Exercise 3.0: Observation - topography

For this exercise I decided to choose a route that would have a range of interesting visual content. I went from my back garden, down the road, through a side alley, down the street, past the War memorial and down the High Street to Erie House.

Before taking this route I did a lot of research on other illustrator's named in the course content. I found it so interesting how they each approached sketching in public and their different styles.

I decided to use a Micro pen for my sketches as I am fairly confident with it and I wanted to have a strong line since I knew I was really nervous about drawing in public and would end up doing quite fast sketches so I wanted them to stand out more.

I managed to do half the sketches outside in public and then got so nervous once I got to the populated areas I clammed up and couldn't do it so I ended up using some photo reference. Some of the locations like the name on the house and the railings the I found interest in where too exposed for me to feel even slightly comfortable drawing at. This is something I need to improve on.

The research I did can be found below, I realised there is a lot of video material out there covering this subject and so I have made quite a list to watch over time.

Paul Hogarth OBE, RA

Gregory, D. (2017). Sketchbook Club 15: Paul Hogarth. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upjrd37avGU [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Travel Illustrator 1917 - 2001

En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Paul Hogarth. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Hogarth [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Danny Gregory has a whole playlist of Urban Sketching videos which look very useful and I will work through watching those to pick up more tips.

Sketchbook flick throughs for inspiration:

30 second sketchbook tour by Koosje Koene

Koene, K. (2016). 30 second sketchbook tour by Koosje Koene. [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/oTg_vJbmVxE [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

This is a beautiful sketchbook, the grey tone of the paper with the black sketch lines and pops of colour really inspire me. This is definitely a combination I would love to try.

Veronica Lawlor:  Caught In The Act

BRIC TV (2011). Veronica Lawlor: Caught In The Act. [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/1KsL_W4Dccg [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Manchester Urban Sketchers Symposium [Episode 4].

Veronica Lawlor Workshop Student.

Following the White Rabbit (2016). Manchester Urban Sketchers Symposium [Episode 4].. [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/robs0kq3CXg [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

This video showcased a glimpse into one of Lawlor's workshops and she talks about composition and how to choose a place to draw. I found this really helpful and will try to remember to do this in my own sketches.

In pictures: War artist George Butler's drawings of Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Middle East Eye (2014). In pictures: War artist George Butler's drawings of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfIHAt3GIMk [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

George Butler's illustrations are quite detailed and the faces really capture the horror of where they are. I admire how Butler is able to capture such detail and to be present in such a difficult place.

We talk art, gentrification and ridley road market with artist Lucinda Rogers

Hot News (2018). We talk art, gentrification and Ridley road market with artist Lucinda Rogers. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgjz9I6WjMU [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

What really struck me in these illustrations by Lucinda Rogers is the pops of colour against the black lines and how shes chosen specific areas to colour and to leave others black and white, which I think is very striking.

Illustrator Olivier Kugler visits Burkina Faso

The Guardian (2012). Illustrator Olivier Kugler visits Burkina Faso. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wcjwjpx9X8 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

I really like the illustration style of Olivier Kugler, his line work is very strong yet simple and the way he finishes his illustrations using digital colouring and using the interviews of the people as text around the drawings works really well.

David Gentleman - London You're Beautiful

Penguin Books UK (2012). David Gentleman - London You're Beautiful. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oikkB0Yu6tw [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

I really enjoyed seeing David Gentlemen sketching in London. His technique is one that appeals to me and I believe he was using a graphite stick as apposed to a pencil which gave a strong line and the ability to turn it on its side to shade areas. I liked his quick sketches better than the final illustrations because there is something about the energy of the sketch and the simplicity of it that really resonates with me.

My Journey Sketches:

As I practice doing this type of sketching I'd like to try using different art supplies like those above, it would be interesting to see how my sketches evolve. I'd also like to be able to confidently sketch people in my location as well.

Research Task 3.0: Building a tool Kit

For this task of building a tool kit to take out with me as I go sketching I have decided to make a couple of different ones.

I am taking part in Inktober this year and have come up with my own prompt list and so I decided to make a simple kit for this so it's easy for me to do every day.

For this I chose a selection of Autumnal Promarkers, which are alcohol based because I want to practice using them a lot more. With a limited colour palette it helps reduce the amount of decisions I need to make to complete an illustration and it also challenges me in how to use the colours together to get the look I want.

I have also included an eraser and a mechanical graphite pencil. For this challenge I am using my favourite type of sketchbook, the Strathmore mixed media A5 softcover. It's so portable and can take any media. The paper is gorgeous.

For my second kit which I will use for people sketching will be simple and lightweight. I decided to try out a watercolour pencil in dark blue so I have the flexibility of doing washes and line work which was inspired by Lynne Chapman in her people sketching book. Chapman, L. (2016). Sketching people. Search Press Ltd. and a water brush to create the washes.
I'm also taking a Micro pen in black sized 08 to get nice thick definite lines and a graphite mechanical pencil to get more definition.

My alternate kit is for using watercolours on the go and contains my own watercolour palette, water brush, a few microns, graphite pencil, eraser, pencil sharpener, a uni-ball gel grip black pen and a light phthalo blue and a dark phthalo blue Faber Castell Polychromos pencils.

Close up of my home made watercolour palette, which is a selection of my fav colours from the White Nights palette and a Hobein pan.

I expect my tool kit will change over time as I learn more about  my supplies and what works for me when out sketching.

As far as what I'll do if someone catches me drawing them, I will be polite but very embarrassed. I do take ear buds and my phone so it makes it look like I'm busy doing something else, so hopefully that will work at least while I am so nervous about sketching people in public because I've not done it before.

Research Task 3.1: A reportage case study

Veronica Lawlor
Veronicalawlor.com. (2019). Veronica Lawlor – a member of Studio 1482. [online] Available at: http://www.veronicalawlor.com/ [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].


My research into Veronia Lawlor's work started by looking into her books. I'd heard of the Urban sketching movement and have been fascinated by other artists drawing on location in their sketchbooks, especially those that use non traditional colours to express a landscape or building.

I am very interested in learning more about these techniques and have saved the book titles to read later on.

Veronica's website has a blog and as I was scrolling through I was instantly drawn to her posts about drawing with James Gurney on location at New York's Botanical Gardens. Her drawings, which look like she used coloured pastels are so delicate and pretty, I clicked through to read more.



Clicking through to James Gurney's website, I thought the name looked familiar and I then realised he is the author of the well known book 'Color and Light', which I have been meaning to get hold of for a while.

Jamesgurney.com. (2019). James Gurney. [online] Available at: http://jamesgurney.com/site/ [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].

James Gurney has a whole host of videos which I am looking forward to watching soon. Back to Veronica's website and the post from the New York Botanical Garden's.

Veronicalawlor.com. (2019). NYBG Plein-Air Invitational – Veronica Lawlor. [online] Available at: http://www.veronicalawlor.com/?p=3236 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].

Veronica's drawing are so beautiful, she references her Instagram account and her website shop which I will refer to later.

I then moved on to her second post about this location.

Veronicalawlor.com. (2019). Flowers, flowers and more flowers – NYBG Plein-Air Invitational – Veronica Lawlor. [online] Available at: http://www.veronicalawlor.com/?p=3225 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].

This post focused on the other sketches she had created using pastels on light pink paper. I love the different techniques she has used, some smudging, line work and beautiful bright colours. she has used the colour of the pastel paper to her advantage letting it show through in different areas. I find myself wanting to re-visit this medium to try it out again and since I love flowers this is very exciting to me.

Moving on to Veronica's website shop.
Veronica Lawlor Gallery. (2019). Veronica Lawlor Gallery. [online] Available at: http://www.veronicalawlorgallery.com/ [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].

I'm struck at first by the vast amount of places Veronica has been and sketched at. There is a huge variety and also a variation in the techniques she uses. The places contain architecture, botanicals and street scenes.

Veronica is based in America, I wanted to find out a bit more about her background so I went to her 'about' page.
Veronica Lawlor Gallery. (2019). About — Veronica Lawlor Gallery. [online] Available at: http://www.veronicalawlorgallery.com/about [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].

A lover of travel, Veronica loves to use a graphic art style to convey the feelings and sensations of the places she visits.I am in admiration for her ability to sketch in public anywhere she chooses. Her work reporting on the tragedy of the twin towers disaster on 9/11 really evokes feeling in me about her courage to sketch in such a hostile and emotional setting. But thinking about the drawing itself, she has captured a significant moment in history that affected many people's lives.

I couldn't find the drawings of the Twin Towers on her website so went back to her blog and found two posts about it there.

Veronicalawlor.com. (2019). Ten Years Later – Veronica Lawlor. [online] Available at: http://www.veronicalawlor.com/?p=1050 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].

In this post Veronica talks about how that fateful day affected her and her fellow New Yorker's and how she is proud of how they have fought back for their beloved city.

There is also a link where Veronica has produced a book containing the sketches and writings she has created from that event which can be purchased and a portion of the money goes to the charity for the New York Firefighters Burn Center, a charity close to her heart.

Sept11wordsandpictures.com. (2019). September 11, Words and Pictures : A reportage book by Veronica Lawlor. [online] Available at: http://www.sept11wordsandpictures.com/ [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].

Back to her blog posts and I found one about some of her exhibits which include a very striking large charcoal sketch from 9/11. I think the use of the charcoal really captures the anguish of the scene.

Veronicalawlor.com. (2019). Exhibits! – Veronica Lawlor. [online] Available at: http://www.veronicalawlor.com/?p=3082 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].


The charcoal sketch was dispayed in an exhibition called Transcriptors: Illustration, Documentary and the Material at University for the Creative Arts, Farnham,UK. It was part of a collection of images from various artist's including Lawlor.

Reflection:

I am very curious to learn more about reportage illustration and to develop my skills to a point where I am able to sketch on location in a more skilled way than I can right now. Researching Lawlor's work has given me inspiration, especially in her floral works. I'd like to see how I can develop my work and become more confident in sketching in public.

Exercise 3.1: Understanding Viewpoints

For this exercise I re-visited my route which was from my house, down a side lane, down the street to Erie House.
I picked this route because it has a variety of things to draw, from the pretty flowers in my back garden and in gardens along the route, buildings/houses which are older style and have lots of character, past the War memorial and finishing at a house which has a quirky name and usually has some lovely flowers outside and a different door wreath most weeks, typically there wasn't one this time. Perhaps I will go back again.

These are the photos I took along the way. I was particularly interested in patterns and details rather than the whole view.

I added them all to the above Flickr album for easier viewing. This time walking the route I was pleased for a sunny day which made the photos come out especially bright and colourful, which I like.

These are the photos I chose to print off and stick in my sketchbook. I love the Dahlia photo, it looks a little vintage in style and I love how the sun light is shining through the petals. If you look closely there are tiny water droplets on the petals too.
The other photos I chose to show the journey (my feet), and then the patterns and typography I  liked on the route.
I chose to write my responses in my sketchbook as I felt it added to the overall context and was a nice change to typing up everything on here.

I enjoyed taking the photos along the journey far more than sketching, although the parts where I was sketching and others couldn't see me I found myself being able to lose  myself in what I was doing and not worry. As soon as I hit the main road I got very nervous and it really affected my ability to sketch. It's my comfort zone to take photos and then sketch in a safer environment, however even though I found it really difficult I would like to try sketching out in public again and see if over time I get more used to it and can develop a better practice.

I still think having the photos to refer to to develop illustrations is a very useful tool and does add a layer of interest to the whole process, so I would still want to do this, I just need to build my confidence sketching in public.

Research Task 3.2: Reporting and documenting

Reportage and documentary illustration is not something I've really know much about before taking this course, so I am finding the research for this very interesting. Whilst I am not interested in reporting visually on tragic events and war torn countries, I am very interested in the concept of bringing more meaning to life events and even the every day life using illustration and sketching to capture the moments and in reference to what Veronica Lawlor said in the course notes,

"It's not like photography. You have to be present- you cant just grab it and go. You become involved in a way that maybe other people don't and you capture moments."  Veronica Lawler, in Understanding Illustration, Brazell D and Davies, J. 2014.

I've always been the kind of person to notice the colours of birds, the beauty of rain drops on a spiders web, little things that are so beautiful in life but few actually 'see' them. As my life has sped up in pace over the last few years I found myself drifting from this way of seeing and I definitely want to get back to it.
Slowing down and taking in what is going on around me and actually documenting it in sketches really excites me and also scares me since its not something I'm used to. It's one thing to stop, look and appreciate, its quite another to draw it and actually capture the essence of the moment. This is something I am very keen to learn.

Artist's Research:
Looking at the list of reportage illustrators I chose to select two illustrations from each and put them into a board to see them together and look at the different approaches of each one. They all have  a different approach to the way they communicate using their own style and mediums. Viewing their work has given me a better understanding of reportage and documentary illustration and an idea of what styles I am most drawn to. Lucinder Roger's style of line work with pops of colour is very appealing to me, it's very effective without over complicating the illustration.

The way Agnes Dechourchelle conveys the landscape with bold colours and the strips of green coming out of the page really give a sense of the size and atmosphere of the place. I like the colours she has used and the style is slightly simplistic yet gives enough detail in the building and trees to give a sense of place.

Dechourchelle also uses these colours in her figure illustration, the form and composition really help to explain the narrative. Again this type of style is one I am particularly drawn to.

• Laura Carlin
• Paul Hogarth
• Veronica Lawlor
• David Gentlemen
• Olivier Kugler
• Lucinder Rogers
• George Butler
• Louis Netter
• Chloe Regan
• Emmanuel Guilbert
• Agnes Dechourchelle
• Evan Turk
• Maurice Sasek

Other Links Accessed:
Laura Carlin. (2019). Laura Carlin. [online] Available at: http://www.lauracarlin.com/ [Accessed 6 Oct. 2019].

Instagram.com. (2019). Laura Carlin (@laura.f.carlin) • Instagram photos and videos. [online] Available at: https://www.instagram.com/laura.f.carlin/?hl=en [Accessed 6 Oct. 2019].

Paulhogarth.co.uk. (2019). Paul Hogarth OBE RA. [online] Available at: http://paulhogarth.co.uk/ [Accessed 6 Oct. 2019].

Articles:
Eyemagazine.com. (2019). Eye Magazine | Feature | Ardizzone at peace and in conflict. [online] Available at: http://eyemagazine.com/feature/article/ardizzone-at-peace-and-in-conflict [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Edward Ardizzone's approach to drawing during war torn times to me is remarkable. The article talks of his work having a comedic approach as well as a nostalglic feel. Ardizzone's illustration, 'Children playing on a captured enemy tank' is rather disturbing to me. The use of bright colours feels inappropriate considering the subject matter. I can understand why people felt he wasn't taking the war seriously and yet I suppose you would need an element of something joyful to hold onto in such dire circumstances. Standing drawing dead bodies, I can't imagine what must have gone through Ardizzone's mind, it's not something I would ever feel I could do or want to do. I'm not sure I really relate to Ardizzone's style given the subject matter but no doubt his drawing skills are to be admired in such a hostile environment.

Eyemagazine.com. (2019). Eye Magazine | Feature | Olivier Kugler: bearing witness. [online] Available at: http://eyemagazine.com/feature/article/olivier-kugler-bearing-witness [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Olivier Kugler's illustration style is one that I am more drawn too. I really like how he includes descriptions within his illustrations and has quite a graphic style. Again, I am once again surprised at the use of bright colours for such somber stories but I am keen to find out more.

Kugler's way of working is much more in line with how I'd prefer to approach illustrations, taking notes, listening, seeing and taking photographs to then take back to the studio to work with for the final illustration.
The fact that Kugler uses words to describe the stories of the refugee's adds to the emotion of his illustrations and it's interesting to read that initially Kugler was more invested in his illustrations adding too many words but has now learnt to use specific words to enhance the overall illustration and the message he wants to convey.

Kugler has found himself being an advocate for refugee's by telling their stories in a dignified and empathic way through his illustrations and works a lot with non-profit's such as Oxfam and MSF. This has become his strength and companies seek to work with him because he has found a way to tell other's stories in such a way that they really capture the viewer and move them emotionally.

During Kugler's time at University he was encouraged to look at the work of narrative artist Alan E. Cober who was known for his illustrations in The New York Times, Rolling Stone and other publications, because he had such an interest in illustration. Cober became a real inspiration to Kugler and despite there not being an illustration degree available at that time, Kugler focused on Visual Communications which set the tone of his work to come.

After completing his time at university, Kugler worked for three years as a graphic designer, which no doubt had a huge influence on his current work. Kugler then went on to study further, earning himself a MFA in Illustration. Kugler also dabbled in creative writing which he took as a short course which he didn't particularly enjoy but has shaped the way he records conversations in his unique illustrations today.

It would seem Kugler's work is fueled by the stories of the refugee's he has interviewed and his purpose is to share those stories to the world to brig about global change. The way Kugler approaches his illustrations with bold line work and colour certainly catches the eye to drawn you in and then you are moved the closer you look, reading the captions and taking in the scenes.


Eyemagazine.com. (2019). Eye Magazine | Opinion | Framing the evidence of war. [online] Available at: http://eyemagazine.com/opinion/article/framing-the-evidence-of-war [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

This article talks about the combination of illustration, writing and photography used together in the form of a graphic novel. The author Rick Poynor references the public's perception of graphic novels to be something for adolesents and to add photography to the mix really shakes things up.

Guibert, Lefe'vre and Lemercier did exactly that with their graphic novel 'The Photographer', capturing war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders.

Research for the book began when Lefe'vre went along with Doctors Without Borders on a gruelling trip from Pakistan into Afghanistan during the war between Mujahideen and the Soviet Union taking lots of photographs. six of them were later published in a French newspaper and the rest were stored away until one day Lefe'vre's friends Guibert and Lemercier encouraged him to include them into a book.

Guibert illustrated the scenes based on the photographs but never taking anything away from them. It was Lemercier who then went on to colour them with sensitivity.

The three men were able to seamlessly convey their message through the blend of photographs, writing and illustration and remarkably continuing to do so even when Lefe'vre's notebook from his trip went missing. They covered every dark moment of that horrific time of war, some saying it inappropriate and intrusive at the time.

Lefe'vre went on to travel several more trips like this one before he later died of heart failure aged 49.


This combination of reportage war illustration seems quite unique and I am sure a very moving and emotional way to experience such scenes as a viewer. It must have taken a toll on Lefe'vre and I can't help but wonder if his experiences contributed to his ill health. However his contribution along with his friends, Guibert and Lemercier and made a signification contribution to shining a light on the atrocities of war.

Exercise 3.2: Working with external visual impetus - people

This exercise asks us to sketch a single figure to begin with doing something very ordinary. The initial drawings should be quick and then a longer slower sketch.

These are my first attempts which I am not pleased with at all. I got so caught up in not being able to confidently draw the faces my nerves got the better of me and therefore interfered with the quality of my sketches.

Single Figure:

For this last attempt I tried to take on board what I had learnt so far and I feel it came out a bit better but I am still struggling with likeness, form and perspective. I spent more time on this one than the ones above and found it helped but I still have a lot to learn.

Crowds and Activities:

Next we were to draw in a public place concentrating on people alone and in groups. I chose my favourite cafe as I thought I would find it easier there and it would be an enjoyable place to try this exercise. However, my anxiety rose to new levels and I didn't expect to be so uncomfortable doing this exercise. I went there several times to attempt this exercise and in some cases coming away with nothing drawn. 

Here is my first attempt:

First I swatched my supplies.

I had my Inktober kit with me and had been reading Lynne Chapman's People Sketching book and was hoping I could get a good effect with my Promarkers and doing line work over the top. It came out ok but not as good as I'd have liked. Chapman's work is so inspiring and I think that added an element of pressure rather than helping me to do this exercise well.

Chapman, L., 2006. Sketching People.

I then started to research how to draw faces in an illustrative style. I am a member of Frannerd's Patreon where she shares videos about her illustration techniques and so I tried to do her challenge of practising drawing faces in a simplified way. This was much harder to do than I thought and added more stress and pressure.

Frannerd.cl. (2019). Frannerd. [online] Available at: https://www.frannerd.cl/ [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019]. (I can't link to the actual video, since it is paid content but I have referenced her website above and took notes below)

Faces practice:

I tried practising faces from the internet, on tv...

Its not going well so far, lot's of practice needed in this area of illustration.

Cafe' Sketches:

I really liked using the blue watercolour pencil, it was good for bold lines but not good for details such as eyes because it is too soft.

I really like how my sketch of Michelle making coffee (top of last photo) came out, I think it was the best one. Drawing people from behind is far less daunting than drawing their face but I still have a way to go getting the form of the body right in fast sketches.

I had one more attempt at a different cafe this time, it was much larger and so I had less change of being 'discovered and could sketch with  less pressure. I feel this is reflected in my drawings. I used my Blackwing pencil which I felt more comfortable with too.

I like the side view of the lady drinking her coffee. I think I am starting to get a tiny bit of capturing the essence of the person and location.

I really like the expression on the face of this lady who seemed quite grumpy as she waited in the queue. She had a big coat on and rucksack, think I am starting to see a hint of a way forward with this sketch.

I chose not to re-do the route and sketch people on it because I wasn't inspired to and I knew I would be far too nervous, instead I will continue to practice sketching people in places I feel more comfortable for now and see where it takes me.

Additions:

Looking at Jo Davies people sketches as suggested by my tutor I can see that Jo mixes her whimsical style with correct anatomy and some exaggeration of proportions to create her people into characters. This has given me some ideas for my own people sketching and to try to loosen up the way I approach drawing them to work towards my own style of people sketching and not be so concerned about likeness and accuracy.

Instagram.com. 2020. Instagram. [online] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/jodaviesillustration/> [Accessed 21 September 2020].

Jo Davies. 2020. Artwork — Jo Davies. [online] Available at: <https://www.jodaviesillustration.com/work> [Accessed 21 September 2020].

Research Task 3.3: Reporting and documenting

For this research task I went to the website www.reportager.org and looked at the different illustrators work. The artist Steve Wilkin caught my eye with his sketches of people on his daily commute from Hebden Bridge and Preston. He sketched these commuters for 10 years! He must have so many drawings and learnt so much during this process. Apparently he has over twenty sketchbooks from this time and I believe these drawings were later published into a book.


It was Wilkin's pencil sketch of the side of a mans face that caught my eye first. There is a small selection of Wilkin's sketches on the website and I chose some that intrigued me. I like how he uses textures as part of his sketch and his line work.

I then did a Google search for 'man on a train' and found the above image of an older gentleman looking out whilst on a train journey.

In Wilkin's sketch the man looks like he is concentrating on reading a newspaper or deep in thought. In comparison the man in the photograph looks deep in thought looking out the train window as it goes past the many places on his journey.

I think Wilkin's sketch is the most memorable of the two because he has managed to capture an expression on the man's face that's hard to forget. I think the detail he has included around the eyes and nose really capture the man's concentration.

In terms of truthfulness, Wilkin's sketch seems to depict more of a personality of the man. The photograph is not as striking and doesnt really capture the mood as much as the sketch.

I would definitely notice Wilkin's sketch much more than the photograph if they both were in a magazine or newspaper. I love graphite sketches of people and the way Wilkin's has captured the man is very eye catching and the detail he has included really tells a story.

This style of drawing is definitely something I would love to be able to do with practice and time.

Exercise 3.3: Illustrative Drawings

For this exercise I re-visited my journey sketches from exercise 3.0 and decided to focus on the War Memorial because it is a big landmark in our town and I am interested in doing further drawings of it.

I started collecting my visual research by printing off my original photos and then went back again and took some new ones at different angles. I wanted to see what different it made to the feel of the place by how close up or far away I took the photographs.

I decided on the word 'Secluded' for my illustration and this bottom photo seemed to capture that the best. I then went on to do some sketches from these photos.

I started with my Blackwing pencil and did several sketches initially and then I went in with watercolours to see how that would change the feel of the sketch. I also sketched in Micron pen and then added watercolour, inspired by Lucinder Rogers technique of using minimal colour, I thought this could work well for this illustration.

These first sketches didn't really seem to capture my word very well but they did give me practice drawing the monument which was helpful.

These mediums went so well together and gave a somber feel with the contrasting grey and red together. I used Micron and Watercolours to achieve this.

This sketch seemed to get closer to what I wanted to convey and so I'm using this one as a starting point for my final sketch.

Final Illustration

Micron Sketch

Final Illustration 'Secluded'.

Final thoughts.

I think the final illustration is quite successful in communicating 'Secluded'. I like the balance of using only two colours and I really enjoyed using the Micron to sketch and the watercolours to finish.

Overall I really enjoyed this exercise and look forward to seeing how this style develops for me.

Additions:

Since completing this exercise I had gone back and looked at my composition and viewpoints. I realised after my tutor feedback that I was using the same viewpoint quite a lot in my work so I decided to learn more about composition by watching some YouTube videos and then try to implement what I learnt into some thumbnail sketches to see the difference.

So I photographed my original sketch and put it into Procreate on my iPad and drew several boxes of different shapes. I added the grid and shell lines as separate layers and in a bright pink colour to make them stand out and then I drew over my original sketch to create a simple line drawing, which I could then resize and move around to try the different compositions.

Using the shell composition in particular added a lot more interest, it really draws the eye in and leads it around the picture. I'd never really picked up on this before but it really does change the sketch quite a lot.

My original theme for my sketch was 'Secluded', so I tried to arrange my composition to suggest that and picked a couple that I thought translated the theme well.

Then I started using colour to see how that affected the theme and feel of the sketch. I soon realised how much of a difference that makes too and would need to play around with it more to get the look I wanted.

The original sketch with the grey and pop of red seemed to work the best. Going back to my digital thumbnails I noticed adding a blue sky  and bright green foliage really changed the feel and wasn't the look I was going for.

These thumbnails and colour tests, really have added to my knowledge of composition. It was good to re-visit this exercise and try this different compositions to help me put into practice what I have recently learnt. I have more to learn to improve in this area and look forward to seeing how this changes my sketches in the future.

2020. Composition For Noobs | Beginner Guide. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VVzCr3c9Jk&list=WL&index=28> [Accessed 28 September 2020].

2020. BEGINNER's GUIDE TO COMPOSITION!. [online] Available at: <https://youtu.be/num4qcqTqGU> [Accessed 28 September 2020].