Tutor Report for Assignment for with Responses
Drawing 1, Part 4, The Figure and the Head
Many thanks for sending me your 4th assignment.
I have read through your blog which is very informative and see that you have done a great deal of work on this assignment.
To start with the fabric drawings are good and when applied to the draped figure- the dressing-gown, the use of the ‘blocked’ straight line approach works very well. It supplies a certain sophistication and solidity to the figure drawing.
This contrasts positively to the quick figure drawings done with a bamboo pen and this quick method of applying lines in short stabs has resulted in very accurate line drawings. Adding tone should be done in the same economical way and only where you think it should go. Too much tone tends to ruin the effect.
These drawings were done at a life drawing class and they pushed me to work at a larger scale and quicker than I would do by my own volition. It meant that I wasn’t so ‘precious’ about my work. Everything was ok, which is really liberating and resulted in some ‘happy mistakes’. I really enjoyed working in a group context for this, as we reviewed work, learned through others and shared ideas throughout the classes.
Other techniques such as your 3D effects works well. It is well known that you can get accuracy from very quick drawings almost as if your subconscious takes over but for longer drawings measuring and reflection produces the best result. And so your slower drawing using Figuary falls into that category.
I did a lot of research and read many books about figure drawing and tried to act on various suggestions and strategies concerning relative measurements, checking proportions and about techniques for applying tone and developing the sense of form on these longer drawings in particular. I also did lots of supplementary studies using CroquisCafé/Figuary videos, which were invaluable. Even though quick drawings are more definitely more unconscious and instinctive, awareness of some of this learning did positively impact my life drawing class drawings as well. I had been attending evening Life Drawing classes for nearly 3 years, and I felt this unit helped me to overcome a plateauing of my work and helped me ‘move on’ and develop further.
Looking at the drawings of the seated figure I much prefer the first one to the later photo assisted examples because there seems to be a directness and honesty about this first version. I think that the pressure of having to get a likeness or even having your drawing liked gets in the way of a good drawing. At this stage I’ll introduce a drawing by John Bratby, a very uneven artist, but not one afraid of a 6B pencil
This is a dynamic, perhaps almost ‘brutal’ drawing. I am instinctively drawn to more subtle renderings of the human form, but his mark making and creation of form are intriguing, especially around the hips and legs. I do feel that the face is rather over-worked considering that it is effectively much further back in the artwork than the legs. Thank you for suggesting this.
Moving on the strong directional light was certainly beneficial to your drawing and when combined with pastel and washed over it created good strong dynamic tones. A lighter touch with the reclining figures but the approach is very effective.
I enjoyed the ‘strong directional light’ exercises as there was less ambiguity about shadowed areas. I am prone to overplaying shadows using delineations between areas of tone that are too severe, so these exercises really suited me.
Other life drawing class strategies include the moving figure and again it successfully shows the whole process of a drawing.
With the self-portrait and from working from a photograph I must say they all look like you with varying degrees of severity which always seems to come about when one draws oneself especially when you stare into a mirror. A good attempt but I am also impressed with the imaginary portrait for the confident quality of the drawing.
The task of drawing a self-portrait is a daunting one, as is drawing a beloved family member. I had not been looking forward to this part of the unit. I just needed to ‘dive’ into it and be as uninhibited as I could, and the reality of creating the artwork was more positive than I anticipated despite my initial anxiety. I really enjoyed this set of tasks and learned a lot and because of it, have been motivated to focus on portraiture for my Personal Project.
Feedback on assignment
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity
The assignment consists of three drawings. The first is an outline of your model on top of a piece of corrugated cardboard. You start of well trying out different approaches but I feel that once you had the line drawings, which have a seductive graphic quality it then became of a case of placing it decorously on the worn cardboard surface. The initial idea of working with the Lucy Jones idea would have been much better and more difficult to achieve and the figure would have come out of and become more part of the picture as a whole.
My intention in these exercises was to create three very different styles of work. I know the first, seated image is very graphic, but I particularly enjoyed exploring media and options for the composition.
The Second drawing of the reclining figure works well on the difficult magenta background. And looking at the series of drawings I appreciate the difficulties with foreshortening but it seems to have become exaggerated in your picture with the left foot the size of two heads. I’m not sure if this has been done with the help of a photograph but you have to be careful of photographs taken with mobile phones for example because they introduce a great amount of distortion through their use of wide angle lens.
I was conscious of the difference in scale between the feet and the head, and indeed, on your advice I have reworked this part of the assignment. I took more photographs of my model from a greater distance which has overcome the distortion that is evident in this initial submission. I will take account of this factor in future when relying on photographs of models. The difference in the second attempt is really noticeable, and I am much more pleased with the new finished drawing. The ability to highlight the white vest so effectively is diminished but the drawing is more sensitive and less stylized than the first.
The final portraits are much more successful and I’ve been looking at them through a magnifying glass to see the marks under the grey wash and admiring the tonal balance of the whole, the lightly washed blue background, the accuracy of the drawing and the overall characterization . Similarly with the pastel drawing the pattern underneath the portrait and background is a clever effect that adds to the use of the pastels and again overall the green paper combines nicely with the blues of the shirt and background. Two very good drawings.
Thank you. These are very encouraging comments.
Sketchbooks
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity
The sketchbook is one dedicated to the life drawing and I presume you have others with more varied topics for variety.
Yes, I have at least 4 whole sketchbooks for this unit, but did not want to send them all over, especially as their contents are all shown in my online blog, linked to their relevant exercises.
Research
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
As always your research into other artists and research is quite comprehensive and drawings of the quality of Kathy Kollwitz, Egon Schiele, Klimt etc stand out. I do have my reservations on Tracy Emin . To compare her drawing to Schiele and Munch as we are being asked these days, there is a Royal Academy show coming up , stretches the imagination. Reflective thinking includes awareness of the promotional power of Galleries promoting their stars.
Emin
Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
The learning log describes your thoughts and actions on the course and is a very useful document that backs up the artwork.
Suggested reading/viewing
You might like to include more examples of figure and life drawings if you can find them. What was called ‘The Euston Road School’ was at one time very dominant in art schools through the teaching of William Coldstream and his pupil Euan Uglow.
I have undertaken some previous research on Bomberg from the Euston Road School but hadn’t heard of Coldstream or Uglow and their figurative works. In looking at some of their artwork, after your recommendation, I do like some of Uglow’s work and colour schemes. I like the bold planes of colour which remind me of both Freud and some of Jonathan Yeo’s work.
A reviewer for an exhibition in Holland describes Uglow’s work thus:
‘Painted nudes and portraits with a facet-like, sometimes sculptural structure, as if they were carved in wood’. (Euan Uglow: Painting Perception. Museum More, Uit de Kunst, http://uitdekunstmarina.nl/euan-uglow-painting-perception-museum-more-t-m-1-september-2019/)
I particularly liked ‘The Diagonal’ (1971-77) which was also referenced on this same website. It has a really dynamic composition, with a bold, but limited palette of colours.
I notice that in many of his artworks the models are ‘anonymous’ and unidentifiable. It was evidently by intent. Like Yeo, I liked the way he often left evidence of his structural compositional lines in the work.
On the other hand you have mentioned Peter Howson so you might be interested in this film of his work on
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000c8f3/prophecy
Thank you for sharing this link. I can’t watch it from this link here in France, but I have found it on YouTube. I have also watched quite an intense video featuring Peter Howson as he painted before. It was very intense.
Pointers for the next assignment
- Reflect on this feedback in your learning log.
- Consider possibly redoing the large drawing of the reclining model but check the photographic source for distortion.
I have indeed redrawn the reclining model drawing as shared earlier, and took on board the recommendation you made. I think it has resulted in a much more sensitive and believable drawing.
Thank you for your feedback.
Well done, I look forward to your next assignment.
Cathy's OCA Drawing 1 Blog 