Assignment Three and Tutor feedback and reflection

In my last tutorial my tutor suggested I re-do my Assignment Three (a railway bridge) after further research and experimentation with the mediums (various) and support I used (newspaper collage stuck on cartridge paper with PVA glue).

She also suggested looking at the work of Valery Koshlyakov, Grand Opera, Paris who uses gouache, with cardboard as support, and I did several experiments using wet mediums on both newspaper and cardboard - my main concern being that the newspaper would wrinkle

I did individual experiments on small pieces of newspaper and cardboard using -

1) Watercolour

2) Wet pastel

3) Ink stick

4) Indian Ink

5) Gouache

6) Gouache on top of dry pastel

Although the paper did wrinkle it was not too bad, and the best result was gouache, because it had better coverage and was less translucent

Then, as my assignment had been done on pieces of newspaper stuck on thick cartridge paper with PVA glue I repeated the same exercise but this time on a newspaper collage in my sketchbook using PVA glue.

In these experiments it was a problem if any PVA glue went onto the surface of the paper because those areas rejected whatever medium I used, so I was very careful to avoid this happening on my final work though this was very difficult to avoid completely.

For my final piece I used newspaper collage as my support because that is what I used in my original work, but used gouache rather than pastel, and I think the result is a improvement on the original, giving a better depiction of the atmosphere of the bridge as below. It is also more crisp and the medium looks better.

Having experimented with cardboard I think It would look better still in cardboard. However, a 2-hour limit is still a challenge for this subject.

Tutor feedback and reflection

Student name: Cecila Barandiaran-Sprot

Student number: 516830

Course/Module: Drawing 1

Assignment number 3

Tutorial type: Ghangout

Overall Comments

Overall you have coped well with perspectival issues and with more practice this will improve, because there is an affinity with architecture that shows in the work. Sometimes the work suffers from less experimentation and trying things out than it needs, and so it would be good if you could increase this aspect of your studies.

Feedback on assignment

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity This feedback was via googlehangouts, so the following notes reflect our discussions.

• Re-work the assignment piece, after you have explored the mediums and types of mediums that would be most effective on this form of support.

• Look at the Valery Koshlyakov works (1995) Saatchi Gallery, for clues as to how you can push the bridge drawing forwards.

I agree that there is something not right with my assignment. I will experiment more and look at Valery Koshlyakov.

• Really consider how you can get to know your mediums- even the simplest pencil can have many uses as a drawing tool, for instance, you can think about pressure, how you hold the pencil- whether you have a straight arm, bent arm, the pencil on a stick so that you are far away from the support- the pencil mixed with the use of black ink or white ink and so on... each medium has a myriad of ways of using it- like any tool- and we have to learn this material knowledge and bring it into our drawing.

So, make testers, little experiments to find out how your mediums work and what they can do- like a chef or a scientist! Keep images of the experiments and write about what happened on your blog.

• Keep thinking about your mediums, your supports (papers, cards etc) and how they can help the drawing and so the communication of the drawing.

• Really think about the exploration of the subject matter, rather than trying to make a picture- this will come- but exploring the subject matter is crucial in order to be able to make a final drawing- think of all the images of Leonardo Da Vinci’s who explored the human form- not as finished drawings but as investigations through looking and perceiving.

I agree that I am not experimenting or exploring enough, and obviously this is affecting my development in the course. I find it very difficult to experiment and explore without an image or idea in my mind of the result I want to achieve. Experimenting without a mental reference of what I want to achieve is not natural for me, but I will force myself to do it and hopefully it will became easier.

Sketchbooks

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity

Keep working in your sketchbooks, experiment and explore – this is the perfect place to do this!

• Make variations of drawings don’t be content to pick the first view/aspect- look and change positions or physical stance to see what happens. Thank you, I will do that.

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

Context

There are four main component parts to thinking about and writing/discussing a work of art. We need to think about content, form, process and energy.

Content: What is happening within the work? What is the subject matter? Does the subject matter suggest a deeper meaning? Is it direct observation, remembered, invented or imagined?

Is it realistic, deliberately exaggerated, distorted or abstracted?

Describe the content in detail.

Describe the Size/Form/Placement (part of a series, particular installation arrangements etc) When was it made?

Form: Is it 2d or 3d? How have the basic elements been used in the work, such as line, tone or materials? Is there a colour palette? If so can you work out why and how it is operating? Is it subtle, vivacious? What appears to be the artists’ intentions? Think about, series, lines, rhythm, texture, is it shiny or matt?

Process: What is the work made out of?

What media and processes has the artist used? Why might the artist have used these materials? Have you discovered any supporting studies/preparatory work? If so, how does it inform the work? What other skills may the artist have needed to create the work?

Energy: What is happening outside of the work? How does the work affect the surrounding space? Is there an atmosphere created? Does it remind you or evoke of a feeling/time of something else/another art form?

Why do you think this work may have been produced? Is there a political/social context apparent in the work?

Was the work commissioned?

What is your reflective opinion of the work (given the above investigation) how does it relate to your own work?

Thank you, I will keep that in mind and try to apply then in all of my research.

Suggested reading/viewing

Context

Aesthetics by Charles Taliaferro, a beginners guide that is very well laid out, good to read, and explores what art is, why are some things considered beautiful and so on. It will start to ground you in the basics of aesthetics, which I think will fascinate you.

Thank you, I bought the book and though I haven’t finished it yet you are quite right. I’m completely fascinated by it and find it very interesting. It's helping me to identify and clarify my ideas about Beauty and Art and helping me understand and appreciate more some of the genres in modern and contemporary art - not really my taste - but very interesting.

Pointers for the next assignment

Re-work the assignment piece- make a new one/keep the old one so that you can see the differences. Bring your investigations of mediums and supports into your life drawing.

Tutor name: Michele Whiting

Date: 2nd Feb 2018

Next assignment due: 26th March 2018

Original Assignment:

Trying to find inspiration for the assignment I reviewed my sketchbooks and found a sketch of a railway bridge I did a few weeks ago, which took me back to a day my husband and I were taking one of our trips to the National Gallery in London.

The train stopped near Woking beside a beautiful old railway bridge, which had lots of character and interest, and as I thought we would only be there for only a few minutes I took a photograph. We then had an announcement that due to issues with the line we would be there for some time, so I began the sketch and did as much as possible in the 20 minutes before the train started moving again.

I have to say that part of the beauty of the scene was the reflections in the carriage windows of the overhead lights and of the reflection of my husband, however due to complexity and time constrain I didn’t try to capture these in my drawing.

I did some research on contemporary artists who depict derelict scenes and came across Ian Murphy, whose work I really like, specially the triptych Scar of life, Macau – . He produces very textured pieces of work using charcoal and oil, with newspaper collage as a support and this seems to increase the texture, giving a moody feel of old places full of stories, appealing very much to my taste. Please see research for Assignment Three

I did sketches in various mediums and supports; watercolour, Inktense block on watercolour paper and thick cartridge paper, then inspired by Ian Murphy’s work I tried some sketches on newspaper with Charcoal and soft Pastel which I really liked. I therefore decided on Charcoal and soft pastel on A2 and found that the best newspaper collage support was obtained by sticking sections of newspaper text to thick cartridge paper.

Reflection and Self-Assessment

Demonstration of technical and visual skills – materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills

I believe my work is showing improvement in technical skill. I’ve experimented with different mediums such as watercolour sticks and Inktense blocks, which I hadn’t done before, and though my work with watercolour to give tone is improving and I’ve started liking it more and more, my favourite medium remains pastel chalk. I'm very confident making marks and blending colours with pastel chalk, which allows me to work more quickly, giving me more time to observe, and think about composition.

I understand the theory of perspective more, though it’s still challenging to apply it, especially in aerial perspectives when the vanishing point falls far outside the area of my support. I presume this will come with more practice.

I think my observational skill has also improved, though not as much as I would have liked. The timing of Part 3 has been unfortunate because of weather and health issues. I come from the north coast of Peru just south of the equator, where it is mostly quite hot and the minimum temperature is 18 degrees C, so my body and my brain don’t take cold weather very well.

During Parts 1 and 2 I enjoyed very much working outdoors from life, something I haven’t done much before, and which I found very rewarding. I wanted to do the same for this Part 3 but unfortunately most of the time I have felt too cold to work outside. However nice the place I chose I just couldn’t concentrate, which affected the quality of my work, and most of the time I had to take photographs and finish the piece at home. I believe my state of mind shows in the marks I made in my plein air sketches.

In term of composition, my tutor suggested I look at the masters, analyse their compositions, and try to apply that to my own work, so I've been twice to the National Gallery for this purpose (see Gallery visits). I think as a result my composition skills are improving, and I’m clearer on what to look for in an effective composition, although I need a lot more practice.

• Quality of outcome – content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts, communication of ideas

I feel the exercises I’ve done in this Part3 are showing a better quality of outcome, especially in the presentation of my work, that my learning log is more coherent, and the content of my work is more accurate. As indicated previously, I am not very articulate in English (my first language is Spanish) and I rely on editorial support from my husband, and though my reflections may be rather short they are to the point.

• Demonstration of creativity – imagination, experimentation, invention, development of a personal voice

I feel that my work in Assignments and Exercises in terms of creativity is not strong and that I am mainly portraying the unusual or the attractive that I see around me, things that I like, so may need more development in creativity. For this assignment I did some experimental work using newspaper as my support but feel I need to do more experimental work to improve my imagination and invention, and to develop my personal voice.

• Context reflection – research, critical thinking (learning logs and, at second and third level, critical reviews and essays)

I feel that my art research skills are improving, my tutor sent me a summary of OCA briefing; what I should look for when I am looking at other artist work, which I found very useful. Now my research work and gallery visits are more objective and to the point, more focused on what I’m looking for, so I’m enjoying my visits to galleries more. I’ve always enjoyed going to galleries to see paintings, whether of the great masters or others, appreciated the art, and often got ideas for achieving certain effects. I’d love to be able to go more often, and just sit in front of a painting and answer all the questions in the summary, to appreciate the work in front of me and learn more and more.

My tutor also suggested I go to the National Gallery to see The Execution of Lady Grey by Paul Delaroche to analyse the composition. Unfortunately however that painting is on tour in Japan until March 2019. However I analysed a photo of it and Ihave been analysing other painting of the great Masters in the gallery.

During this Part 3 I’ve been to the National Gallery twice and to The Modigliani Exhibition at the Tate Modern.

I’m very much looking forward to Part 4, The figure and the Head, as portraiture is an area I’ve always been very interested in.

Preliminary sketches:

Pen and ink, Watercolour Washes on cartridge paper

Soft Pastel on Newspaper

Inktense block on cartridge paper

Sketch and photo from the train window