Assignment 3

Assignment 3

I started out preparing for assignment three by looking at all available viewing points to find a suitable candidate that would incorporate all the criteria for the assignment. I was looking for a view that showed depth from an aerial perspective, which was quite easy considering I live in a first floor flat. I was looking for trees, shrubbery, as well as walls and fences that showed a sense of perspective. Below were the views available to me. 

This view gave great coverage of the sky and cloud formations  however  the grass section is quite spaced out  and the  quality of trees were a bit limited to a fern on the left side.

In terms of perspective, this view was probably the best, where Burton Town can been seen 2 miles away in the distance. The narrow window framed the picture quite well and so I added the vase in the foreground and probably decided to include the window sill within the painting at this point should I choose this view. My main worry was the brown fencing which dominated the central part of the picture and I wondered if the picture would be too bare.

From the same window as the photo above but looking to the left.  I did not want to dismiss other  views but this did probably seem like the view that ticked all the boxes in the criteria. There is a spectacular tree and good structure with the house, plus the contrasting fences run alongside each other next to the house to give a good sense of perspective. I still wanted to do a view sketches to see how various compositions would pan out. 

Closer view of the tree and house, minus the window sill. 

The main obstacle with Composition One I found was how the tree was obscuring the house slightly, so I thought it may be best to simplify the tree a bit so the detail of the house could show through. I was concerned that there was a lack of distance with the piece, and very little sky, and I played about with the idea of shifting my position to the left slightly so the background behind the house to the right would show through, as in Composition Three.  Ultimately, I found that the bland mid-ground of Composition Two meant that I could not choose this view just because of the view in the distance and so I decided on Composition One,  with a more simplified tree.   

After sketching out the image, I dropped in the sky,  and began to work  background to foreground. 

The process would of been slightly easier had I not run out of masking fluid but I just had to be careful when painting around the vase in the foreground. The dirt path blended into the grass, soil and gravel crossing over into the grass so I opted to do that part wet on wet. 

The Final Piece Completed.

Reflection

In terms of my skills, I think I am improving in sketching and creating more realist tones, and I am enjoying the use of a solid 2B Graphite pencil and getting to know how to use it. For example, before starting a sketch, I would prepare the pencil by firmly rubbing one side against some sandpaper to create a wedge shape, that way, I have a sharp end for detail, and thick flat edge for shading. I am also constantly looking for different ways of using other mediums, for example with the charcoal Statue picture, I never would of thought of prepping the paper with a layer of smudged charcoal, to give myself the option of highlights by exposing the paper. 

I think I have at times relied on photographs for some of my outdoor projects where needed, but I have tried to use judgement and common sense as well. For example to give Assignment Three quite a bit of variety, I prepared myself by getting some great photos of autumn trees, or seizing the chance to sketch a castle like Warwick that I would otherwise not have. And in terms of letting me express myself more with watercolour and oil pastel, photographs have been quite valuable. 

In terms of the research portions of this assignment, I have tried to listen to tutor feedback and give more of my own opinions and not rely as much on material from the internet, to try and put myself in the place of famous artists and how they would approach their work and the difficulties they would face. I have thought about how time affects the artist, to Monet's emotional stress of Series work, to my own worries of finding the time to complete the exercises and it is probably true that all artists share common worries and fears regardless of their era in time or skill level. 

Overall, I think this Assignment has given me more confidence to actually go out and draw without worrying too much about what people think, and it is probably something I never would of contemplated without the structure of the assignment. I also feel that in terms of mediums to use, I am richer as a person and more willing to try oil painting and charcoal, whereas before the course, I was quite limited with what I was prepared to draw with.