Implied and Applied Texture

This past week in my Acrylic Toolbox class we learned about implied and applied texture.

  

Implied Texture is when you are painting an object creating the illusion of the texture through an invented system of marks, or patterns.

Applied Texture is when you literally create a texture from the application of paint, including the addition of mediums to the acrylic paint.

Here's my attempt at the implied/applied texture assignment:

Implied Texture (top row) and Applied Texture (bottom row)

For this assignment, we were to choose 6 objects each with a unique textured surface.  We then zoomed in on an area of each object and rendered the texture we saw on a much larger scale.  We were required to use only white, ochre and chromatic black paints and our choice of other mediums (molding paste, pumice gel, etc)

For the assignment (above), my implied textures were (top row, l to r): a curved glass surface, a piece of coral and a piece of accordion folded and cut paper; my applied textures were (bottom row, l to r): the edge of a towel, a seashell and a beaded earring.  The one I had the hardest time with was the beaded earring.  It's rather difficult to create the flat sides and straight edges of a polyhedron with molding paste...at least the first 16 are  : )

Complementary Apples

Just sharing results of a recent class assignment.

Assignment:  Pick 2 complementary colors.  Pick a single fruit or vegetable.  Arrange a still life with the piece of fruit/veg.  Slice if desired, but use no more than 2 slices.  Using white, chromatic black (made from ultramarine blue and burnt umber) and one of the complementary colors, create and paint a value scale at the top on half of the canvas, then from observation of the still life paint  it using the values created.  When finished, using white, chromatic black and a complement of the first color used, create and paint a value scale on top of the other half of the canvas and then paint the still life from the first painting not from observation of the actual still life.

Below are my paintings of a red apple.  I found it to be difficult focusing on the values (highlights, midtones and shadows) and not the color of the apple.  I also did not do a good job of matching the values from one color to the other, i.e., the inside of the green apple is darker than the red apple.  If I wanted to spend more time on this assignment, I could do more to make them look more alike, but I don't want to : ) I'm moving on to the next assignment which is due in a day and a half and I've got a ways to go...

Sumi Ink and Brush Drawing

For my last Fundamentals of Drawing class, we were free to choose what we wanted to do using techniques we had learned in class.  My first Sumi ink and brush drawing was not stellar and my instructor, let me know, in a kind way, that it wasn't very "interesting", i.e., I didn't let the ink flow.  So, rather than attempt the self-portrait again, I thought I'd give ink and brush drawing another go.  I drew what apparently is called a "brain" coral (I didn't know what it was called till my instructor said that was what it was...to which I was relieved, since it meant that my rendering was recognized as the thing it was intended to portray :)  Below, is the result.

Coral - Sumi Ink and Brush Wash

 

Photo of "Brain" Coral

I was not very pleased with my results, but it's not too bad for a 2nd drawing.  The instructor indicated that I had demonstrated more mastery of the skill with this drawing.  So, I got credit for improvement. 

I do enjoy the brush and ink drawing since it is more expressive to me. I'd like to learn more about it.  The quick 15 minute demo we had in class was not enough for me to learn and remember the various applications of the medium and technique.  Maybe I can find some good tutorials online.

 

Class Assignment: Charcoal Self-Portrait

My assignment is due in two days.  Fortunately, I had the foresight to take a day off to give myself plenty of "last minute" time to complete my assignment.  Here's how my work progressed today:

After 1 hour, I had my facial features roughly laid out:

But something wasn't right with the eyes, nose and mouth.  I could see "me" in this drawing, but something wasn't quite right. 

6 hours later...it was me!!  Well, sorta.  Hey, with a facelift I could resemble this drawing...at least the mouth was more like mine.

Time to recheck my proportions, positioning, etc.  My nose isn't that long and thin and, after a little analysis, I realized that the eyes weren't quite right either.  The one of the left (my right eye...I'm looking at a mirror image) was proportioned differently from the one on the right (my left eye).  There is a slight difference between my eyes for real, but it isn't like this:

I realize what's wrong with the drawing...I resemble a Siamese cat.  I'm more like a Tabby ; )

Eye tweak 1 - I made the eye on the left closer to the width of the one on the right as well as increasing the height near the middle:

 

 

Eye tweak 2 - line refinement:

 

 

After 7 hours, I have tweaked the eyes and fixed my nose, this is where I stopped for the day:

 

 

 

It looks a lot more like me, but I still see that something isn't right.  I need to recheck the eyes again.

 

After taking a break and asking others what they see, I realize that the cheek on the right looks too concave.  That side of my face is shadowed, but I need to figure out how to indicate shadow without caving the cheek in.  I also realize that I need to remove the "apple" of my other cheek.  It was more appropriate earlier when I first started drawing with my mouth in a smile.  It looks too youthful.  Looking at the photo above, I realize that I need to revisit the neck area too.  It looks like I'm wearing a turtle neck...if only I were : )

 

One other thing I need to work on is the my hair.  After looking at these pictures, the hair looked pretty good at one point, but by the time I stopped, it looked terrible (boxy and fraid on the ends).  I have curly hair and I'm not sure how to render that.  I'll play around with it a little more tomorrow.

Charcoal Drawing in High Key

The assignment from last's weeks drawing class was to draw a still life in the High, Medium or Low key.  Key being a term which describes the value range (light to dark) of the work.  We were free to setup our own still life and given suggestions as to what items to setup up under what lighting conditions provide conditions which would provide us with the proper items and light conditions to create the setup for our chosen key.  The pumpkin I drew last week was definitely in the medium range, so I wanted to try something difference.  I chose a rabbit figure( (in off-white) a white egg on a white bed of cotton inside a white cup.  I was aiming for high key and my instructor confirmed that I made it.  What do you think?

18" x 24" - "Easter Bunny?" by Cindy Jackson Griffin

Charcoal Drawing

Value Drawing of a "Fairytale" Pumpkin

In my Fundamentals of Drawing class, we are doing value drawings with charcoal...a very new medium to me. I like it alot. For last week's assignment, we had to draw a still life of something organic in nature. Well, I'm learning that my successful completion of these assignments, i.e., without a high level of frustration, is highly dependent upon my choice of subject matter.  So, for this assignment, I chose a pumpkin. When I went to the store I saw the typical Jack-O-Lantern style pumpkins in bright orange and in a variety of shapes and sizes. As I looked at each, I thought, "How am I going to draw that? I see too much texture." After looking them over and rejecting all of them, I came across what were labeled as a "doll house" pumpkin or something like that. These beauties had such shiny, smooth exteriors in a deep rust color with some chalky looking white areas around the creases. And the creases, well, I couldn't ask for a more defined crease. I was definitely going to be able to find highlights and shadows to draw with these babies. So I bought one, took it home, set it up on a sheet in the corner of the kitchen with a photography light as my only light source...I wanted singular shadowing, I'm not up to more yet :) I did one sketch and was hooked.  The charcoal is so forgiving and workable.  I loved putting it on and wiping it off, putting more on and wiping more off, blending, erasing...oh, erasing...I love subtraction as a means of adding definition.

The drawing above is my finished drawing on 18 x 24 drawing paper (which started out as white. I was able to do this assignment much easier than the others. I'm not sure if it was the subject matter or the charcoal. I'll find out soon. I have another assignment in charcoal due next week. We'll see how it goes...BTW, the pumpkin, I found, is also called a "Fairytale Pumpkin". It comes from France where it is called  "Musque de Provence".