negative spaces created. I did not really change my style of drawing, but my ability to interpret the perspective was different depending on the arrangement of the composition.

 

Works Cited

Maslen, M. & Southern, J., 2014. Drawing Projects an exploration of the language of drawing.. London: Black Dog Publishing.

Page, Fred (Frederick Henderson) (1965) Freeway. [oil on board] At: Port Elizabeth, "Celebrating the Baakens Valley" temporary art exhibition, Metropolitan Art Gallery, July 2015.





 

Part 2 Project 1 Composition Exercise 1 Compositional Studies of Man-made Objects

When considering my still-life arrangement, I must admit that before this course, I had never given serious contemplation on the significance of the light source on the overall ‘drama’ of the composition. According to Drawing Projects this drama is “made visually richer by the creative and considered use of lighting, and the same objects will appear significantly different when lit in different ways.” (Mick Maslen and Jack Southern, 2014)

For this exercise, I chose a selection of tools from my dad’s work cupboard and an old unpolished silver bucket. I remember that last year my children, who were university students at the time, and their Korean friend, spent a delightful afternoon at the Bathurst Agricultural Museum studying and having hands-on interaction with old "engines, tractors, wagons, buggies, agricultural machinery and tools, some dating back to the British settlers."
(Bathursian, n.d.) So, I decided to pick out a few rustic looking tools from my dad's tool cupboard.  


Sketchbook study of tools 1
 

Sketchbook study of the foreshortening of a hammer - Sketchbook 2

 





Sketchbook Tools 3
 

This composition is totally different from any composition I would have normally organized. Ordinarily, I would have filled the picture plane with far more objects to allure the eye. However, I feel that I have been influenced by Patrick Caulfield and Mary Fedden who have helped me to view negative space differently. Instead of cluttering up the bottom left-hand corner of the sketch, I decided to leave it open with only the diagonal of the table cloth to intersect the space. This meant that this composition is far more restful and poised than the previous sketches.

 

I used a 2B and 4B pencil to execute this drawing. However, the quality of this paper is so poor that it is very difficult to create a decent variety of tones. I will need to seek out a new sketchbook that caters to my needs better.

 

Although I know I have a long way to go in being able to analyze positive and negative spaces, I think my spaces are better proportioned. My foreshortening skills are slowly improving. The light source and its direction radically influences the reflections and the shadows. In this sketch the light source was a ceiling fitting with four bulbs at 45 degrees above and behind the objects. This cast a slightly blurred shadow, unlike that of the previous sketches.

 

Learning Points

• Shadows influence the negative space of the objects in a composition, helping to emphasize the shape of the articles and drawing attention to or from objects, providing "linked routes of discovery, and moments of focused interest." (Mick Maslen and Jack Southern, 2014)
• The source of the light and its direction in relation to the objects also change the subjective feeling of the composition.

I have had major issues with the quality of the paper in the sketchbook I bought, so it is evident in the scan above that the shading from the previous page has left an impression on this page. I will buy a different sketchbook for the rest of my course work.

Works Cited

Bathurstian, n.d. Heart of Settler Country. [Online]
Available at: http://www.bathurst.co.za/bathurst/museum/
[Accessed 15 July 2015].

Mick Maslen and Jack Southern, 2014. Drawing Projects - an exploration of the language of drawing. In: London: Black Dog Publishing , p. 40.

Mick Maslen and Jack Southern, 2014. Drawing Projects - an exploration of the language of drawing. In: London: Black Dog Publishing , p. 46.

Part 2 Research Point Negative Space

Still Life with Dagger, 1963. Patrick Caulfield.
Tate Museum. September 2004. Accessed 7 July 2015.

As I had never researched the work of Patrick Caulfield, I spent some time looking through images of artworks of his to explore his use of negative and positive space. I found the image Still Life with Dagger, 1963 (Caulfield, 1963), intriguing. According to the display caption at the Tate Museum, the dagger and sheath were draw from life “in the Victoria and Albert Museum.” (Tate Museum, September 2004) In this work, he juxtaposes simplified geometric shapes to render the ubiquitous pitcher with the detailed linear rendition of the details of the dagger and sheath. The bright blue left-hand negative space corner, helps to balance the detailed turquoise of the dagger and sheath. The balance seems to pivot around the fulcrum caused by the inverted white triangle which forms the mouth of the jug. There is an interesting interplay between the suggested spherical shape of the beads and the flat two-dimensional rendition of the pitcher and its surrounding negative space and tray cloth.

Below I have included images of my sketchbook work for this Research Point. As it is a Sketchbook, I have used a different citation method.


Sketchbook Page 1



Sketchbook page 2

Works Cited

Caulfield, P., 1963. Still Life with Dagger. [Art] (Tate Britain).

Tate Museum, September 2004. Still Life with Dagger 1963. [Online]
Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/caulfield-still-life-with-dagger-t02032
[Accessed 27 June 2015].