Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate drawing skills using a wide range of media
- I have used charcoal, dip pen and ink, stick and ink, palette knife and ink, oil pastel, chalk pastels, Conte crayons and pencil throughout the course of this first part of Drawing 1.
- Use drawing, tone and colour to represent three dimensions
- I have used line and various shading techniques such as hatching and blocking to show tone. I haven’t investigated colour much – believe this is to come.
- Explain the rudiments of linear perspective and other drawing systems
- This isn’t something which has specifically come up as a requirement; it is certainly something I have grappled with when setting up and representing still lifes; foreshortening is an aspect which needs work
- Reflect perceptively upon your own learning experience
- I certainly feel I have learned over the course of this first part, and have tried to incorporate notes to this effect, either within my blog, or as notes on my sketches
Assessment criteria
- Demonstration of technical and visual skills – materials, techniques, observational skills, visual awareness, design and compositional skills
- I have used a range of materials and drawing techniques (see above). I am learning the importance of careful observation; I certainly go around now looking at everyday objects and thinking about how I would represent them on a page. I think my sense of design and what makes a good composition are things for me to be more aware of – I was having tea with an artist friend the other day and she randomly exclaimed what a great composition a blue vase of orange tulips framed by a doorway would make, and as soon as she said it I could see it was very Vermeer-like; but I haven’t got to the stage of automatically seeing these things for myself yet.
- Quality of outcome – content, application of knowledge, presentation of work in a coherent manner, discernment, conceptualisation of thoughts, communication of ideas
- I believe the quality of my drawing has improved over the course of this part, and I have enjoyed using and applying techniques and materials I had not tried before; particularly using ink other than with a pen, and using charcoal or crayons to create blocks of tone. I hope my work is presented in a fairly orderly manner organisation-wise, although the presentation of drawing on a page is not always quite what I intended, sometimes not the size I originally intended or centred as I had meant it to be – usually because of the first element in the drawing being mis-sized or mis-placed on the page. “Conceptualisation of thoughts and communication of ideas” I have taken as meaning having an idea of what to draw and then conveying that as a realistic image – I think I am in the early stages of this – I not longer cast around for what to draw, having fallen in with the idea that anything is fair game for drawing – but I need a lot more work on taking it further and conveying a mood or a message.
- Demonstration of creativity – imagination, experimentation, invention, development of a personal voice
- Hmm….I wouldn’t say I am able to demonstrate much imagination as yet, my work is still very representational. However, I have enjoyed experimenting with different media and I hope this shows in my work. Invention…I have tried bits of this when doing the experimental mark making; it was fun, I enjoyed it, but I can’t say I was always delighted with the quality of the outcomes. Development of a personal voice…. Again, don’t think I have a lot of evidence for this – I think I have a default style of drawing, but this is not the same thing.
- Context reflection – research, critical thinking (learning logs etc)
- I have enjoyed thinking about what I have done, and putting critical thoughts into words, more than I thought I would – hitherto I would paint a picture from a photo and either think “yes, that’s not bad” or “back to the drawing board”, and cast about for the next photo to copy. My research so far has included books recommended by my tutor, books on the essential reading list, and other texts I have found from libraries (both the OCA online library and the Plymouth University library, which I have joined for a year.) I feel my reading has been quite scattergun at the moment, there seems to be just so much out there to lap up and take in; I have tried to absorb and use some key messages (keep collecting good examples, try different styles of drawing, think about composition, mood and message), but early days yet.
Sue J's blog 