Observing and capturing project 3 – Picking and portraying
What is drawing?
This question is posed at the beginning of project 3. When I sat down to really think about what I consider a drawing to be, I realised that what I think and what I try to do are entirely different!
I think that I have already observed in my blog when evaluating my work, that I tend to try to be too representational with the images I produce. I have endeavoured to make things look exactly like the subject I am looking at – or rather some idea of mine of what looks like a good drawing. I realise that this is an intellectually immature vision of what drawing is, it stems from some sort of indoctrinated response from school days, aiming to produce clever drawings to please people who have even less of an idea of drawing than I do!
The drawings that I have made where I have aimed for realism are very dull and inexpressive pictures, they don’t really express much about the subject at all.
So what is a drawing? my current feeling is that a drawing is a series of marks that express or represent an aspect of a subject that is not necessarily just visual. Drawing is about observing qualities and may represent , textures, pattern, light and shade, macro, micro aspects of a subject or be an emotional response, capturing the energy or emotional response, or tell of the journey of the subject. I think that any marks can be a drawing if they say something about a subject. I need to remember that the drawings I am making at this stage are not an end result but the start of a journey. I am using observation to visually capture an essence to be transformed at a future date. It is an exploration into the way I see things.
Drawing can be lines, collage, print in and medium and using any tools.
In this project I would like to explore a wider range of media, and be freer – more experimental, less judgemental.
I will produce some quick simple drawings, try some printing techniques as I like the marks I have made previously and would like to investigate colourgraphs more. I think also some collage or cut paper work.
I’ve been looking at some books to clarify my thoughts;
Design and Form – the basic course at the Bauhaus by Johannes Itten, I have book marked some pages of different approaches I would like to try, I may even do some morning meditations and warm ups, Bauhaus style.
Drawing projects by Mick Maslen and Jack Southern – this looks to be the art teacher I should have had..