The following sketches were done in Burton Town Centre and I sketched from life with all pieces, and once I felt as though I had enough information, I took photos and completed each piece from home using the photos.
I found this really interesting gravestone, that was stained and weathered, and I thought would make good tonal study. I did chose to darken up the background when I got back from home to help make the tombstone stand out a bit more.
I did this 15 min sketch, sitting on a park bench, from still life and felt quite conscious of the people walking past, but I tried to get as much information down about the subject as I could, including tones, light source and how the landscape was divided up. I probably have enough information to go on to make a proper painting but I did take a photo as back up.
Charcoal sketch of the statue on the left of the picture. I prepared the paper by grating some charcoal with sandpaper over it, and used a cloth to smudge the powdered charcoal evenly over the paper. Upon sketching in the statue, and adding shading, I then created lighter tones via use of a putty rubber, revealing the paper.
Check and Log
- How did you use a limited colour palette to create a sense of depth?
I used stronger colour in the foreground, with more visually striking marks and tried to weaken the background both in colour and in mark making. The perspective of my lines naturally create depth with the scene I chose for this exercise as the buildings one side and the lampposts on the other, recede in the distance. However, going back to picture, I do think more can be done with it to create greater sense of depth and I plan work more on this piece.
- Did your preliminary sketches give you enough information for your final pieces of work?
In places, I think my sketches have enough information, I was able to produce a decent watercolour and ink painting from a sketch I did at the beginning of this assignment. Although I would say that I maybe rely a little bit too much on photographs where perhaps I could take down more tonal information, or a colour test while outside, but I am still very conscious of drawing outside, and a photograph is probably an easy escape in all honesty. But I have become more at ease with drawing out and about, staying out longer as this assignment has progressed.
- Would you approach this task differently another time?
Probably just to try and relax more, and not worry so much as what people think you are doing. I also think the weather this time of year plays a big part in how much time you want to complete a task and you are more likely to be outside had it been summer.
- Have you got the scale of the buildings right? Make notes on what worked and what didn't.
I think the work at Warwick castle turned out quite well and I particularly like the detail on the tower. The townscape in line sketch is ok, but I was doing this in freehand and I feel that some of the lines are not as straight as they could be. I am happy with the work on the shopping centre, particularly the perspective of the building receding into the distance, it was just a shame that I felt it was not so good as a compositional piece, perhaps the shopping centre at a slightly different angle and in proper daylight would make a better picture.
- Have you captured the colour and atmosphere in your studies? How did you do this?
In terms of the Watercolour Painting based on one of the Sketchbook walk pictures, I think I successfully captured the seasonal atmosphere I was trying to get by turning a dull late autumn picture into a more summer scene, by using more warmer colours and from personal experience, by adding people to the shopping center sketch, late night shopping just before Christmas sparked that uncomfortable feeling I used to get at that time of year, too many up tight people & crowds, getting a stress headache etc so it was not necessarily a positive atmosphere I created by doing this.
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