Assignment 5

Intentions:

My tutor, Clare Wilson, encouraged me to go ahead with my proposal to do close-up studies of the colors and textures found in the vegetation that I encounter in Montenegro. I intend to complete studies in my sketchbook of the varying textures, colors, and linear qualities which delight me. Daily I am stunned by the rich hues of this diverse landscape. After living three years in sun-scorched western Africa, it is a delight to see such rich, diverse greenery, contrasting tree bark, and wild flowers. From these initial studies I will then decide which direction to take for the larger studies. At this stage I am working with two A4-sized sketchbooks. 

Studies of Thistles:

Fig.1. Thistle Study 1 in watercolor sketchbook.

Study 1: I started with a study of some thistles perched high in the north-eastern mountains. I was particularly attracted to the contrast between the soft fluffy nature of the white seeds and the sharp spikey greys of the thistle head and the sweeping thorns of the leaves and the stems. These were vicious in their rugged barbs. I had created a wash of watercolors of the surface of my sketchbook the night before using turquoise, yellow, and green washes. To create the white fluffy area, I used paste on white-out as it was hard to create a white area where the washes were smeared. I then worked 8B pencil and strokes of black, yellow and brown ink over the sketches. On the side panel, I rubbed some white crayon as a crayon resist. I then applied varying shades of grey and black ink to create a study of the stems with their tapering spikes.

I don't like the cheery blues of the background as I feel it detracts from the textures of the thistles, flattening the image. If I were to do this again, I would try for more muted colors. I do, however, like the effect of the crayon resist in the stem study. It gives this section an almost Japanese appeal to it.

Fig. 2. Thistle Study 2 in regular sketchbook.

Study 2: I smeared pomegranate juice all over the page for this drawing, using the cut open half of the pomegranate. The fascinating thing is that this was done in a regular sketchbook, and the dye from the pomegranate went beige and slight lavender, whereas when I tried the same effect on the watercolor sketchbook, the color remained a fuchsia shade.

I then used drawing pencils and metallic colored pencils to complete this study. I like the effect of the paper in the background. I think the sketch does describe the scruffiness of the thistle and does describe the importance of negative space in defining the form of a thistle.

Fig. 3. Thistle Study 3 in watercolor sketchbook with pomegranate juice background.

Study 3: To create the white of the fluffy seed coats of this sketch, I tried to scratch away the acrylic paint I had used to try to bring out the white. It does the trick, but was hard to define the shape properly. I think my use of inks and pencils to describe the tactile qualities of the textures is slowly improving with each sketch. This sketch seems more focused on getting the wispy, spikes recorded. On the side panel I tried to brainstorm my connections to thistles and what they stand for. I like the scratchy nature of the background, but I don't think the color works for the subject matter.

Fig, 4, Study 4 - two approaches.

Study 4: For this study I used beetroot juice in the background. It really maintained its beetroot color, so I then added red and orange washes to the color. I started on the right-hand side using inks, collage white paper for the fluffy seed coats, and graphic pencils. Using inks I found it hard to define the negative spaces. I then switched on the left-hand side to using chalk pastels, inks and pencils. I find this interpretation of the thistles less controlled and more energetic. I think it describes the energy and movement of the thistle better. I really don't like the background colors. I am not used to working with prepared backgrounds, so find them hard to work into my drawings. 

Bark Studies

I have always been fascinated with the textures and patterns found in tree bark. On our trip into the Montenegrin mountains we found an old decaying tree. I took some specimens to study and my husband photographed sections of the tree for me. I started out my studies by trying to simulate bark with rubbings. On one of our walks I had picked up some squashed tin cans. Using wax crayons, inks, and pencils I tried to simulate bark rubbings. The actual bark is too soft to create rubbings.

Fig. 5. Simulate bark rubbings.

I really like the way that the pencil rubbed on the circular tin. I also like the sheer contrast of the orange and black rubbing, and the white and black rubbing. I think that they have the potential of being used in sections of a study on bark.

Fig. 6. Bark Study1.

Bark Study 1: I started out using a found piece of calligraphy paper to complete some contour line drawings. I then started to work into the drawings using water color pencils and washes. Out of experimentation I applied a piece of tracing paper to the top of the wet drawing. I like the smear that it created.

Fig. 7. Bark Study 2

Bark Study 2:


I prepared the paper with a mixture of coffee and paprika powder to give it a slightly varied off-white appearance. The first sketch I did was the top left-hand sketch of a circular knot whole in a section of bark. I used mixed media for this study: various grades of pencil, water color black, water colors, and chalk pastels. I added a bit of detail using fine water color markers.

For the top right-hand side drawing I tried a slightly loser approach. I laid down base areas of water color which I then overworked using mixed media. This is a less particular and perhaps more expressive approach.

The final sketch is a longitudinal section of the bark. In this section I strove to use more calligraphic ink lines created using a thin brush. I did find that working this way, although appearing to be loser actually required me to observe more carefully before committing to executing a stroke. Sometimes I did not prepare myself sufficiently and the strokes ended up in interfering with the flow of the surrounding lines, creating a clumsy effect.

Fig. 8. Bark Study 3.

Bark Study 3:

For this study I prepared a page with a textured background I created by painting watercolor paints into an overlaying woven, widely spaced, mesh mat. I thought that this effect would work well for the variegated textures found in the section of branch I chose to draw. The section I drew had a contrast between a flat section which had patches of varying hues on it, with many fissures, and then a dark, richly hued inner section. For this study I experimented with my use of a black water color pencil as opposed to watercolor paints. At times I drew into wet washes so that the black pencil line became diffused in areas, and in other areas I tried to keep the water color pencil lines more delineated.

At this stage I am considering either going in a totally different direction: doing studies of the mini succulent gardens we found on the sides of a mossy cliff, or doing a combination of a study of tree bark being juxtaposed with the stalks of the thistle. I will first complete some studies of the succulents.