Observational Drawings

Purpose:

-To work with different black and white media and observational drawing

-To gain experience setting up a dynamic still life composition

Reflection On Work:

In my first piece I chose to offset the composition of the drawing because I wanted to do something interesting with the shadow of the hand. Additionally I think it is an unusual composition that catches the viewer's eye. I think how the hand mimics the mountain shape is visually really interesting to look at. You can start looking at either the mountain or hand and be led by the shadow to the other. The shadow acts as a horizontal movement within the piece. I was eager to draw the paper bags but unsure of how exactly I could make it interesting composition-wise. I first decided that I wanted to do multiple paper bags then imagined that the paper bags were cartoon-like characters, that they had arms and legs. This made me think of the iconic Beatles photo where they are crossing Abbey Road. That was when I decided to use the paper bags as placeholders for the people in the photo. I thought this would create a funny and unique composition that would instantly remind the viewer of the Beatles album cover. At first I was unsure of what the background was going to be, all I know is that I wanted it to be graphic and bold. Eventually I came up with the idea of doing 60s themed geometric shapes and trees. I am really happy with how the background contrasts the paper bags. In my final piece I wanted to highlight the deer statue as if it was a real deer in its natural habitat. I decided to place it slightly off center among a rugged landscape. I wanted the deer to stand out as much as possible from the background so I went in with pen to darken its values. However, I still don’t think it stands out as much as I would like it too. But none the less, I think this piece is successful in conveying some sense of irony.

I think I was very successful with making every piece interesting and imaginative. There is some imaginative element in every piece that adds to the overall message and theme of the piece. From the beginning when I was drawing thumbnail sketches, I included the imaginative aspect. Instead of incorporating it after the observational drawing was done, I made it part of the piece. I see this as a strength because I think it is important to add some sort of visually pleasing and different aspect in still life’s. I think it is important to push boundaries of traditional compositions and to experiment. I see the various imaginative elements in my pieces as carefully planned decisions that add to the overall verve of the piece.

Going into this project, I was very concerned about enjoying drawing each piece. Drawing has never been a medium I have loved, although necessary. I went into this unit telling myself to be patient with my work, to really buckle down and execute each piece with care. On my first piece, I struggled with the complexity of the plaster hand and translating it to white charcoal on black paper. I took two classes alone to plan and draw the hand, this is unprecedented for me as I usually work fast. But taking that extra time really allowed me to completely fall in love with that piece. It is one of my favorite pieces I have ever done, I think this is due to the time I spent on it. I really forced myself to slow down and proved to myself that I have the skills to draw complex objects in a difficult medium.