Observational Drawing - Object 05.09.18

05/09/18

Workshop 1

Observational Drawing – Object

This was the first workshop we had this semester. We were told in advance on what to except and materials to bring in. However, as I had not partaken in object drawings for about 4 years, I was extremely nervous. I carefully selected my materials which consisted of  a pinecone and lantern. I deliberately chose one natural and one man made object. I did this purposely for in the composition of a still life in a classroom setting we would normally have a mixture of both organic and geometric shapes. Furthermore, given their shapes and textures, these two objects are excellent examples  of a variety of art elements touching on shape, form, line, value, and texture.

I found starting the task quite difficult, mainly because it is so far removed from what I had been busy with in college during my undergraduate and the type of work I did since then. Nevertheless, whilst my work orientated on designing of interior spaces, I still have an ability to draw.

I started off with the lantern as it is a solid object with a definite shape. The ellipse of the opening posed a few challenges, but with some help from my lecturer I solved the issue of how to deal with an ellipse. This was a great exercise to work on, for pupils are often challenged when attempting to draw an ellipse. Showing them my progression and explaining how I tried several methods, such as drawing a grid to map is out or rapidly drawing several drafts in order to gage the correct angle, helped the pupils feel more at ease and less daunted by the challenge.

I enjoyed the experience of drawing the pinecone a lot more. Perhaps this was due to the fact that organic objects are not perfect, and one can get lost in the tiny details of nature. I did several close up and inspected the patterns created by the shell of the pinecone.

 

I worked in both pencil and pen and whereas I enjoy working in pen more, as I did so for most of my college experience, I thought it is a good idea to not only allow the pupils to experiment with different mediums when drawing but also to point out that ink does not erase easily and any mistakes are evident to all. However, I personally feel this adds to the drawing experience as it allows pupils to both see that mistakes and afterwards shows the record of the whole process whilst working on a piece. This is often lost when constantly rubbing out mistakes and reflections can be forgotten.