Drawing natural forms with ink

Timed sketches

17/09/14

This is a photo of the timed sketches I did to practice drawing with a fine-liner ink pen.  I found that the quicker I had to draw the less detail I was able to put into my drawing.  When I had to draw using my left hand I found it a lot more difficult but discovered that I was noticing different details on the object I was drawing.

Using water with fine-liner pens

17/09/14

During this session I had to collect natural form items from outside and arrange them on a plinth.

In this photo I had 30 minutes to use a fine liner pen to sketch the natural forms I had collected.  The technique I used for this was continuous line drawing. I found this style of drawing strange to begin with but as I got used to not taking the pen off the paper the technique got easier and I began to enjoy.  I liked the overall effect the crossover lines gave to the picture.  After I had finished sketching the objects I had to use a paintbrush and water to add tone and texture to my drawing.  Using water on the ink caused the ink to run allowing you to add a contrast of tones and shades. To extend my skills in this technique I will research continuous line drawing and using water on inks and practice my research at home. 

Drawing with dip pen

In this task I had to use a dip pen with ink in a pot and draw the natural forms I had arranged on the plinth.  I found the dip pen difficult to use to begin with, but once I got the hang of it I found it quite easy to use.  The technique I used during this task is crosshatch.  I liked using this technique as it is an easy and simple way of shading in.  The areas of my work I think worked well are the proportions and scale of the natural forms.  The areas I think I need to work on are contrast of tones and tonal qualities.  To extend my skills I will research crosshatch techniques. 

Research

Below are images I have found on Google images whilst researching the crosshatch technique.  From researching this technique I have learnt various ways to show shaded and highlighted areas.  I think that this research will be very useful for future sessions.

Continuous line and wash techniques

Below are three pictures I found on Google images of continuous line and wash techniques. I really like how much detail has been put into the first picture using the continuous line technique and how they have managed to add the impression on darker areas by going over the area several times.  

I chose the second picture as I liked the sketchy feel to it and how the wash technique they have used adds tone and colour, however I do feel that a little more care could have been taken with the wash technique on the faces as I don't like how the hair and skin tone are the same.

I chose the third picture as I liked how it demonstrated three different techniques using the same drawing which shows how different a drawing can be by using different techniques. 

Drawing objects with charcoal

In this session on the 10/09/14 I was given an A1 piece of paper, charcoal and white chalk and I had an hour to draw the object in front of me using the materials provided.  

I began by faintly sketching the object.  I drew a line through the middle of each of the objects to ensure I got the proportions right.  I then started to shade in the picture starting from the right hand side.  By doing this I discovered that as I worked towards the left of the picture my hand was smudging the charcoal.  To prevent this from happening I decided to work from the left to the right. This method proved far more successful.  I shaded in each key with a light block colour and then used the chalk to gain the impression of lighter areas and texture.  I used the charcoal to shade in the darker shadow areas by pressing firmly with the charcoal to give a darker effect. 

Based upon the outcome of my drawing I think I need to research how to achieve different tones and textures using charcoal.

Research

I like the sketch style that has been used in this drawing and how the artist has used a crosshatch technique for the shading. 

I really like this drawing.  I think that the artist has used the charcoal and whitle pastel extremely well to show different tones and textures for the skin, eyelashes and eye.  I think that this looks realistic and I really like this style and technique.  

I liked this picture as it shows how the light hits various shapes differently.  I thik that this picture will be a helpful reference for shading in future drawings.  

This picture stood out to me as I really liked how the artist has made the writing on the lock look like its indented into the metal.  I think that this is a brilliant technique.

I added this picture into my blog as it shows different types of charcoal and gives hint and tips about charcoal.  This will definitely be something I can use to help with using charcoal.