I was trying to look at the predominant shapes and tones rather than getting bogged down in finer details. I returned to the location and had a go sketching in both pencil and charcoal. So my next attempt was to try being more relaxed. whilst being a “nice picture” I felt this was returning too close to my “usual style” however- more realistic and more restrained- and was not pushing my boundaries. I then decided to have a go at introducing colour. In returning to the lockages I drew a detailed sketch just focusing on outlining shapes. I enjoyed the effect of this drawing, but not for this subject. I also decided to use coloured paper, which allowed the introduction of some white pencil to lift highlights. This was difficult in areas where there were straight lines of stonework to define, so I did not think this would ultimately be successful for the lock-gates. I wanted to look at using pens in a different way- trying not to outline, but to concentrate on shading to give a sense of form. In thinking about this I decided to try an alternative view (an adjacent building on the lock) which is interested me because of its graffiti and functional nature. The gates present a fairly complex subject in themselves, which I felt needed to be reduced or simplified by the style of the drawing, not added to with a multitude of lines and squiggles. It is rather “busy” with a myriad of marks and lines. I rather like the end result here, but it was not really what I was wanting to achieve in the long term. I was interested in whether I could retain the sensitivity of mid-tonal variation using shading and hatching with a fine pen. Rather more like an etching than a charcoal drawing with 3D form! I was disappointed though that I felt the outcome was very dark and unsubtle/insensitive, with insufficient mid-tone. I returned to the first lock-gate view I drew and attempted it again in charcoal to try to introduce a looser response to the subject. It was much harder to identify an interesting focal point from this angle and I had no emotional reaction to the view. The huge lock-gates themselves, when viewed from the other side, lost some of their impact- presenting a solid wall of wooden beams which were tonally similar across the structure. I did some detailed pencil sketches of locations around the locks. It invited a response and a reaction from the viewer and I hoped this might be depicted in a drawing. I liked the interesting subtle contrasts in colour, shape and texture. There is a weight and solidity to the structures, which, although engineered, I hope could be portrayed loosely and energetically. I was particularly attracted to the heavy industrial engineering of the lock-gates the rusty iron, oily chains, overgrown weeds and cracked wooden plinths, and how they were reflected in the canal-water. Whilst visiting these locations I found myself looking in closer detail at parts of one of the locks and its surrounding buildings. In choosing what to draw, I spent some time considering my options, and explored the possibility of looking at various wrought iron bridges over the Manchester ship canal as my subject. They are rather garish and messy- not allowing for much sensitivity, and I did not think they were appropriate what I was hoping to achieve in a drawing of an outdoor subject. I did not really like the effect of the pens. I chose to draw a garden summer house purely as an exercise in using the media rather than because this would be a subject I wanted to develop. I wanted to see if I could be more energetic and spontaneous using bold colours, so I tried using ink and marker pens. I started work on this assignment by looking at different media. I aimed to develop some of the above in the final assignment of this course. I am constantly encouraged to be more abstract/ energetic/ spontaneous/ innovative and experimental in my work. There are a number of charcoal drawings, which I like for their increased freedom. I have reviewed part three of the course looking at the various exercises. I decided to tackle the outdoors in the final assignment.
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