Part 3 Project 3 Composition Exercise 1 Developing your studies

As my previous studies were mostly urban environment based, and I am soon to tackle townscapes, I decided to use some photographs my husband took when we went on a boat trip to the Venice of Africa, Ganvie. The cloud formations during that day’s outing lent a lot to the atmosphere of the trip. The scene I chose was of a small, crude fishing shack set above the water, with the palm-leaf fish trap forming a band behind it. I particularly loved the reduced color scheme and the pattern caused by the palm-leaves of the fish trap.

I started out by experimenting with how to create the textural, patterned band of the fish trap. By drawing hard with a 2H pencil and then erasing the graphite, I was able to brush graphite over the indentations, along with ochre chalk pastel to create my desired effect: white crisscross stalks against a swathe of dusky ochre.

Over the past twenty-four hours, I have been looking at various pages in Expressive Drawing by Steven Aimone. I desire for my drawings to become multi-layered and dynamic, as described in this book. The idea of flux as described on pages thirty-six through forty-one really appealed to me. As Aimone states, “...Erase, cover up, or partially cover up lines and marks as you draw them. Add some marks while taking others out…I refer to this as asserting and obliterating…” (Aimone, 2009) I decided to experiment with cloud formations, using the materials suggested on page forty: white acrylic paint, chalks, charcoals, pencils, and watercolor pencils.

Sketchbook practice at cloud formation

As suggested, I started out laying down my initial layers of graphic media. I then swathed the whole area in white acrylic. Initially I used full strength acrylic, but found it to be not translucent enough – it almost totally obliterated what I had already laid down. I then switched to white wall paint, but found that it smeared the graphic media too much making it rather muddy. So, I diluted the acrylic for the purpose of creating the cloud formations. I thoroughly enjoyed playing with layers of acrylic and then reworking graphic media back into the cloud formations, only to partially obliterate them again. In the end, I feel as if I was able to create an intricate web of media to illustrate the shadows and highlights in the cloud formations. I plan to continue to experiment with this mode of working, as it helps to invigorate the surface of the picture plane.

To ensure that I had an idea of how I was going to apply my media, I did a mock-up of my sketch in my sketchbook. Then I focused on how I was going to create a sense of depth using the three bands available to me: water, fish trap, and clouds. I also have an area which eludes to a further distant region, that is the very right-hand side of the fish trap, where the trap ends, and the water continues behind it. I wanted to use a touch of atmospheric perspective there to elude to distance.

Sketchbook mockup

To create depth in the clouds, I made the foreground clouds considerably darker than the clouds in the mid-ground and background. The clouds on the horizon, edging the fish trap, I tried to keep relatively white to create a sense of distance. I reworked the surface of the cloud many times until I felt that they were layered enough to give a sense of how clouds are really made up of layers and layers of moisture laden air. Using the flux concept was a rather inaccurate technique of working, but made for a looser, more intuitive approach than what I am used to.

I tried to create a sense of depth in the water by applying loose sweeping graphite strokes to indicate layers of rippling water. I then washed these strokes with a thin layer of acrylic paint to soften their appearance and to help unite this area with the general treatment of the sky. Pencil strokes in the shadow of the hut and boats I tried to show with greater emphasis. The water closest to the fish trap, cutout log boats, and fisherman’s hit had dark reflections to help give this area depth.

In stark contrast to the treatment of the sky and clouds, I used watercolor paints and watercolor pencils to create my focal point, the fisherman’s hut and boats. I tried to simplify the shapes slightly to create a greater contrast with the remainder of the painting.

Detail showing layering effects and fish trap pattern

In general, I think that I am starting to get an idea of how to work with clouds, as well as creating a sense of depth through multiple layers of media application. I would like to think that the research that I undertook this morning influenced my composition. I think that I have been able to focus attention on the fisherman’s shack through the direction of the cloud formation, the patterned swathe of the fish trap and the reflections in the water.

Final drawing of Ganvie fisherman's shack

By cropping the picture to give a detailed shot to show technique, I realized that by using a different composition of the same scene I would create a totally different mood. In the landscape format version of my actual original, you get a sense of foreboding in the cloud formations and the insignificance of the shack. Whereas, in the portrait format cropped image, there is more of a sense of deliberate isolation, as if the shack has turned its back on the world. Interesting!

Works Cited

Aimone, S., 2009. Expressive Drawing. Ontario: Lark Crafts.