Part Three Landscape Project 2 Landscape Exercise 2 Sketchbook walk

As Cotonou is not the safest city to walk around as a woman, doing sketches, I opted to sketch during our short overnight stay at a resort and then to sketch scenes from my third storey apartment window. As I explain in my research in the following post, Cotonou has a thick layer of either dust or a dense cloud layer from the high humidity of this tropical costal city, so there is very little change from day to day in the weather conditions and the lights and darks have less contrasts than what you would expect, due to the constantly diffuse lighting.

This first sketch was drawn from the step of the little villa we stayed in at Casa del Papa, Benin. The placement of the miniature palms and the fully grown palms created a pattern towards the vanishing point. I started this sketch with aquarelle-markers, to which I added watercolor washes. I found that it was very difficult to include everything in this picture, as the layers on the right-hand side were very ambiguous, due to the perspective.

I loved the way the light filtered through the trees. I tried to show this with the streaks of washes I used towards the palms and the vanishing point.

Casa del Papa, Benin.

My next sketches were of the corner that I regularly watch from my dining-room and kitchen windows. This corner always has people working or sitting under the three umbrellas placed there. I used to think that there was very little activity there as it seemed as if everyone was just sitting around. However, on trying to sketch this corner, I was struck by how active the corner is, even on a Sunday, which was when I drew these sketches. The people were constantly moving. Some would leave, others would join and always there were people getting up or sitting down. Quite fascinating!

I was so fascinated, that I did another sketch immediately below the initial one, to try to give the idea of the similarities, and yet variety, in the scene. Both of these sketches were taken late afternoon, towards dusk. The depth of the shadows under the overhanging trees and the umbrellas, made it hard to pick out areas of interest and detail. I do like the pattern formed by having two similar, but not entirely different scenes on top of one another.

The street corner opposite our apartment.

My final sketch was drawn from the back of my couch, looking out of the lounge window across the roofs that zigzag the confined space between our apartment and the school where I work. I have often thought that I would like to record the zigzagging lines formed by the various structures. The scene is very monochromatic except for the odd touches of color from the greenery, washing and water tank. So I tried to show this by adding touches of marker and crayon to the relevant areas. I washed a mucky light wash to indicate the hamatan dust that hangs in the sky for months on end.

Scene from lounge window.

Project 2 Landscape Research

Fig 1. Claude Lorrain. Detail from

Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula, 1641.

Claude Lorrain is definitely one of my favorite Renaissance artists. I remembered studying his works when teaching Renaissance art to my 9th grade students. His attention to atmospheric conditions and the play of light over the scene adds to the subtle drama of his landscapes. I was able to enlarge sections of his artworks with an enlargement feature found on the National Gallery site. I am particularly fond of Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula, 1641. The position of the sun influenced the highlights on his clouds (see fig.1.) As the sun appears to be rising, the clouds above the sun are highlighted from below, whereas clouds to the side of the sun are highlighted from the side. (The National Gallery, n.d.)

Figure 2. Willaim Mallord Turner.

Dutch Boats in a Gale ('The Bridgewater Sea Piece'), 1801

When it comes to noting the turbulent nature of the elements, William Turner is definitely a landscape artist of renown. In his painting Dutch Boats in a Gale ('The Bridgewater Sea Piece'), 1801, he captures the ferociousness of the storm on the fragile Dutch boats, “shown on course for collision in stormy weather.” (see fig.2) It is definitely the dark clouds and the ethereal spotlight on the floundering vessel which “contribute to the sense of danger.” (The National Gallery, n.d.)His strong use of contrast is central to his being able to heighten the drama of the scene. Also this clever us of directional strokes and diagonals helps to create a sense of turbulent movement.

Figure 3. George Shaw.

The Lodging House.

L.S.Lowry is a new artist for me. What impressed me was in the way he was able to capture the mood of the scene and its main features with quick gestural strokes. You even get a sense of the smoggy smeared skyline. His monochromatic rendition of The Lodging House is particularly bleak with the foreground building on the left reduced to a dark rectangular smear, and the distant buildings on the horizon, pale ill-defined forms.

On BBC Your Paintings, I was able to view a series of paintings by George Shaw. What appealed to me was that his scenes are not necessarily picturesque, in fact they capture the often dismal, dreary weather of England, but they are elevated in significance through his portrayal of them. I understand what he is saying here: “I get perturbed by people who have meaningful epiphanies in expensive places – who go to India, Goa, New Zealand, watch a glorious sunset to find themselves. If you can’t find yourself in your own back yard, you’re not going to find yourself in the Serengeti, are you? So for me, it was taking those clichés of epiphany and the sublime and putting them in a place where great thoughts aren’t rumoured to happen.” (The Guardian, 2015) Ever since moving from South Africa, some twenty-three years ago, I have lived in very third world countries. I am surrounded by bleak concrete ugliness, daily. What I have always tried to do is to capture in my mind the contrasts I find within the urban environment: whether it is a timid lizard eking a life in the cracks of a demolished lean-to, or the surprising grown of a shoot from the stubborn slabs covering the life-giving soil. For this reason, I feel a connection to George Shaw’s work.

Figure 4. George Shaw. Home Series.

I particularly like is portrayal of the doorway of a semi-detached house in his Home Series. His attention to the subtle modulations within the aging paintwork paints a backdrop for the bobbing daffodils. I like the inclusion of a slither of the next-door doorway. This bright blue doorway is set higher up than the doorway featured. This, along with the verticals of the windowpanes, creates a lilting rhythm across the picture plane. (BBC Your Paintings, 2016)




List of Illustrations

Figure 1. Lorrain, Claude (1641). Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula. At: London: National Gallery Company’s Picture Library.

Figure 2. Turner, William Mallord (1801). Dutch Boats in a Gale ('The Bridgewater Sea Piece'), 1801. At: London: National Gallery Company’s Picture Library.

Figure 3. Lowry, L.S.The Lodging House. At: The LS Lowry Collection. http://www.thelowry.com/ls-lowry/the-ls-lowry-collection/

Figure 4. Shaw, George (2004). Home Series. [enamel on board] 24 x 31.5 cm. At: Vital Arts, Barts and The London NHS Trust

Works Cited

BBC Your Paintings, 2016. George Shaw paintings. [Online]
Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/george-shaw/paintings/slideshow#/3
[Accessed 24 January 2016].

The Guardian, 2015. George Shaw, 49: ‘Every second, every ounce of time has to be accounted for’. [Online]
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/nov/15/george-shaw-interview-every-second-every-ounce-of-time-has-to-be-accounted-for
[Accessed 24 January 2016].

The National Gallery, n.d. Claude. [Online]
Available at: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-seaport-with-the-embarkation-of-saint-ursula
[Accessed 24 January 2016].

The National Gallery, n.d. Joseph Mallord William Turner. [Online]
Available at: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/joseph-mallord-william-turner-dutch-boats-in-a-gale-the-bridgewater-sea-piece
[Accessed 24 January 2106].

Project 1 Trees Exercise 3 Study of several trees

Although it has been weeks since I was able to really immerse myself in my art, I have been far more aware of trees since embarking on this section. Even today, on my way to the Artisan market I noticed a particularly robust and beautiful tree with lilac blossoms. This is one aspect of this course that I really love, being made more aware of what aesthetic beauty is around in even the bleakest of landscapes.

Creek in the Knysna Forest, South Africa.

Photograph by Craig Johnston, 2015

Having said this, I chose to base this two hour study on a gorgeous section of the Knysna forest, South Africa. This past vacation we were taken to have a picnic in these forests alongside this rippling stream. The scenery was truly amazing. Knowing that I needed a landscape with multiple trees, I asked my husband to take some photographs for me. The shot I chose was one of the idyllic shots he took during this time.

I really enjoyed this exercise! I cranked up my music high, and allowed myself to delight in the vagaries of this densely foliate scene. I wish I could have drawn on site, but this was not possible.

I experimented with a Sharpie pen as the tool to draw in the main focus, the palm leaning over the water. However, not matter what I tried to use to add foliage over the branches drawn, the pen always appeared to be sitting on top of the Sharpie. I eventually gave up with the Sharpie and tried using compressed charcoal. This did a lot better. I then tried applying charcoal over a layer of crayon or pastel. In my sketchbook, this technique worked well, allowing me to define the dark shadows and shapes between leaves. What I did not realize was that the paper I used for my actual sketch had a different tooth and therefor reacted quite differently.

Sketchbook study

After laying down my initial sketch, I started to work from the top left-hand corner to prevent smudging. It was not long into the project that I realized that the pastels could create some neat effects, but that it was not so easy to control, as the paper did not grip the pastel fully. In some ways I was able to work this to my benefit. For example, in the trees at the top I used my eraser to pull away layers of pastel, to create greyed tree trunks, with what appears to be shadows or fungus growing on the trunks.

When working on the riverbank on the left-hand side, I struggled to get a line to show up on my background pastel and crayon layer. I alternated between using charcoal, which worked in some areas, and watercolor pencil.

The river proved to be fun to draw as it has blurry reflections and ripples breaking its surface. I tried to keep the water around the palm relatively empty of detail to help to emphasize the shape of this particularly tree. I then went on to work the branch in the foreground which encloses the top right-hand corner. I used a layer of charcoal followed by layers of pastel. Once again this combination proved difficult to control as the oil based media and the charcoal did not blend together easily. I have included a shot of a close-up to try to indicate the thick impasto of the strokes in the foliage and river section.

Close-up of texture of left-hand side

For the foliage on the focal point palm I experimented with using watercolor pencils on top of small sections of pastel. I felt that this foliage needed slightly more definition than the rest because of its featured position. I then continued to use a combination of watercolor pencils and pastels to lay down the broad areas of the forest in the right-hand section, as well as the finer details of the main leaves that I picked out.

In order to differentiate between the different types of plants I tried to mimic an exaggerated contour of the leaves. I also used varying stroke directions and in the case of smaller leafed trees, stippling with thick oil pastels. 

The area where I struggled with the foliage was in the foreground on the right-hand side. Some of these leaves are too exaggerated and have lost the spontaneity of some of my other areas. By this stage I was tiring and I was aware that I was starting to go over my two hour limit. From the outset I had determined to force myself to keep a sketchy approach, so I did not feel like laboring over this corner.

Final two-hour mixed media sketch of Knysna river scene

On the whole, I think that I have been able to capture the essence of the scene in a fairly gestural manner. I might not have simplified the scene quite like the example given in our course materials, but I did stick to the two hour time frame, which did cause me to generalize and look for simplified shapes. I did learn that the tooth of the paper really has an impact on how the media reacts to one another. It would be interesting to repeat this exercise with a paper with a more pronounced tooth. The difference would probably be that the smearing effect I was able to feature in the water and riverbanks would be more difficult to achieve. But, I would probably have a better sense of control over the outcome of the artwork.

Part Three Outdoors Project 1 Exercise 2 Larger observational study of an individual tree

Before commencing this sketch I did a bit of research...actually a lot of research, as I felt at a loss as to how to approach my sketch.

Hannah Downing.

Vertical Panorama: Oak Tree, 2013.

Installation shot at the Last Gallery, Llangadog.

Amongst other artists, I discovered the work of Hannah Downing, called Vertical Panorama: Oak Tree. , 2013, when looking through the Jerwood Drawing Prize Catalogue 2014. I could not believe that this immense drawing was a graphic work. (Jerwood Visual Arts, 2014) The detail she achieves in her execution of the texture of the bark is phenomenal. From the images on the internet, it looks like a photograph. (Downing, 2014) She definitely deserved to win a prize.

One of the 2009 winners that appealed to me was the work of Sue Cave. Nevergreen Oak 1 is also a subtle, sensitively studied pencil drawing of an oak tree in Kirtlington Park. It reminds me of an obituary, as the oak has since been felled. (Cave 2012)

By contrast Gary Edwards, also featured in the Jerwood Drawing Catalogue 2014, is more concerned about mark making and the building up of layers of graphite patina. His images evoke the idea of deep forests of trees, and yet he does not implicitly draw them. (Jerwood Visual Arts, 2014)

For this exercise, I chose to draw the criss-cross pattern of the remaining stubs of palm branches on the trunk of a large palm tree on A2 size paper. Living in Cotonou, Benin, we are surrounded by palm trees, and although I started this drawing in the front yard of my mother-in-laws house in Cape Town, I still felt an affinity to the delightful patterns and textures of a palm tree, because of living in palm-filled Cotonou.

Where I experienced problem was that I commenced this project while still on vacation in Cape Town, but was unable to finish it while there. I photographed the trunk so that I could continue, but on returning to Benin realized that the angle of the photograph and my original angle were slightly different, enough to play a bit of havock with the section I had already draw. What was particularly tricky was that I kept getting lost in my drawing, and had to keep cross-referencing my position, to ensure that I was getting the many shapes and designs down.

I chose to use black watercolor paint, a black watercolor pencil, compressed charcoal and a Nero soft drawing pencil as my media. I initial experimented a bit in my sketchbook and then launched into the large A2 size drawing. I loved drawing the top third as I was drawing in pein air, and the area was calm and quiet. Drawing the remainder in my apartment in Cotonou, did not have the same effect. I also struggled to maintain a continuous drawing style.

Sketchbook Study

Final study of palm tree texture. A2 size.

Works Cited

Cave, S., 2012. Nevergreen Oak 1. [Art] (Jerwood Drawing Prize Exhibition 2009).

Downing, H., 2014. Vertical panorama: Oak Tree. [Art] ( Installation shot at the Last Gallery, Llangadog.).

Jerwood Visual Arts, 2014. Jerwood Drawing Prize 2014, London: Jerwood Drawing Prize & Jerwood Charitable Foundation..

Part Three Outdoors Project 1 Trees Exercise 1 Sketching individual trees

Living in the inner city of Cotonou, Benin, poses its challenges when drawing trees as there are so many ugly concrete buildings shutting off sections of their view. However, there is a clump of scraggily, wispy trees within view of our balcony. This is where are neighboring hawks squabble for nesting space. I thoroughly enjoyed sketching one of these trees in the relative cool of the late afternoon.

In my OCA tutor's suggestions to me, she encouraged me to try to loosen up my drawing style by allowing my drawings to becoming more expressive and less technical. So for these sketches I used black ballpoint pen and I tried to get a more gestural feeling to the way I interpreted these trees.

Initial Sketch using black ballpoint pen

Second attempt aiming at greater simplification

Amy also suggested that I use fluid media such as watercolors when trying to loosen up my very tight depiction style. So, for this next sketch I tried to draw with watercolors. I liked the unpredictable edges that are formed when one layer of color is placed on top of the previous layer.

Initial watercolor sketch aimed at recording the general gestures of the clumps of foliage.

Next attempt to record the generalized hue changes within the foliage.

Although I like the touches of ochre in this foliage, I feel that some areas ended up in becoming overworked and muddy in their execution. The hues, however, are more indicative of the actual tree.