Re doing this section, I thought, would be difficult. I thought that having already been over these warm up exercises I might have struggled with trying to come up with something new or it might have become monotonous, but very surprisingly it was neither. Even more surprising was the actual benefit I had got from doing these again. It was especially nice to see and feel how far not only my understanding of handling a problem had come, but a more developed understanding of my thoughts and techniques when it came to tackling the exercises and how I executed those skills. I definitely feel that my thoughts and skills have matured and I would be disappointed if I didn’t feel that way!
I felt my technical and visual skills had improved from the first time I did these with a few key exercises, notably the expressive lines part where my grasp on spontaneous drawing has got sharper, with a higher precision and with more ability to portray the feelings in an articulated visual way.
The quality of outcome improved dramatically with the observing shadows and the reflective surfaces exercises. Before these I was struggling heavily with getting any sort of contrast, shape or sharpness with charcoal. It was frustrating after a few failed attempts so I decided to sit down and think logically about how I could achieve this. I reasoned that by creating a mid tone with a smudging stick I could add the shades with the charcoal and lift areas of highlight with a rubber. I could then work back and forth to get a smooth gradient and also a sharp line with the rubber. Trying this out greatly improved not just my charcoal technique, but I realised I could employ this to a lot of other mediums with vastly greater results.
This gave me a style to work with that I could put energy into as the charcoal drawings were on a scale that I could stand over them while working and transfer a lot of expression and feeling. This was a boost of inspiration for all the exercises after.
I created a pattern of inspiration for myself using my learning log whenever I start a new concept or theme. This would usually start with a brainstorming/mind mapping session which would be colourful, playful and include drawings, visual prompts, clippings and anything else that would get the creative juices flowing. This would help to sketch and shade to create a visual mind map that was functional, but also fun to look at. If this was done in the evening, my thoughts would wander while I slept and by the following day or two I would have a good idea of how to tackle the problem. I started most of the projects off like that and found it helped incredibly with getting started on a project.
An important lesson I learnt from the research trail was how to develop an idea coherently. To make a specific and simple statement of intent at the beginning so there is less of a chance at leading off on a tangent. This has helped me prioritise exactly what I mean and exactly how I am going to look into and explain my concept.
I also use this mentality when approaching a project. If I systematically break it down into what is wanted, the best way to portray this, mind map to get link the ideas together. This formula helps alot as I guess the hardest part is the starting of a project!
I did fall behind a bit with the deadline but I think I need to give myself more time for a dead line. I have realised that this is something that cannot be rushed!
Apart from that I’m happy to be starting out again and am looking forward to working through the course.
Eeyanski Arts 