Drawing Prompt #3: Monika, JD & Jean

Three Artist's draw leaves!

Three of you sent me work late yesterday - I hope you all don't mind if I put them up in this one post. All three artists have done interesting work. Autumn has arrived.

Monika

Monika created her leaf drawing in her Visual Diary on cartirdge paper using watercolour pencil (no brand given), Derwent Graphitint and 2B graphite. She tells me she did not realise how quickly a fallen leaf would loose colour and dry out once inside! Drawing from life can have its difficulties, but  gives you the advantages of seeing the item in it's natural state, not influenced or distorted by a camera lens. Monika fears she did not succeed as well as she wished - I think she is being a little too hard on herself. The leaf shape is very good, the hues and colour transitions work very well. The indenting of the veins works well. Although the shadow is a bit darker than I prefer, it works well to lift the leaf off the page and give the shape form. 

I do believe that working on the cartridge paper of a visual diary has disappointed Monika somewhat. The graininess of the cartridge makes it difficult to work on, creating a rougher texture. Also, cartridge is not easy to work with in water mediums as it is so absorbant. In spite of the support used I think this is still a good observational drawing of a leaf.

Jean

Jean has done both challenges - the first is her Autumn leaf created using Derwent watercolour pencils with graphite shading on Arches 300gsm Hot Press. The leaf shape is good and the supporting graphite leafs create a good overall composition. The colour leaf has been slightly overworked. I suspect that Jean overwashed her colours somewhat and then did not wait quite long enough for them to completely dry before adding another layer of hue. This is quite a common trap and one I have fallen into myself quite often! However, Jean has quite a free and expressive style of drawing and on the whole the leaf has a nice loosely stylised effect that works very well. A note on the graphite leaves - some indenting has been done in the veins but it has not quite matched up to the line and shading in areas.  It can be difficult to remember where you have put that darn indent! 

'Leaf study' by Jean

Her second work is a maple tree study on Strathmore Toned Tan 118gsm paper using Staedtler Pastel Pencil Sepia set and Carbethello pastel pencils in maroon and yellow. This was the first time that Jean has attempted pastel pencils and I think she should be very happy with the result. She has instinctively realised that hue needs to built up in blocks of colour from light to dark. As well Jean soon realised the level of detail you can achieve with pastel pencils is not as fine as that of graphite or colour pencils. Instead she has let the blocks of color and tones build up to form the impression of detail creating satisfying leaf shapes with good colour. She has finished it off with some crisply drawn branch lines highlighted in white. The overall tree shape is good and the branching limbs 'grow' from the trunk in a believable manner. It could have been very easy to overwork this drawing, but she has held back and let the colours and line tell the story in an uncomplicated way. A lovely small work.

I really think that pastel pencils suit Jean's style of working and hope she continues to explore the medium.

'Maple tree' by Jean

JD

JD tells me that she found this subject harder this week and is not totally satisfied with the result. Again, I think she is another who is being too hard on herself! Using 300gsm Hot press with Derwent watercolour pencils and a 4B Faber Castell graphite she had created a very realistic looking maple leaf in autumn colours. Working with this technique of wash and dry on hot press paper can be difficult and it can be harder to layer. Her wash layer works very well, just enough dampness to the wathercolour pencil to blur and soften the colours together without getting muddy. JD was worried that she had overworked the drawing but I think she has just held back enough, creating translucent layers of colours that are accentuated by the dry colour and touches of tonal graphite.  I certainly think that her cast shadow on this leaf is the best of all the shadow work I have seen so far this week. The indenting on the veins with the assistance of the magenta linework gives just the right level of detail.

I would love to see JD explore this technique a little more in another drawing, experiment with pushing and pulling the colours in the wash state. Maybe adding some compimentary colour (blues, violets) in the dry work.  It doesn't need to be another leaf JD!  You've done quite well with this but don't stop now!

'Maple leaf' by JD

Her second work is a tree drawing in pastel pencils, and for her it was also the first time using this medium. She has used Art Spectrum Color Fix smooth Fresh Grey as her support and Faber Castell Pitt Pastels as a medium. The Pitt set she has only contains 13 colours which she has used effectively. The tree shape is very good, capturing the pollarded Birch well. As it was her first attempt with this medium she can be forgiven for 'outlining' individual leaves and colouring them in - I find a better result is achieved by creating splotches and blocks of colour first, then adding linework on top to give detail. Remember JD, you don't have to draw each individual leaf on a tree! You have recognised this in the trunk and branches and the white highlight there works well. The addition of dark blue or violet in both the trunk and grass would also help, but you may not have those colours in your set. Yellow and blue in the grass in upward strokes would create a more grass-like effect that a solid block of  horizontal green.

On the whole this drawing is a good, quick study of a tree in full autumn colours. The shape and colours are well observed, as is the bark on the trunk. As your first experimentation with the medium I think you have done well. I hope you continue to explore and push the medium more, pastel pencils are a lot of fun to use and are quite effective. Why not try that leaf again in pastel pencils?

Check out the video links below for some good demos in using this medium.

'Autumn Tree' by JD

Good video to watch - see how he uses his black! : Virtual Instructor

Colin Bradley is pretty good too.

Drawing Prompt #3: KM and MP

KM first!

KM is the first person to show her Week 3 drawing of leaves to me. As she is still at work during the lock down, she actually got up at 6am on Wednesday morning to draw a leaf - now that is dedication! Using a collection of Silver Birch leaves KM has done a very interesting thing with her work, she has drawn the life cycle of the leaf. Starting with a green leaf turning golden she has shown how the leaf progressess through the different stages slowly turning crispy brown. Clever!

This has been done on a 110gsm paper with Derwent watercolour pencils. I feel that the drawing would have benefited from a heavier weighted paper as her work has been affected by a few creases.

The silver birch leaves are well observed, showing the distinctive ragged edges. Also, she has thought about the way the leaves change colour and has linked each leaf to the other by including some of the previous leaf's colour in the new leaf. It would have been good to see maybe a few holes or torn edges in that last crispy leaf but the overall effect and compostion works quite well.

I like the idea of using shadows to give dimension to each leaf, but I find it a little distracting that she has used a different shading direction and technique for each shadow.

KM has created a very pleasing drawing with an individual and imaginative story. Well done.

'Autumn life cycle' by KM

MP came next

Not long after recieving KM's work, MP sent through her lovely drawing of 3 Autumn leaves. MP has chosen three distinctly different shaped and coloured leaves for her composition. She has created this on A4 Art Spectrum 300gsm hot press paper Prismacolour watercolour pencils and 2B graphite in a wash and dry technique.

The leaves are well observed and drawn with particular attention given to each individual form. They have been arranged on the page in a pleasing composition. MP's rendering of hue and execution of the colour transition on each leaf is very good. Her handling of the medium shows proficiency and sensitivity. The addition graphite helps the tone of the color harmonise and adds a good depth. I like the contrasting shapes of the leaves - each form is different and reconisable tree species. It appears MP may have done a bit of indenting as the veins of the leaves are thin and distinct without being drawn likes. This works quite well.

A very successful, well observed drawing.

'Three leaves' by MP

Drawing Prompt Week 3: May 10, 2020

Autumn

Challenge 1: A Leaf
This morning I looked out of my window to see that almost overnight the crepe myrtle tree had changed colour to yellows, golds and magentas. So this week I want you to take a short walk outside and find the prettiest, most colourful autumn leaf you can find and draw it.

Once again the choice of mediums is up to you, but I have done my examples in watercolour pencils with wash and dry techniques. You may want to try this in Inktense, Graphitint. graphite or regualar waxed colour pencils with or without wash or pastel/pastel pencil.

Note- especially for the pastellists- please scroll down to the second challenge demo.

First, find your leaf! This leaf drawing should take you at least two hours to complete, not counting drying time, if you want a good level of detail and refinement.
 Tape your paper securely to all 4 sides to your board, leaving no gaps (a 300gsm hot press is good for detail). Using water soluble pencils, lightly sketch the shape with a blue pencil then add some soft colour in yellow, red, magenta and violet - if these colours suit your leaf. Stroke in from the edges emulating the veins. Don't draw across the lobes. Avoid a strong or a heavy outline.

Then, with an Aquash brush or #10 standard round brush, gently stroke the colours letting them blend slightly. Again, stroke in from the edges and do not over work or over mix the colours. Dry the paper completely.

Once dry, add addtional dry colours as appropriate to your leaf. Here I use orange, yellow, yellow ochre, magenta, purple and blue. Using just the tip of the brush, stroke the colour again and let dry. 

Next using colour pencils as a dry medium , use a circular fill to begin to build up more hues across the leaf. Try and leave lighter areas for the veins if you can, but don't make them too thick or clumpy. You could also try incising the vein lines now with a knitting/crochet needle to help you keep fine light lines.

Keep adding and building up the dry colour. If you think it needs it, selectively touch with a wet brush here and there. Be careful not to wash all the detail away.

Add graphite to create tones and shadows. In this work I created graphite only leaves to frame the coloured leaves.

You can also try this in Graphitint pencils, although the colours of Graphitint are quite muted and you will not get the vibrant oranges and pinks of watercolour pencils

Another example

And yet another.

Your Week 3 play list: Eva Cassidy 'Autumn Leaves',  K.D. Lang 'Miss Chatelaine', John Coltrane 'Autumn Serenade', Van Morrison 'Autumn Song', Tom Waits 'November', Ella and Louis, 'Autumn in New York, The White Stripes, 'Dead leaves and Dirty Ground',  and one of my personal favourite Van songs, 'When the leaves come falling down'. 

Challenge 2; Autumn scene in Pastel Pencil

Why not draw a complete Autumn scene? Pastel Pencils are great to work with, quick and with intensive colour. You could also use soft pastels. For the following I used primarily Carbethello Pastel Pencils and finished with a Yellow and Orange Rembrant soft pastel. This was done on Art Spectrum Colour Fix Smooth A4 paper, burgundy hue.  Each photo has the pencils used for that step on the left side so you can see what I used to create each step. Remember, these colours and pencils are just suggestions, feel free to do it your way in the medium of your choice!

This is the view from my studio to my Crepe Myrtle tree.

 The finished work.

Have fun! I look forward to seeing what you produce this week.

Drawing Prompt #2: M.E.G.

Blues Bouquet

M.E.G. is our resident Horticulturist and she has selected a variety of blue and violet toned flowers in a blue vase for her work this week. She has used Aquarelle pencils on Arches Medium 300gsm.

I like this work a lot. MEG asked me if she should go over it with a deeper wash - I don't know, perhaps a bit in the deeper blue shadow areas of the flowers or bottom of the vase, but I wouldn't want her to over do it and wash out the lovely translucent effect she has achieved. This is especially well done in the blue glass vase and shadow. Using a minimalistic wash effect the colour is laid down in a fresh way expressing the shape and form of the vase very well. The blossoms are equally well done, quick washes run over each other exploiting the transparent feature of the watercolour pigment in the pencils.

The shape of the vase is very good and symetrical. The flowers are recognisable renditions - even I know what most of them are. If MEG wanted to add some more depth to the shadow areas of the flowers I would suggest only using a touch of blue where required. The same shade as the vase. Once wet this would  become transparent and violets would show through - as long as MEG didn't over wash the blue into the entire flower. Sometimes less is more.

But I don't know if that is needed. This is a nice, fresh sketch of a Blue Bouquet and is well done.

Blues Bouquet by M.E.G.

Drawing Prompt #2: Don

From the Toolshed

I must say I was delighted to open Don's drawing up today - he has wandered down to his shed and picked out some items that has created a drawing with a masculine slant. Bit of a change from all that jewellery, perfume and fancy vases. 

 Don generally works in graphite and tone, so colour is out of his comfort range, but he has embraced it and risen to the challenge. He has used a mix of Derwent and Aquarelle pencils using both wet and dry techniques. The composition is comfortable and works, but I feel if the Level had been placed at a different horizontal angle to the paint brush a bit more compositional tension could have been created. This also would have helped the golf ball to stand out more. 

Don says he was a bit worried about his perspective ovals, but they really are not too bad, you can tell that the tape is laying on it's side against the brush. Speaking of the brush, the hairs are nicely drawn and I think he has used a light blue wash underneath which makes the black pencil look less 'dead'. Sadly, the golf ball is a bit 'flat' and lacks form so it blends into the Level a bit too much.  But a golf ball is tricky - it follows the same rules to drawing a sphere with the added difficultly of all the dimples. 

hmmm, maybe we need a golfball drawing exercise once we are back in class!?!

But back to Don's drawing. I think this is a successful work on the whole. The colour has been layered well, he has observed the details and portrayed them accurately. The spots of yellow in the Level gives the drawing a lift in hue. Good job, Don!

Don's toolshed blues - by Don

I am just going to add this image from Lee Hammond's 'All New Big Book of Drawing' as a referesher in drawing ball shapes.

Drawing Prompt #2; Monica & Heather

Two more on Friday!

Monica has joined us with a drawing of  a blue Delft pot. She has used graphite pencils for tone (HB, 2B, 3B) and Derwent waxed pencils over a wash from the blue Staedtler watercolour pencil. Note that the photo is a bit grey and not true to life.  The composition is quite nice in this drawing although the photo has cropped it tight on the sides. There is a good tension between the small size of the lid of the jar, pointing and leading our eye to the larger container. The draped blue cloth has been well drawn with attention given to the creases and folds and she notices the colour differences between the front of the cloth and the reverse.

I feel that the perspective oval of the top of the jar is not quite correct, the oval should be more narrow, or else the curve at the bottom of the jar rounder. The body shape of the jar is well done and both sides are symetrical - very difficult to do! It does concern me a bit that a heavy outline is used around the jar instead of tone to create shape. I know Monica understands this because she has used tone in the lid to convey the form.  The printed pattern on the jar is attractive and I wonder if this distracted her a bit. It is always tricky to work tone over pattern, next time I suggest that the tonal gradation of the form is put down first, then a pattern in blue overlaid on top.

This was a difficult form to draw and has a number of complex elements in the composition, from hard to flexible, shiny and reflective to soft and dull. 

A very creditable result of intricate subjects.

Blue Delft Pot by Monica

Heather's Blues

Heather joins us with a well considered work of three objects that form a triangular composition. The three different forms have been linked together by a swirling ribbon of blue. I get the feeling that she spent some time arranged these objects to give the best result and I think she has succeeded in this.

She hasn't told me what type of pencils she has used, but I seen her use a set of Faber Castell so I assume that is what is used here. I think a little more layering of colours, from light to dark, would have given greater intensity and depth of colour in her jar and in the texture of the porcelain bird. Remember to try and build up to the final colour, not expect one colour pencil to do the entire job. Moving some of the yellow into other areas would be a good idea too - in the highlights perhaps to accentuate the whites. 

The shapes overall are are pretty good, a few issues with perspective in the perfume bottle, but the jar and bird work. That procelain bird would have been very difficult to draw! The perfume bottle reads as glass.  I think the ribbon could have used a bit of sheen to it, highlights and deeper blues to give a satin feel.

There is a lot to like about this drawing.

Heather's Blues by Heather

 

Drawing Prompt #2: Jean

Blue on blue

I think Jean has been indulging in a bit of Coronatini Time! 🍹

This is an evocotive work, the soft blue pencils giving a lovely velvet texture. There are no real sharp lines or hard definitions in this work - but I don't think they are needed. Looking at this drawing I certainly want to be reading that travel book and sipping on a blue martini somewhere other than my own back yard! 

There are a few construction issues regarding placement and perspective of the oval shapes, particularly the bottom of the glass. The right edge of the book is also looks a bit lopsided. I am not sure that the arrangement of the blueberries work as one appears to be floating. But overall this piece is more about a mood and feeling than precision drafting and as such it works very well.

Jean tells me found it difficult to get good coverage with her Prismacolour pencils on Arches 300gsm hot press paper.  I am not surprised - Prismas are difficult to work with on hot press, they prefer a slightly toothier type of paper. Prismcolours are all about building up layers of hues to get that final colour, so a paper with more grip is easier to work with.  That being said, Jean has achieved a good work that is a pleasure to look at.

Blue on Blue by Jean

Gardenia

Jean also tried the second challenge - well done! Here she has used a Canson Mi-Tientes indigo blue paper with Prismacolour pencils. She has allowed the blue of the background to show through on the leaves and in the flower, doing a creditable job of negative drawing. This is especially successful in the top leaf - she has only used colour on the outside of the leaf, letting the paper hue do the work for her on the inside of the curl. Because the Mi-Tientes is a rougher surface Jean was able to build more layers of Prismas than in the previous work. Her looser, expressive linework creates a real vibrancy to the shapes.

It seems that Jean may have tried to use a blending tool in a couple of spots, or else pressed hard with the final pencil. I don't think it was needed and these spots stand out a bit from the rest of the fluid linework. Blending or pressing too hard flattens the tooth of the paper so you lose a bit of that rough edged pencil feel.

Again, this is a good work and I think Jean has achieved a pleasing result.

Gardenia by Jean

Jean was wondering how to get a brighter white on this work - I don't think it is needed, but this is probably as white as you can get a Prismacolour to go. For brighter spots of white I would suggest trying a very soft pastel stick in bright white, something like a AS extra soft or Schmicke or Sennelier pastel. These are little more expensive than a Rembrant, but if you are only buying the one it isn't so onerous. The softness of these pastels can allow you to do some nice spot highlights of bright white if you feel it is needed.

Drawing Prompt #2: Jill

Jill's Blues

Jewllery Collection
Jill has taken on both challenges and produced two very effective works.
Her first is a collection of beads and tassels as she says loves blue and aqua jewellery . Created on Windsor Newton A4 200gsm heavyweight paper, she has used Faber Castell pencils in Turqouise/Colbalt Green/Phtholo Blue/Light Ultramarine and Helioblue reddish as well as some Derwent watercolour pencils in Kingfisher blue/Prussian blue and Spectrum blue.
Those blues really pack a punch!
To add tone, definition and shadow effects Jill has used HB and 2B Faber Castell.
The composition and balance is nice in this work. The different shapes and colours of the various types of beads compliment each other well. The roundness of the earrings is set off nicely with a pop of white highlight. The most outstanding part of this work IMO is Jill's handling of the threads - each stroke of colour creates a shadow or highlight forming a lush collection fibres. The few stray threads give the tassel a chaotic and natrual look. Nicely done.

Blue Jewllery Collection by Jill

Pine Cones 

The geometric Fibonacci spiral of a pinecone can be develishly tricky to draw. This didn't deter Jill who not only drew one, but two! She really needs to be congratulated on this work. The larger cone has the tightly packed polygon shapes at the base of the cone slowly opening up and flowering out revealing the interior. The smaller cone shows it full blown with well observed scalloped edges and shapes. I am really impressed with this work, Jill has studied the shapes and forms and drawn what she sees allowing the blue of the paper to work with her cones, creating depth and shadows. Highlights and contrast darks help give the shapes form and solidity. 

Jill has used cobalt blue card (unknown brand, found in her art cupboard) and drawn with Faber Castell pencils White/Cadmium yellow/Dark Napels/ Ochre/Raw Umber/Walnut Brown/ Helioblue-reddish and Black.

Here I'd like to mention that I often tell my students to try and avoid using black if they can as it is a dead colour - unless they need it, and then use it sparingly. Just the right amount of black has been used here - this is a very good drawing of a difficult subject. Well done!

Drawing Prompt #2: MP

Blue Theme

MP tells me that she found this weeks prompt a little bit of a challenge, but goodness, she has risen to the challenge well! This would have been a tricky work, as it is built up from a series of ovals. All of those ovals needed to be put into correct perspective, from the top of the vases to the base, the first blue bead to the last. Apart from a little wonkiness on the right side of the miniature China vase, MP has done an excellent job with creating these difficult shapes. The highlights on the beads and eggcup give a good shine and reflective quality. A very good result!

MP has used A4 Art Spectrum 300gsm hot press paper and the following pencils:
Small vase - Prismacolour watercolour ultramarine blue
Egg cup - Prismacolour watercolour Copenhagen Blue and True Green
Necklace - Prismacolour watercolour Peacock Blue, True Green, Copenhagen Blue
Additional pencils for tone and texture - Prismacolour Cool Grey, French Grey, Derwent Graphitint Cool Grey, 2B and 4B Graphite

'Blue Theme' by MP

Drawing Prompt #2: Silke

Silke's Kitchen Blues

Silke is the first to show her Blue work for Prompt # 2.
She raided her kitchen for props as the colour scheme is blue and white. The vase belonged to her grandmother and the Paprika tin is a souvenir from Hungary. Drawn in the same Stillman + Bern sketchbook from week 1, she has used a variety of colour pencils ranging from Faber Castell, Caran D'arch and Derwent.

I really like this composition, the balance between vertical items contrasting with the horizontal spoons and teatowel. The framing links the items together in a pleasing graphic design. Nice contrasting texture effects as well, soft fabric, shiny metal, smooth painted porcelain and enamel tin.
The small touchs of red printing on the Paprika tin make this drawing sing!

Silke's Kitchen Blues