Drawing project - Experimenting with layouts for assessment.

Drawing Project - Evaluation.

The intentions for my drawing project were to explore the theme of people in a city environment capturing ideas of movement and life. 

(Untitled, mixed media - watercolour, ink, charcoal

 varnish & graphite on stretched paper, A1)

To do this I began by recording ideas of people and crowds, drawing quick sketches whilst on location to create a strong atmosphere of life and city living.  Throughout my project I used a variety of arrangements to emphasis depth and density in turn generating ideas expressing noise and movement. I also experimented with media combinations using contrasting materials to show differences in texture, in turn adding to the detail to attract the viewer’s gaze. In the development stages I found that the use of ink together with graphite sticks and charcoal on paper enabled me to use different tones and textures together to help enhance the movement of the subject matter. During this process I also incorporated varnish to add a glossy surface to the dry materials used thus adding another layer helping to generate depth. When refining my ideas I began to use hints of watercolour combined with the black ink to my work which gave my ideas an uplifted atmosphere, creating more life showing the ideas in a positive light as opposed to gloomy monochrome.

Towards the refinement stages of my project, my ideas began to focus purely on the lines and shadows of the people as opposed to drawing the figures true to life placing them in a recognisable scene. This allows the spectator to make their own assumptions of the lines and marks, whether they see them as silhouetted figures or records of noise and movement. One problem that did occur was the use of paper and the fact it would warp due to using a wet on wet technique. To solve this I did try out my media combination onto cardboard but I found that unlike on the cartridge paper, the lines made on the wet ink soaked into the card so you could no longer see them. In response to this I decided to go back to using cartridge paper but by stretching it beforehand so that the paper did not warp so much creating a flat surface. 

The idea of focusing on movement came from my artist research most significantly into the video installation work of Michal Rovner, an artist from Israel. Originally a photography and sculpture based artist, Rovner began to move towards film based work during the 1990's. Her videos depicted crowds of anonymous people, animals and birds often in monochrome.  Her most recent films look at silhouetted figures moving across an environment. The video that most inspired my ideas of movement was her piece called 'Current' which focuses on themes of time and energy. (Follow this link to see 'Current' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc3m5sRRnq0) It was this piece that inspired my ideas to develop and focus on the shadows and shapes of the crowds to create movement and depth in turn generating a bustling atmosphere. I think the influence behind my ideas is clear showing positive links between my own ideas and the ideas of my inspiration. 

Evaluating my ideas to my own set brief I believe I have successfully explored the theme of people and crowds capturing them in their environment creating a bustling atmosphere through the use of lines, tone and texture. If I were to continue this project I would focus on how to effectively scale up my ideas whilst still using delicate marks and textures to create movement and depth. 

Drawing - Refinement of Ideas.

Looking through my ideas and evaluating the compositions I have used, I think that the arrangements that focus on the shapes and movement of the crowds, rather than the city structures surrounding them are most effective and eye catching to the viewer. These more gestural ideas allow the spectator to make their own assumptions of what is being represented as opposed to me telling the viewer what to see by adding in a city environment to the people which almost takes away the movement, in turn producing a static image. As refinement to my ideas I have been continuing with the idea of stretching the paper, gradually increasing the size to see how effective it is, if it works or not. 

With my drawings I have been looking at showing just the movement with subtle hints at people and crowd density. They could be drawings of the sounds or shadows that the people create in a bustling city environment. Also due to finding my use of colour effective, creating a more uplifting atmosphere I have been refining on my application of this. I found that the use of blue was most interesting and complementary to my compositions as it added temperature to my ideas and whilst improving my work I combined the use of blue with the black ink to help produce tone. I have also continued to use charcoal and graphite sticks to the drawings to help define the shapes and tones produced. One other material I have been using is varnish. I used it previously on a couple of ideas and I have found that applying it around the charcoal lines helps to enhance the shapes produced and also adds a contrasting texture to the ideas which helps to attract the attention of the viewer to look in close at the intricate detail. In terms of layout and positioning of my ideas I have been playing around with both portrait and landscape compositions. I find both interesting however the landscape ideas allow me to exaggerate the shapes and depth of my idea enhancing the idea of movement and shadows. 

(Untitled, ink, charcoal, graphite and varnish on stretched paper, A4)

(Untitled, watercolour, varnish and charcoal on stretched paper, A2)

(Untitled, mixed media - watercolour,
ink, charcoal, varnish and graphite on stretched paper, A1)

Drawing project - Stretching paper.

Due to finding out that my process for drawing does not work very well on cardboard I have decided to have a go at stretching ordinary cartridge paper so that my backgrounds are flat and do not crumple due to the wet media I use, in turn helping to make my compositions look more professional. I attempted this process starting with two small scale drawing to allow me to see how it would turn out. 

Stretching the paper

 To stretch the paper all you need is a role of gum tape, a wooden board, paper and a damp sponge or cloth.

Firstly I needed to dampen the paper I was going to be using with a sponge placing it in position ready on the board. Then using the gum tape, wetting it slightly with the sponge I placed four strips along each edge of the paper making sure it was all stuck down with no air gaps. Once complete I had to allow the paper to completely dry before working on top of it. Once dry I applied my ideas to the paper using my wet on wet ink technique and again letting it dry thoroughly. When the paper was completely dry, using a craft knife I cut  away the paper from the board. 

         before.              -                after            

Due to stretching the cartridge paper working positively; my backgrounds are now crumple free which helps to complement my drawings and looks more proficient when displayed on a wall. I will continue to stretch my paper gradually increasing in size to allow me to present my ideas more effectively without the distraction of warped paper. 

Drawing - Development in response to Crit.

Reading through my notes made during the group crit session for my drawing project, it was positive for me to hear comments on my use of media and also my use of just black and white. I think that using only monochrome best complements the subject matter as it focuses on the tone and shapes without anything distracting the viewer. I also found it interesting that my peers recognised my experimentation with movement of people and that I wish to represent it through the use of shadows. 

In response to the comments made by the group I decided to play around with composition once again, looking at shapes and view points of people (portrait and landscape) to help create different depths and densities of tone. As well as this I also experimented with adding subtle tertiary grays into the black ink using watercolour to see what that brought to my ideas. 

(Untitled, ink wet on wet, charcoal, graphite
and watercolour on paper, A4)

(Untitled, ink wet on wet, charcoal and graphite on paper, A4)

(Untitled, ink wet on wet, charcoal, graphite and varnish on paper, A3)

Above are some of my ideas that play around with black ink combined together with hints of colour and also experimentation with composition looking at idea orientation and also the densities of the crowds and the view points. As well as this I tried out using varnish over the completed drawing. I do not think this was successful as the varnish is not completely clear, leaving a slight yellow tone to the paper. Instead I will apply the varnish more as drips instead of painting it onto the picture as a whole to see what this adds to the idea. Evaluating these current drawings I think it is apparent that the ideas looking down on the crowd are not as interesting or as visually appealing as the ideas which generate depth with use of landscape orientation and subtle hints to structure which draw in the viewers attention. I then decided to add a lot more colour to my ideas to see how this changed the atmosphere of my drawings.  

(Untitled, watercolour, ink and charcoal on paper, A4)

(Untitled, watercolour and ink on paper, A3)

(Untitled, water colour on paper, A4)

These next few ideas show my experimentation with the use of vibrant colours as an extreme contrast to my ideas using only monochrome tones. To do this I used the same process ideas used previously, wet on wet, this time applying rich watercolour to the paper. I tried out using the watercolours on their own, mixed and also combined with the black ink to add stronger shadows. I used compositions that have been previously effective looking at landscape viewpoints. Comparing these colourful ideas to my previous dark black and white drawings, I think that by adding watercolour the atmosphere becomes less dark and  heavy, and is instead bright and uplifting to look at whilst still generating elements of people and the movement of crowds in a city environment. As further development on my use of colour I will try out my ideas on a larger scale comparing them against my larger monochrome pieces. 

(Untitled, ink wet on wet charcoal graphite
and watercolour on card board, A2)

When applying the same techniques used previously onto cardboard I found that the process was not as successful as it is on normal cartridge paper. Due to cardboard being thicker and absorbing more of the black ink, I found that when I produced the marks in the black wet surface they eventually merged in once completely dry. This then took away some texture which is expressed in previous pieces and I think that this makes the drawings seem a lot more bland and flat in tern detracting from the movement element of my ideas. 

Testing my technique out onto cardboard and finding that the process fails to be as effective as it is on paper, I have decided to attempt to stretch ordinary cartridge paper to that it does not warp as much making my pieces more professional and refined. To do this I will start by first producing some small scale pieces to see if the stretching process works to complement my ideas and choice is media.   

Drawing Project - Crit 07.03.14

Group Crit

One of my latest pieces

(Untitled, ink wet on wet charcoal and graphite on paper, A1)

Points made during my crit

- my drawing are ghost like

- lack of colour, empty spaces and blotches are working well

- resemble heart beats

- recording of movement is effective

- visually how you would see crowds if they were only noise and shadow

- they are very simplified images, focusing on shape, sound creating movement of life

- emphasis on shadows 

- choice in materials are working, my ideas are taking off

- black and white is good; helps to reflect the subject matter

Suggestions

- look at different crowds in terms of shape and density

- experiment with the reverse; positive/ negative

- thinking of presentation; produce ideas onto card or thick paper?

- look at work as collectives and whole pieces

- could add string or wire to the ideas?

- try adding hints of colour; tertiary grays 

Drawing - further development.

Continuing with my drawing project focused around crowds of people and the movements created by them, I  have developed my ideas; applying different techniques whilst still looking at ways of generating movement. 

This further development stage of my project I wanted to continue to play around with the compositions of different crowd shapes and densities. I have experimented with backgrounds and shadows to help me show the movement within people and how I see it and want to represent it. 

(Untitled, emulsion on foam board)

To create this idea shown above I wanted to look at the negative of my ideas, the people becoming the highlights rather than the background. For this composition I first painted a thick layer of emulsion onto the foam board surface and using my pallet knife as a tool I scratched away the crowds and shadows. Evaluating the results, I think it is an interesting technique used to create a negative image however comparing it to my previous ideas and choices in media, I think that this interpretation does not continue on the my use of delicate gestural marks.

(Untitled, combination of ink and black emulsion on paper, A3)

With my materials I chose to combine ink with black emulsion making a watery substance that would be easy to apply onto the surface whilst still producing contrasts in dark and light tones. To do this I applied the ink and emulsion using a brush allowing it to drop onto the paper as well as manipulating the ink my self on the paper. Looking at the idea I think this idea seems flat, even though it has depth I don't think it creates a depth that pulls the spectator into the image compared to ideas made previously.

(Untitled, ink wet on wet on paper, A2)

Developing on a previous technique that I found interesting I decided to scale up my ideas that use ink wet on wet scratching into the ink whilst still damp leaving behind my marks. I think that this process helps to complement my subject matter as the lines made are very loose and sketchy creating fine textures that in turn create movement within the composition. With this idea I wanted to play around with adding in background structures to my ideas to give the crowd a solid city location that is apparent to the viewer. I think this is visually appealing in terms of marks made, however this particular arrangement is not effective in terms of depth and density of the crowd. As a composition I don't think this is the most successful. 

(Untitled, ink, charcoal and graphite pencil on paper, A1)

In response to previous development ideas I wanted to record an idea that expresses more depth helping to pull in the viewer. To further develop my use of media that has been working I decided to combine my ink wet on wet technique with willow charcoal and graphite pencil to help define tones and marks made. I think that combining these materials has helped to refine my ideas. I also wanted to continue to use a background as this helps to ground the figures whilst still allowing me to show movement. 

At this point in my project I now feel that I have found a combination of materials that is working, helping me represent my ideas and themes of people and movement. Relating back to my contextual influences in particular; Michal Rovner and James Allen I think that the two influences are coming through in my ideas showing an environment which contains movement of people and shadows as well as structure. 

Drawing - Development in relation to contextual research.

After researching into the contextual references suggested in my mini tutorial it opened my knowledge up as to how movement can be represented in many different ways; film/ performance art, animation and still photographs.

Michal Rovner's work, 'Current' referenced previously in my contextual research post, had a particular influence over the development of my ideas as she represents her work through layered projections of people and they create interesting lines and textures to enhance their movements. 

(Untitled, ink wet on wet, A4)

(Untitled, dry point on acetate)

(Untitled, ink wet on wet, A4)

When producing these ideas I wanted to play around with media and the textures created to enhance the movement of the people and also the atmosphere of that particular scene. I also wanted to experiment with backgrounds adding structures and shadows to ground the figures and then in contrast taking it away leaving them floating. 

I feel that my work does respond the the video installation 'Current' by Michal Rovner not in terms of her media choice but in terms of the movement she creates with the layered projection of people. I think that my ideas, even though they are static and flat, they create a sense of movement almost like sound waves through my use of lines and composition choice.

To continue on from this I will play around with composition, adding and taking away the background, as I feel I have not fully developed this element yet. My ideas will also remain focused on crowds of people showing different densities and ideas of movement and depth.

Drawing - Contextual Research.

These contextual references were suggested to me during a mini tutorial. They were brought up due to the fact that they look at people and silhouettes showing movement in different ways other than just drawing. They also express composition ideas and ways in which I can draw movement within my ideas. 

Michal Rovner

Michal Rovner is an artist from Israel who works with creating video, sculpture, drawing and sound based installations. She lives and works in New York as well as her home country Israel. Her early work in the 90's looked at photography of radar and surveillance images, distorting the pictures creating groups of people with blurred elements. In 1992/3 Rovner produced a series of photos that looked again at the distortion of photography this time looking at people floating. In the late 90's Rovner began to move towards film based art work,  depicting crowds of anonymous people, animals and birds often in monochrome. Her work reflected themes of politics, looking at the Israel-Lebanon border which was lined with electric fences, watch towers and ongoing conflicts. These ideas were shown in her video called 'Border' 1996/7 in which she attempted to cross and dispute the border. 

(Michal Rovner, Film stills from Border 1996/7) 

Looking at her more recent video installations she often uses silhouetted figures moving across an environment. One of her most recent pieces of film is her video instillation at Ruhrtriennale, Mischanlage, Essen, Germany. This instillation is titled 'Current' and this is due to Rovner focusing on themes of time and energy. It relates to the present time referring to a flow of substance in all contexts. She depicts this through the movement of people going with and against the flow. 

This is a link to a video interviewing Rovner on her instillation 'Current'. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc3m5sRRnq0

Looking at her work I can see how a different artist generates and reflects movement through the use of people in film based work. The people in her videos are silhouetted so have no identity and are used to  show textures and shape to reflect time and energy whether its fire or electricity.  Her work is very abstract and the compositions of the video are arranged in a way that places the viewer in that environment. In relation to my own work I can see comparisons between her depiction of energy and my arrangements of figures that are beginning to look like gestural landscapes but still generating elements of movement. 

Humphrey Spender & Mass Observation

Humphrey Spender was a British photographer, painter and also designer. It was suggested in a tutorial that I take a look at his Mass Observation work done between 1935 and 1940. Mass Observation was a research organisation based in the UK and was founded in 1937. The  aim of this organisation was to document everyday life in Britain. They did this through a range of things; diaries, photography, questionnaires, conversations and documentation of behavior in the work place, at home, on the streets and at religious gatherings. Spenders series of work looked at photographs of people in their everyday lives for example people at the pub to children playing on the streets.

( Humphrey Spender, Parliamentary by-election, 1937/38)

In relation to my own work the comparison would be that like Spender and his work for Mass Observation I too am producing my work in another form of documentation but instead I am looking at showing the movement of people and crowds in a city environment; recording their positions at that time. 

Lotti Reiniger

Lotti Reiniger was a German film director during the early to mid 1900's. Reiniger was seen as the pioneering figure within silhouette animation. Below is a link to one of her short films based on the story of Hansel and Gretel. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxkIGXVwZTM

(Film still from short film Hansel & Gretel, 1955)

Reiniger produced over 40 films throughout her career all of them looking at the use of silhouetted animation. Looking at her work I find it interesting how she creates a scene showing movement by using static figure puppets. She also had the ability to show a sense of depth to the sequences by placing denser shadows towards the front over a paler background. 

As a contextual reference to my work I don't think she is as helpful as the other two artists however it was very interesting to see how life can be brought to still silhouetted objects that in fact express no colour or emotion. 

Drawing Project - Development.

After gaining a small tutorial on my current drawing project work it was suggested that I continue to develop my ideas looking at crowds playing around with composition, density and also depth focusing in on the shadows and silhouette ideas that were starting to come through in my ideas. I also researched into the work of L.S Lowry as suggested by a peer and looking at his work, has helped me to think more about my ideas and generating motion through static figures

In response to my small tutorial and contextual research I wanted to experiment with composition and how I draw the figures but continuing to not give the people an identity making them remain anonymous like the figures in  Lowry's paintings. I began by looking at extreme silhouettes; drawing the shapes of the people and environment combined and also taking away the background to see how it changed the feel of the arrangement.

(Untitled, graphite, A5)

(Untitled, graphite, A4)

Contrasting my ideas I think that the ones consisting of just the people are a lot more interesting and visually appealing because the idea is more abstract experimenting with shape and movement that brings the figures to life. Like Lowry I also 

Continuing on from this idea of silhouetted figures I then decided to play around with creating stronger elements of movement through the use of continuous line drawings to show more gestural marks. To do this I used both simple graphite pencil but I also used ink introducing a technique that I found to be quite effective. 

(Untitled, graphite, continuous line, A3)

(Untitled, ink wet on wet, A4)

The technique that I found to be interesting for my concept was the ink wet on wet (as seen above). To do this I simply wet the page using water only and I then add ink to the wet sections moving it around until it is all covered. Doing this quite quickly to make sure the page is still wet, I then use the end of a paint brush and draw the figures into the wet ink. Once dry the lines I produced are left behind generating a sketchy appearance that shows movement without the need to use a pencil. I find the outcome of this technique very eye catching and textural even though it is a flat image. 

Requesting another small tutorial some contextual references were suggested; Michal Rovner, Humphrey Spender mass observation and Lotti Reinger's shadow puppets.

I will take a look at these and research into them in relation to my project.

Laurence Stephan Lowry - Drawing project

L.S Lowry was an English artist whose paintings and drawings often depicted Pendlebury where he lived and worked for 40 years. The subjects for his work were right on his doorstep. Lowry is most famous for painting scenes depicting life in the industrial areas of Northern England during the mid 1900's. He developed his own distinct style of painting most recognisable for the human figures within his work. These have been referred to as match stick men. As well as his industrial landscapes he has also produced many paintings showing un-populated landscapes, portraits and other marionette paintings which were found only after his death. Lowry did not want to tell people about his work because he didn't want them to think of him as a spare-time painter. During the 1920's and 30's when he was collecting ideas surrounding industry he saw many things throughout the city; children playing, people going to and returning from work, gossip on the door steps, incidents and market places. But what he saw was dramatically changed due to the blitz in World War II. He commented 'I saw the industrial scene and I was affected by it. I tried to paint it all the time. I tried to paint the industrial scene as best I could. It wasn't easy. Well, a camera could have done the scene straight off.'

Lowry believed that drawing was just as hard as painting; he worked the surface of his initial sketches by smudging and erasing the pencil lines to build the atmosphere. He was also always recording quick sketches on the stop using what ever he had to hand at the time. Lowry worked from his composed sketches in his painting studio at his home taking particular care when adding in the figures. Another way of working which was developed later in his career was painting straight onto the canvas or board not knowing what it was going to look like. He called these 'dreamscapes'. His use of colour was very basic in terms of tone. He would mix oil paint on his pallet and paint onto a white background. He often used ivory, black, vermilion red, prussian blue, yellow ochre and white. He did not add a medium to these colours as he liked to work with the raw oil paint. To paint his ideas he would use brushes, his fingers and also sticks or nails to create different textures. 

Due to his paintings being so stylised and often showing lack of weather/ emotion critics have characterised his work as being quite naive however this is the complete opposite opinion to those of the galleries which display his work. He was often referred to as being a 'Sunday' painter. Lowry quoted 'If people call me a Sunday painter I'm a Sunday painter who paints every day of the week!'. He was simply looking for his own style of painting and way of drawing. 

I chose to look at the paintings by L.S Lowry in particular his famous industrial scenes of people, in relation to my drawing project. He is able to show movement and life through the use of static emotionless figures. I admire his skill to do this. But also in comparison like my ideas the people within his ideas do not seem to have faces or expression often having their backs to the viewer. 

(Coming out of school, 1927, oil on wood, 34.7 x 53.9 cm)

Drawing Project - Term 2.

The drawing project for term 2 is a self directed task however I am going to be continuing on from my term 1 project 'Journey' but focusing on my refined ideas looking at people and crowds within a city environment. I found drawing this very interesting as it challenged my way of drawing helping my technique to become more lose which ended up creating motion from still images. I want to focus on looking at ideas behind movement within people and crowds of people by looking at shadows and reflection. I would like to also create busy gestural compositions within my drawings even though the people are still in the idea. I would like to look at capturing contrasting densities of people for example looking at the same spot at different times of the day. I will begin my going out and taking photos of people in the city center and other areas to show contrasts as well as drawing from life capturing their movement.  

(Untitled, graphite on paper, A5)

(Untitled, graphite on paper, A5)

(Untitled, graphite on paper, A5)

With my ideas I also want to look at the dark and light tones in particular keeping my drawing technique quick and gestural. I do not want to look at the expression or emotion of the people, purely their shape and direction of movement. As well as people I will also consider the structures behind them to give them a context and to enhance the depth of the composition. To capture these ideas I simply used a combination of ink and pencil on paper developing them from my initial sketches and photographs.

(Untitled, Ink on paper, A3)

(Untitled, Ink on paper, A3)

(Untitled, Ink on paper, A3)

(Untitled, Ink and graphite on paper, A2)