Fauves

Above is my finished piece from a one day pastel workshop-painting the fauves. We looked at work of Matisse and Durain to name just two. Then the class used photos of landscapes to produce their own landscape in a modern version in this fauvism style. 

All in all a very successful day and very enjoyable. It showed me not to shy away from the use of bright almost luminous colours and that sometimes accurate straight lines are not always necessary to produce a good work of art. 

Goya

Goya:Drawings from his private albums I was recommended by my tutor. The book consists of sketchbook drawings mainly in pen and ink. His use of shadow and strong contrast is why my tutor was getting me to look at I'm sure. I was impressed by the use of strong bold lines and shadows and like the loose feel to the sketches. 

The album is full of either drawings of people of animals. Some even combine the two having a human body with a head of a donkey. 

I wanted to try this deep drawing style for myself and show here my version of Goya's The Butterfly Bull and an extracted piece of Nightmare. 

    

Feed Back - Assignment Two

The second tutor report has been delivered some time ago. He says I'm progressing well but I need to work on a few points in order to make steady improvement that is needed to prepare for assessment.
My tutor was happy with the varied media and mark making used but is concerned about how I show the light direction, shadow, reflection, definition between objects and three-dimensional depth. Comments were also made about my use of black to edge my vegetables in one of my still lives and on the pan in another which can kill form which made it loose its roundness. 
My pencil drawing of the flowers and the lamp he says is one of my better drawings as the line definition is clearer and shows more evidence of light direction and surface light on objects. Attention is still needed on the immediate shadow under the objects and he would like to see a much stronger and variable colour in the leaves. 
It was noted that I have very little in the way of animals in my log book and that I obviously struggle with this subject. 


Suggested Reading:
Goya:Drawings from his private albums by Juliet Wilson-Bareau
Cezanne:A Cezanne Sketchbook:figures, portraits, landscapes and still lives


Both books I have now purchased and given the report, I can see why he recommended this books for me. 


Pointers for the next assignment:


1. More awareness of light direction, immediate shadow under objects, cast shadow, light on     surface.
2. More contrast between light and dark.
3. Definition of line but not too thick lines.
4. Spatial depth.
5. Controlling the use of black.


I emailed my tutor for advice about the next section of landscape work as I do not feel at ease with this subject. He suggested that I join a group of local people either via OCA web site, a local self run group or to pay for tutoring in a similar group.


I joined a local college for a one evening a week life drawing course, booked 3 one day pastel monthly workshops, and joined Hertford Art Society. All far too much I now realise along with a full time job, drawing and painting and a photography course with OCA. I found I had taken on so much I couldn't cope and lost my inclination to pick up a pencil. 
My photography course is on hold until I finish the drawing one course so that I can concentrate on one subject at a time and I've dropped the life drawing at college. I going to continue attending one evening a week the Hertford Art Society. This is very relaxed and I can attend as many weeks as I wish. Every other week is a practical drawing or painting untutored session and the other weeks are critiques, talks or demonstrations.
Having spoken to OCA about my various problems it was suggested by them that I change tutors which I have now done. 
I contacted my new tutor and had the pep talk and now have the pencil securely in my grasp. He seems to be the inspiration I needed to get me back on track. 

Assignment Two

Looking through the last few exercises I felt that I wanted to use oil pastels for my final piece in this section and looked for a new still life which would help to demonstrate the following:
1.   an understanding of the use of colour
2. an understanding of the most appropriate choice of medium for the subject and skill in using it
3. the ability to set an interesting composition
4. variety in mark-making, depth, contrast and tone
5. accuracy and a demonstrable understanding of form


The following sketches and colour experiments helped to make a final selection for my final piece. 

 

 

Final piece for assignment two. Still life in oil pastel on A2 pastel paper.

I am very pleased with the end result. The composition works well for me, the colours and shapes mirror each other and seem to work.

If there was one thing I would change, it would be the angle in which I sat to enable the horizontal line of the table to the wall to be straight across the page rather than being at an angle. 

Check and Log

The main challenges I faced with drawing animals is keeping them still. I didn't find it easy to draw fur or my dogs expression and every time I looked a her she thought I wanted to play and jumped at me. Even in my garden, no birds or cats seemed to visit at a time I wanted them to.


Should I not work full time, I would have been able to look further a field to find suitable animals to draw and would have explored local parks and rivers for ducks and dogs being walked, or a zoo for the more exotic animal and maybe to odd insect of two. 


Oil pastels seemed to work well to draw horses and fish. This media gave a shiny effect on the scales and the horses coat. Soft pastels made a good feather, edged with pen and ink to give detail on the wings, eye and feet. My greatest discovery is Neocolour II, water soluble oil pastel. I don't yet own any but have tested them at Art in Action exhibition in Oxford. Their use is so versatile and they give a vibrant paint or crayon effect depending how they are used. Wonderful for an abstract, probably not the best media for realistic portrait of any animal. 

Art in Action 2011

 I took a couple of days off work to visit Oxford for the Art In Action four days in July. I booked various practical classes and gained so much from the whole experience. 

Soft Pastels
I took this practical class as I thought I may learn
how to use this medium better than I had been. 

Neocolour II - Caran D'Ache
I found medium which is new to me. Artist Robin Gray was demonstrating these
water soluble oil pastels which you colour have a free trail. This is the result of my first
abstract fish. I do love the rich colours and the versatility of these crayons. Use them dry and add water or use them as a paint pallet, or just dry....fantastic!
They are now on my Christmas list. 

Paint on Silk
Another practical class which was fairly successful. I love the effect of rock salt left to marble the wet paint.
I may use this as an image for birthday cards.

Batik
I'm not so happy with the results of this practical class, although I'm sure I have learnt from the experience.

  

Print making - my first attempts
Not the best framing which was wet when placed in to a plastic sleeve and smudged. 

A special thank you to the OCA stand in the exhibitors market where I met Dee and Stephen. They were very helpful and gave met some great advice on my drawing course with OCA.

Research Point - George Stubbs

George Stubbs was the son of a currier and leather merchanta, a self taught artist born in Liverpool in 1724, moving to London in 1759.

He was one of the first artists of his time to consider animals as a worthy subject to draw and was most famous for his drawings of horses, although he was known to draw other animals including lions, tigers, giraffes, monkeys, and rhinoceroses.

With the help of his common-law wife Mary Spencer, George dissected horses on a table in his rented farmhouse. He lived in this farmhouse for 18 months in the years of 1756 and 57. In 1966 he published The anatomy of the Horse, which would have not been possible in that day and age without such dissection. The origional drawings are on display in the Royal Academy.  

The Study of Muscles: Ecorche Drawing Seen from the Flank, from the 13th Anatomical Table, from the...

Stubbs, George (1724-1806)

The Study of Muscles: Frontal and Rear Views, from the 13th Anatomical Table, from the "Anatomy of...

Stubbs, George (1724-1806)

Mares and Foals Beneath Large Oak Trees, c.1764-68 (oil on canvas)

Stubbs, George (1724-1806)

George was known to first draw his subject, the horses, then draw a suitable background in some of his pictures.

"Whistlejacket" and two other Stallions with Simon Cobb, the Groom, 1762 (oil on canvas)
Stubbs, George (1724-1806)