OCA 3 day Intensive Drawing Workshop

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I was in Edinburgh participating in a 3 day intensive drawing workshop  run by the OCA. 

Day 1

On day 1 we started by creating an 11 metre long co-operative drawing based on small objects we had brought with us to draw. I was quite nervous and felt very exposed drawing on such a large scale. Initially I found trying to draw my object so large quite difficult. In order to relax myself, above the object I started to draw repetitive lines like I had been doing in my sketchbook as a sort of movement meditation. This worked very well. I had a greater sense of freedom and the relaxed movement of my arm was quite satisfying. I was also able to continue these lines laterally to create a link with the drawings of those working beside me, The lines I drew also echoed the wavy line of the composition drawn onto the paper. Around the picture of the plaster of paris hand I had brought with me I experiments with marks which could be made on a large scale with charcoal and a putty rubber.

In the afternoon we used what we had taken from the experience of the collaborative drawing to create an A1 sized drawing in charcoal. 

I chose to draw using an image of a ceremonial costume which one of the tutors had provided. I was attracted by the dramatic tonal planes of the mask, the oversized hands and the furry texture of the costume. I incorporated some of the repetitive line drawing into the mask like a sort of contour map of his head. I also used some of the bold erasure techniques I'd used on the larger piece to create the texture of his fur. Because I was still a bit nervous, my mark making contained a sort of nervous energy. It looks aggressive which I think suits the subject who is quite a frightening-looking character.

At the end of the day we all gathered round and looked at each others work. It was very interesting that given the same directions, stimuli and amount of time - how diverse the works on paper were. Some students had very delicate, soft and sensitive handling of materials whereas others were bold and confident in their mark making. I was particularly interested in one of the other student's work (Jude). Her inspiration had been a ball of string. As well as making marks inspired by the string, she had also used the string itself coated in charcoal to make marks. She had then noticed that the string made ridges in the charcoal and had used this ridged charcoal in her drawing.

Day 2

On day 2, the tutors had set up an enormous still life. We used viewfinders to select small areas of the still life to draw. In the morning we started by drawing several 10 minute sketches followed by several 5 minute sketches. The aim was to select interesting compositions which could then be developed into an abstraction. Below are a few examples. (N.B the stones are not part of the composition they are weights to stop the paper blowing away when photographing outdoors.)

I chose the composition with the wooden spoon to work with further. Our next task was to create a drawing by covering a sheet of A2 paper with charcoal and then rubbing away the charcoal to create tonal differences.

I found this way of working quite difficult but after playing around I found I could create a wide variety of marks by rolling the putty rubber over the charcoal surface. I could also create quite dramatic directional marks using rapid sweeps of the hard  rubber. When I had finished rubbing away I used compressed charcoal in the ares which had the darkest shadow. I was, however, a bit disappointed with the outcome of the piece as it wasn't as dynamic as the original sketch. This was partly because I wasn't able to create as many marks and textures as I did in the original sketch. Mainly, however it was because I had made an error in the composition. The head of the spoon was too big and also asymmetrical which meant I lost the bold diagonal which had attracted me in the first place.

On the afternoon of day two we were to create an A1 sized drawing based on the still life. The task was to try to avoid going back to tight representation but to pick out areas which interested us either from our sketches or from the set-up to result in moving towards abstraction.

I picked out an area which had some bold colours - purple (umbrella and strap) and yellow (rubber glove) juxtaposed with graphic black and white stripes (box). I therefore decided it would be appropriate to use some colour. Unfortunately, I didn't really think carefully enough about the composition before I started to draw on the A1 sheet. Consequently, despite using a viewfinder, I got distracted by details other than those which had attracted me. I also used oil pastels and found it hard to cover the large area quickly enough. After about an hour I had produced this: 

I really wasn't happy with it. By the time I got to the point of drawing the orange plastic cookie cutters in the centre I was feeling despondent and had lost concentration. Consequently they were drawn really inaccurately in terms of shape, size and position and really didn't work with the overall composition. Although I am not happy with this drawing I do feel on the plus side that the line and shading have created a feeling of depth drawing the eye in towards the centre. In the remaining 15 minutes (with the guidance of Emma) I decided to do a rapid drawing which concentrated on the areas which had interested me in the first place. Namely the yellow pendulous rubber glove, the bold central purple shape of the umbrella strap and the graphic black and white stripes on the cardboard box.

This is also A1 in size. I used masking tape to allow me to make rapid stripes in charcoal. I used gouache for the yellow and purple shapes. I used a purple coloured pencil to create the almost triangular areas of colour which represent areas of shading on the rubber glove. Although this was very rapidly executed, it was much closer in outcome to what my original intended composition had been. With hindsight, it would have been better to draw a few thumbnail sketches in my sketchbook before starting the A1 piece. At home I would have drawn thumbnails before starting - unfortunately, the combination of nerves and time pressure got the better of me on Tuesday afternoon. I went back to my digs feeling a bit deflated but hoping for a better day on Wednesday. 

Day 3

This day was devoted to the draped figure. In the morning we had one model and we started with some rapid A2 sized sketches using india ink and a cotton bud as a drawing tool. 

We started with some 10 minute poses:

 In the standing pose, the model is
pushing against the wall. Olivia had advised us to try drawing on narrow paper to try to help with getting the entire figure on the paper. Unfortunately I managed to lose both his arms and his feet on this one! I do think, however that I've managed to get his weight on the correct foot and I really like the diagonal crease that goes across the back of his cagoul.

We then did a 50 minute seated pose:

(Apologies for the shadow of my cat in the lower right hand corner -
one of the hazards of outdoor photography which I hadn't
noticed until the images were on the computer)

I was a bit more relaxed by this point in the workshop and was finding it easier to see the shapes and find my way around the form. I am quite pleased with this one as I think you can clearly see the weight of the model's slumped/slouching posture. I think the proportions are generally OK. I really struggled with his right leg (the one in the foreground which is bent and with the foot on the bar of the stool). I had made his lower leg too long and his foot was too low. I erased it and redrew it and I think it works better now although his calf still looks chunky in comparison to his thigh.

In the afternoon we had two models which added a whole new dimension to the drawing as there was the relationship between the two models in space to consider. Having two models almost automatically seems to create a narrative to the drawing - it is intriguing to think what might be going on between these two people. 

In the first 15 minute pose both models were standing. They look as though they're about to walk past each other. I struggled with the male model's right arm but was pleased with the strong creases on the back of his hood and jacket. In the second 15 minute pose I went back to charcoal. I started by drawing the negative shape between the two models as I felt that this was the most important shape of the whole composition. I retrospect. I should probably have spent more time on the male model and kept the woman quite sketchy because he was closer to me than she was. I ran out of time. In reality, the female model wasn't as chubby as she seems in my drawing.

Finally we did a long pose lasting 1h 25minutes:

I think there is a sense of isolation and loneliness about this pose. The two models are in close proximity but not interacting in any way. The shadow between them is the only thing that links them. I concentrated so much on the figures that it was only after time was up that I realised I had not placed any shadows relating the stool and stepladders to the background so they look like they're levitating.

The three days were great and very tiring. I feel I made some progress, particularly with drawing the draped figure. I would like to thank Olivia, Emma and Jane for their constructive feedback and suggestions. After the workshop I feel an urge to work larger and more quickly than I have been doing until now. My aim for the future is that next time I have the opportunity to do some figure drawing I will try some very rapid gestural drawings.