!!Research Point!! A little bit about Max Ernst (1891-1976)

Max Ernst was born in Germany in 1891. He was a leading figure in the Dada and Surrealist movements. He introduced the technique of frottage to his art in 1925. He did so by placing pieces of paper on interesting textural surfaces such as wooden floorboards, bricks, tiles, etc... and then rub graphite onto the paper to retrieve an image. He would then use the textures of these frottage drawings in his paintings and combine them with other techniques he had invented.

http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/f/frottage

 

'The entire city', 1934, oil on canvas

'Escaped' , drawing

Project 1- Experimenting with texture

Exercise 1 - Experimenting with texture

I chose some simple items and used them to draw their textural qualities. I employed techniques such as smudging, line shadowing, hatching and cross hatching. I also used a putty eraser to remove marks in order to help me give more depth to the shadows of some of my items and a small brush to help  smudge some of the areas very lightly. 

I used a variety of different grades pencils from 2H to 6B, a charcoal stick and a bit of drawing ink to draw some of the wispy feathers.

Some textures were easier to depict than others. For instance, when drawing the wooden frame and woven basket it was relatively easy to create a textural effect as I used lots of straight and squiggly lines and a bit of smudging to help create a sense of depth.

The seashell presented me with the challenge of having to create an illusion of depth and texture whilst it's shiny surface reflected light.

I found the Marabu feather texture the hardest to draw as the feathers were very fine and kept on moving while I was drawing.

Below are some further examples of experimenting with texture using different materials side be side and on different grade papers to help me compare their effects and qualities. I tried to replicate some of the textures of the items I drew above.

A3 Mixed media paper 250 gsm

Media used: top left-3B pencil, top right-fibre tip pen,

bottom left-ink, bottom right-compressed charcoal. 

A3 Canson Bristol paper 150 gsm

Media used: top left-3B pencil, top right-fibre tip pen,

bottom left-ink, bottom right-compressed charcoal.

The 3B pencil and charcoal are 'dry' media and in my opinion are  easily controlled and manipulated when creating textures or shading. On the other hand, the fibre tip pen and ink, are more 'fluid' and provide darker, denser lines and shading but with less control as their ink is easily and quickly absorbed by the paper surface and therefore don't allow any time to be smudged or spread.

I chose mixed media paper as it has a fairly rough and uneven, matt surface and Bristol paper is completely the opposite, smooth and with a reflective surface, (that may not be very obvious from the photographs taken). As a consequence, the mixed media paper added to the textural quality of the lines drawn due to it's roughness whereas all media tended to 'glide' on the Bristol paper.

When it came to smudging and creating gradations the ink and fibre pen were difficult to do, as they were absorbed by the surface of the paper. Also the ink dots proved to be a bit tricky as the nib dug and scratched the paper surface. I then resorted to squirting a few drops of ink on the paper with a pipette and use a small stick with a very fine tip to create the rest of the dots which was a lot easier.

 Frottage - Max Ernst

                                                                        

      

 I experimented with frottage using two different types of paper, (120gsm and 60gsm),  a variety of household objects and block stamps. I used graphite and a charcoal stick.

Conclusions:

• It was a lot easier using the lighter paper (two images on the right hand side), to create the impressions of the objects I had chosen; it was easier to manipulate/hold it and tended to 'move' with my hand as I was taking the rubbings. The heavier paper (top left image),  was a bit harder to work with but provided a sturdier support. However, the rubbings were not as clear.
• Graphite produced lighter, clearer and overall more delicate effects than charcoal. It was a bit harder to distinguish and fine detail with the charcoal as it tended to smudge although provided more tonal variations.
• I had a little go at creating my own frottage image (bottom left). I sketched the teapot first then worked around it by taking rubbings of various items.

PART 1 - Form and Gesture

Exercise 1- warm up, temporary drawings

Below are some photos taken at the beach on an attempt to create some temporary drawings.

In the first one as you can see I made up the letter E using stones of various sizes and colours. Some of the stones stand out better than others, given the background colour of the sand and the direction of the sunlight.

The big spiral shape and straight lines in the sand were made using a small stick that I found on the beach. Having the beach as my canvas I had to think as to what I size I wanted my drawings to be, in order to make them visible and noticeable. It took some effort drawing in the sand as it was very large scale and obviously damp from the sea water !!   I liked the effect of the sand as it 'spilled' over the lines that I drew, as they had now acquired texture and an illusion of movement was created.

Project 1- Feeling and Expression

Exercise 1 - Experimenting with expressive lines and marks

 The following drawings are lines and marks made to express a feeling.

My first drawing was about being calm. I used graphite, conte stick, oil pastel and charcoal.

CALM

While drawing calm  I took my time to draw the lines that I related to that feeling. In my mind's eye, calmness looks and feels like a circle and to me being calm is all about being in control with one's emotions and at peace with one self. That is why I incorporated spiral, curly and curvy strokes in my 'calm' sketches. Both the charcoal and oil stick drawings were a bit more 'intense' in terms of value, whereas the graphite and conte stick were a bit 'softer' and better associated with the feeling of being calm.

My second drawing was about joy. I used graphite, ink, charcoal and conte stick.

JOY

To me the feeling of joy is all about being happy and feeling 'high'. When I am joyful I feel a bit like singing and dancing or jumping up and down with excitement!! I resembled joy by drawing lines that started at the bottom and pointed upwards  with  a slight curve facing to the right, a bit like springing forward or looking optimistically ahead as a result of feeling joyful, (whereas if the top of the lines faced to the left, I would associate that with looking back towards the past!! I noticed that I drew the lines about joy a bit faster than the calm ones!

My third drawing was about anger. I used oil stick, ink, compressed charcoal and conte stick.

ANGER

When I get angry it feels as thought I am in a 'dark' place or having a dark cloud following me and I feel all muddled up inside. I used conte, oil stick, charcoal and ink as they can produce really dark values, a bit like a stormy cloud! I found the ink the hardest to spread with the ink pen and so I resorted to using a sponge to help disperse it across the paper. The feeling of anger is very intense and 'concentrated' which is why I tended to draw a 'pool' of darkness. I didn't like drawing the feeling of anger, but I can see how it can help create very dark, moody and intense drawings. I don't think using graphite or drawing thin, scattered lines would have had the same effect on portraying the feeling of anger as accurately.

My fourth and final drawing was about feeling sad. I used oil stick, ink, charcoal and conte stick.

SADNESS

Sadness is about feeling low or feeling 'flat' or 'numb'; a bit like the flat line of a electrocardiogram or like fading away in the background while being consumed with negative feelings..... I noticed that I started drawing my lines from the top and then pointing or spiralling down. I used fainted lines to depict the feeling of 'fading away' and in my ink drawing I added some ink spots to resemble tears. I also drew a flat, horizontal block of black colour with a conte stick to show how sadness brings things to a standstill.

A little bit about me....

And little bit about me.....

I am so excited to be embarking on my art journey as a student with the OCA. Art has been my passion from a very young age but I never really pursued it due to lifestyle choices and family commitments. The time has now come for me to fulfil my dream of immersing myself in a world of creativity and colour whilst learning about other artists' work in order to help me progress and develop my own style and practice.

Looking forward to the all new challenges and learning experiences ahead, along with all my fellow OCA students and of course tutors.