Quick Sketches Around the House
It is funny, but not every corner of a room is interesting! As I went around our home, I began to realise there are aspects that are more attractive than others.
I began in our living/dining room. I was keen to use as wide a variety of different media as possible in these explorations. The first two are washable black ink pens and the third uses pink drawing ink and was made with a dip pen (with new nibs!)
I looked at all these areas from different viewpoints before deciding which one was most suitable for which area.
The first one, featuring the single chair and bookcase proved to have challenging angles on the fireplace. I think identifying where my eyeline should have been first would have helped me to interpret, whether the line of each angle effectively went up or down. I will try to bear this in mind as I continue my explorations.
On reflection I should also have changed the chair position a little so that it faced more towards me to add more interest.
The second drawing was pretty much head on, with only the bookcase suggesting the corner of the room. Although there are some interesting ‘things’ in the picture it is not very exciting compositionally
I did start off in my favourite room and so enjoyed doing these drawings and I liked the images I was able to get from studying them.
This next image, drawn with conte pencils, and chalks and a Chinese white pencil is the fourth corner of the same room. I liked the limited palette and had never really noticed how well the colour scheme works in this, our ‘oriental’ corner. I think I have managed to get the angles and proportions well in this. The tones and highlights on the unit also add to a sense of form and how decorative it is.
The next three drawings are from the downstairs hallway, and have been made in pencil, biro and neocolor II pastels.
I have had a few attempts at using the neocolor II pastels, but as yet, have not been very successful with them. In fairness this is a relatively small scale drawing and being water soluable oil pastels, they do not have fine points on them. This subject i chose to draw with them with all the fine detail of the stair banisters did not work very well.
After the bulky Neopastels, I wanted a much finer drawing implement. I returned to a favourite, a black biro. I find it a very versatile drawing medium, especially for smaller drawings and I love the range of tones it is possible to achieve. It is also a good base for putting watercolour on top as it stays where it is put. This space had some interesting cast shadows on the walls.
The third drawing, in pencil, is another part of the hall, but is more of a nook than a corner. It did not appear to make a visually interesting subject in itself, so instead I wanted to focus on a pottery installment, which I made a few years ago, and am very proud of. In fairness it does not really work well as an interior composition though, and the pencil, in this case, does not make it any more interesting. It was perhaps not the best medium to use, but I was keen to explore many different ones on my journey through our home.
The bedroom scene is drawn with a grey Tombow watercolour pen.
It is a very busy picture with lots of little things creating bursts of clutter. I did find some of the angles along the lower wall leading through to the bathroom, quite challenging.
The wicker chair is angled to smooth out the corner, so the only indication in this line drawing, of where the corner is, is the vertical line down behind the chair.
Changing my viewpoint so I was sitting on the floor, the next drawing is still in the bedroom. It is in the opposite corner and there is another wicker chair with an array of my husbands footwear underneath it. This was a bold, but well observed drawing with hints of texture in both the chair and the wicker basket next to it. The lace curtains are represented through a wash over the orange Tombow pen.
I was pleased with this composition and how the shoes curved around, echoing the form of the chair.
This next drawing looks like a ghastly coloured toilet in a bathroom. However, the toilet is white and the tiles around are brown. The drawing is made with a watercolour Derwent red pencil and the shading is indicated with a blue pencil. These pencils can have quite harsh colouring, which at times is useful, but in this drawing they are arguably less successful, even when softened with a couple of washes.
However, I was pleased with the construction of the drawing and feel it is an accurate representation of our en-suite bathroom.
Charcoal is a difficult medium to use for a small scale drawing. However, laying down an all over tone allowed me to use a putty rubber to lift out, rather than draw, the white headboard in this bedroom. I like this technique and this is a small but atmospheric bedroom. The corner of the room is indicated just to the left of the lamp. The composition is pleasing.
Continuing in the same room, with the same charcoal material, the other corner creates an interesting composition with the angles of the wood where the ‘chien assis’ window has been built in. Unfortunately, in using this unknown brand of charcoal pencil insert, I feel it is quite poor quality and is smudging more than I am used to. For this reason I will not explore shading in this sketch.
I also really like the reflection that can be seen in the mirror. It feels like a very personal and intimate space. There is some interesting light and shadow here, being immediately under the window, but that cannot be appreciated in this line drawing.
Wow, with all the angles and tiles and perspective, this proved to be a challenging drawing. The sink unit is not wide enough, and the tiles behind the shower are not at the correct angle.
The real head of the stairs looks a lot more interesting than I have managed to capture in this drawing. I have, however, used a dark pen to represent the nearest bannister, and as they move further away I have used a lighter grey. It also made me realise that with the repeating curvy shapes this would be a really tricky image to draw large scale. The angles of the receeding bannister also proved to be a challenge to draw.
I did not relish drawing the kitchen sink area and often just see it as an area with uneccesary clutter. However, I am really pleased with this nitram charcoal and chalk drawing on toned paper.
I did not relish drawing the kitchen sink area and often just see it as an area with uneccesary clutter. However, I am really pleased with this nitram charcoal and chalk drawing on toned paper.
Whilst not strictly a ‘corner’ it still is an interesting composition. There is a range of textures, tones and shapes to keep the eye moving and exploring. The lace curtains work well as a background against the solidity and mundaneness of the other objects. It softens the image and gives it more personality… as does the basel plant on the windowsill. A hint of nature nestling in.
This is the first exploration of using the nitram charcoal, which I sharpened to a point to draw with. I have a couple of different lightness and darkness of charcoal sticks which gave me more options in the tones and lines I was able to create.My first impression of using them is a very good one.
This line drawing of the ‘cooker corner’ was enjoyable to do. With the exception of one incorrect line I was able to get the proportions and relationships between all the objects that were visible. The gold and silver pen on the black paper is very effective. A white chalk board pen was used for highlights. It is challenging to think how I could take this further using these tools. I think the essence of why I like it is because it is a simple contrasting line on dark paper rather than the more usual dark line on white paper. I liked the reflections suggested in the smooth dark surface of the induction hob on the top of the cooker. If I had slightly changed my angle so that the top edge of the tiles were not simply horizontal it might have made the composition perhaps a little more interesting.
What did I learn?
- My drawings became looser the more I did and I was less anxious about making mistakes
- I liked how the nitram charcoal works and that it can be sharpened to a point.
- I was surprised at how everyday contexts and environments can be interesting and challenging things to draw.
- I continued to explore a range of media and gain more knowledge about the properties of various materials.
Wonderings
There are several views I like from these studies. I am not sure which one I would chose to develop further yet, nor what media might lend itself best to that task.
Cathy's OCA Drawing 1 Blog 