OCA - Drawing 1 - Drawing Skills: Project 2

Exercise 1- Group objects

Initially I wanted to warm up to this exercise as I am not used to drawing group objects. Therefore, I started with a group of six objects, (pictured below) on A4 paper, using a 3B pencil. I played around with the composition and decided on placing the kilner jar in the middle as it was the tallest item and it would 'balance' the composition.

I drew a faint cross in the middle of my sketchbook page (dividing it into four parts) and used that as a grid reference to help me position my objects on paper. I started off with the tall jar as it was fairly central and then worked my was 'outwards'. Working with pencil was relatively easy as any mistakes could be easily rectified. However, I did not manage to fully include the box on the bottom left hand corner!! I also realised I had forgotten to include an item with a less regular form, such as a cloth of plastic bag!

First attempt - photo reference

First attempt sketch A4 cartridge paper with 3B pencil

I wanted to give this exercise another go; this time I added a soft cloth to my items and rearranged my composition. I decided to use A2 mixed media paper and used a black conte stick. When I finished I noticed that the white paper appeared to be very 'harsh' as a background, (maybe if I had used a soft pastel it would have been better?). While drawing on this scale (A2) I found it quite tricky to draw continuous straight lines with the conte stick and once again I didn't manage to fully include the whole of the box at the bottom of the arrangement. Another thing that I found quite challenging was drawing the coffee tin which looks a bit out of shape and proportion. Although I had now added the sketched labels I am not sure they have enhanced it in any way.

I had another go at an old brown paper bag which I cut down to A2 size. As the bag had lots of creases it was quite challenging to draw in straight lines! Again, I was faced with the same challenges: of including all my items on the paper and on drawing the coffee tin properly!! However, the brown paper did look a lot better as a background than the white paper.

Having sketched on the brown paper, I returned to the one made on the white paper. I added more shading by smudging the lines to see if it would improve the outcome! I am not sure I liked it in the end but it was worth trying and seeing the difference it made to the original drawing!

Second attempt - photo reference

Second attempt sketch A2 mixed media paper with black conte stick

A2 brown paper with black conte stick

A2 Mixed media paper with black conte stick, shadows and smudging added

Time to try a new composition with a few more items. Only this time I used a different colour conte stick on a rose-grey pastel paper with 'tooth' which holds onto powdery media such as charcoal and conte sticks. I managed to complete this sketch a bit quicker than the previous ones and was not so hesitant when drawing straight lines. Once I had drawn the lines of the basic shapes, I went over them with the broad side of the conte stick, (dragged it along the lines) which disguised any wobbliness in my original lines.

I decided that instead of adding the details of the labels, I would just draw their shadows and add a few faint letters to suggest the fact that they are labels. As I added a bit more shading the lines of my objects faded into the background as everything was a similar tonal value, so I went over them once more with the point of the conte stick to make them stand out. In the end, I smudged all lines with my finger to help 'soften' them.

While I am pleased with the choice of conte stick colour and paper, I am still a bit unhappy about not managing to fully include the plastic container at the bottom of my sketch; I had to slightly shorten it to make it fit in. Also, I think that the gap between the book and the milk carton is not right. Furthermore, I think that my final sketch would need either cropping (as the space on the top is too big) or re-sketching so the group of items are more centrally placed on the paper and the outlines of the objects a bit 'softer'.

I believe this is an area I definitely need more practice in!! I would like to re-sketch this still life perhaps from a photo using the grid method and see if a more 'accurate' drawing will be better or not!

Third attempt - photo reference