Collage - from the French: coller, to glue)

Homework - this was so much fun, I decided to work on a theme (Medical), considering the 20 years of working in the medical field I thought it quite appropriate. Every piece of paper glued is either a piece of writing, a medical symbol a picture of a muscle, x-rays or medical material of one sort or another. I started out putting the coinciding body part where they belong on the body, after a while this proved a little difficult to get the tone correct - so they end up random. I finished the piece with some Gesso over the top, felt it needed something to bring the whole picture together.

I thought this piece was really successful and quietly I am pretty proud of it.

Another life drawing exercise... this was another piece I really enjoyed doing. Drawn up in charcoal, finished in conte.

This piece took forever... we drew it up in class in 12 sections, hiding each sections as we moved on to another...this really pushed us to accuracy, great fun... finally it all came together.

Homework was to choose a different medium, I went conte... the base colour red (can't tell can you) - I thought it was never going to come to an end... probably a bad medium for homework as it was so slow, needed many more hours (ended up looking a bit rushed). Then......................... we had to cut it up in to 12 equal parts (ahhhhhhhhh - after all that work) and take it back to class. We all admired each others hard work then had to choose a theme for each piece (mine being passion - how could I make it look any more passionate than red I thought)



We picked out 3 random squares put them together and did our best to make those three squares represent our theme..... hmmmmm, I find it really hard to be put on the spot and just let things happen... I'm such a thinker ;)

We then placed the 3 squares back into the full drawing, stuck them all together and did our best to complete the picture to relate to the theme.....yeeeerrrrrr I grunted a LOT, poor Yve (lecturer). After everything it didn't look too bad. .......but I really missed my original drawing.

SLACKER

Cant believe the last time I put something on my blog was the 23rd of August.... how slack am I....must have been busy ;)

1st year down for two subjects, boy am I going to miss life drawing... yerp, after all the heart ache, swearing, cussing and wanting to throw my toys, I really enjoyed this subject. Next year it will be paint brushes and clay tools hurtling across the room... ;)

I think I will just randomly put up pieces I have done through out this term....

This project was to take a previously drawn up piece, re-draw it for homework, choose an artist and transfer the artists style to our own piece.... can you guess??? Giacometti, ok so it's not a full frontal drawing, but I thought the concept was there (probably not my best piece).


Looking at contours.

WEEK 5

LIFE DRAWING

Still concentrating on volumes etc..... really got in to week five, obviously something clicked - was nice to finally enjoy a life drawing session again. Here is a sample of our sufferings for week 5 ;)

Didn't notice until now... his back doesn't join up with his bottom...hmmm poor observation on my behalf...

WEEK 4

Week 4 Homework - General Drawing

This project consisted of everything we had put in to practice so far with our perspective drawing. Mine is a little far fetched with floating stair case to no where......... and stairs in to a bottomless pit. As usual with perspective drawing, I imagination got a little carried away and I found it very hard to STOP! (if you have trouble viewing the picture, double click on the image to enlarge).

70th Birthday Gift

Completed Charcoal of my Brother in Laws Grand Father

Home Work wk 3

Life Drawing Home Work for week III - Copying two drawings, concentrating on contours.











General Drawing Home Work - interior two point perspective

Week 2 Homework

Life Drawing

Not 100% sure I have this right, as I had to run out towards the end of class for a sick 2 year old. I have one more piece of fruit left to do, have a couple of very strange looking pears, that will have to do.






General Drawing

Using two points perspective on 3 sheets of A1 Paper, we were asked to create a house, from our imagination, single story with a peaked roof. We also had to add a variety of features laid out to us. Another good fun piece of homework - as usual I probably got a little carried away... I really wanted to go further, but I really had to stop, I had already drawn over 1 A1 size Cartridge .






General Drawing

Semester II Term III week 1&2

It's amazing what 3 weeks off almost full time drawing does to one.... almost felt foreign picking up charcoal and drawing a nude. I Thought I had put enough work in over the holidays, but obviously not, I felt slow and uncoordinated in life drawing.

Start of General Drawing was great - perspective drawing, GREAT I LOVE IT (a little secret, I always wanted to be an architect, don't ask me why I never did it, toooooooo many excuses ;) )

Homework for Life Drawing - don't ask, I'm not showing you....this is the first time I have felt this frustrated since day 1 of Life Drawing. We are looking at the body in mass (I get that), so yep, boxes - hmmm so why don't I seem to get it??????

Week 1. Life Drawing Home work
(8 Various life poses in box form)... haha, your not looking - it was a bloody disaster.


Week 1. General Drawing Home work.
(Finding Horizon/Eye line in various cuts outs). This went well, and I really enjoyed doing it. Actually I seemed to constantly find myself engrossed in the magazines and forgot that I was actually looking for appropriate photographs.... any excuse to sit down and read a mag ;)

1 Semester Results

I am over the moon... so happy with my results for semester 1.
76 in Life Drawing (Distinction)
79 in General Drawing (Distinction)

I am gob smacked with Life Drawing - I struggled with this subject from the start, I tore myself apart (I think it made me stronger and more determined). It was not until mid way through 1:2 that I really thought I was starting to get my head around it, now I really really enjoing it.... don't get me wrong, I still come home and can't wait to gulp down that first glass of red ;) but now it's due to satisfaction and almost a little Tuesday night ritual :)

I have been put on a mission by my younger sister (Nell) through these hol's... a presi for her Mother in Law's 70'th Birthday. A Charcoal of her Husbands Grandfather....... I have kind of give up on this piece as the corrections are too great to fix (wish I saw them before now)... I have therefore started on another, much happier, need it finished by Monday ahhhhhhhhh... Mark has gone to Samoa for the weekend, so no Charlie sitter at all...I guess I have evenings.

I think it is harder than I cld have imaged doing a drawing of someone who I have never met.... I feel it lacks personality (unfortunately). Although feeling I am capturing a little more of him in the second drawing. When you start looking into someones eyes as often as you do as you are drawing them or even sculpting, you begin to feel their inner self - disturbing, but somewhat satisfying. You beging to feel yourself smiling back at them...... Thank you Michael, for giving me the opportunity to get to know your Grandad :) I have really enjoyed the last week.

HOLIDAYS

Alberto Giacometti.

Thought I should keep my fingers in it while on holidays. Charlie went off to bed for a mid day nap and out came the paper and charcoal....

Charlie is in daycare tomorrow, so will be able to finish him off and hopefully start on a new project.

OK so I need to work on it. I was a little lazy and didn't completely measure and grid - actually I didn't think I would even finish him. His eyes are somewhat out and looking back on the photograph, his mouth needs to be a little wider. All in all not bad for a couple of hours of sketching. I'll post another when I finish him off.

Life Drawing - Final Week Semester 1

Homework - Charcoal, Conte and Pastel on Mid Tone Grey Conson Paper.

Last piece of homework for Semester 1 - onions, sound exciting doesn't it? ;) The onions to the right are tonal, so drawn up finding the tones in Conte first then adding pastels, one to the right is General Colours to specific with no undertone. You are right Yve, there is no gloss to them, but I am going to set them up again, and re-evaluate and FIX them.... thinking I need to be even more observant than I think I am already being...hmm take it to the next level ;) I will post another photo when I finish them, see if I can come up with a difference.


Model Annie - Final stage (unfinish unfortunately), Charcoal, Conte & Pastel on Midtone Grey Canson Paper 75 x 55cm.

Like the final piece for General Drawing, this was just as pleasing to accomplish. We drew this as a whole first, worked out which part of the drawing we wanted to blow up then went on our way drawing it up on Grey Canson Paper. I can see how much I have achieve with my pastels now, looking back on the first life drawing of Ken (model) in pastel, where I had no idea about what I was doing. Another few hours on this piece and I would have been really satisfied.

I am really comfortable with my life drawing, where before I was really wondering what an earth I was doing in this class. I felt I was way over my head and everyone was way way more advanced at this than I was... I have learnt not to worry about it so much and do it for me...and it's working and I think my drawings are now working for me.

Time for the semester break now... off to Hobart for a couple of days at the end of the week. Unfortunately will be missing out on the Mid year school ball :( very say. Hope you all have a great time and make me really envious for missing it.

See you all next term.

Oh and thanks Yve, I started out with fumbly fingers, but you managed to help me pick them up and actually do something with them. Have fun looking through my work for assessment, I had a little giggle looking back, but please don't laugh too hard ;)

General Drawing - Final week of Semester 1.

Homework - Still Life Set Up, Charcoal & Pastel on Mid Tone Grey Canson Paper 75 x 55cm.

Unlike the school studio work I got very frustrated with this piece, why do I feel I have to try and challenge myself each week! Everything went really well until I started the detail on the white t-towel. I was very very happy with the "EMPTY" bottle of wine (maybe that's why I had so much trouble with the towel, the bottle became mysteriously empty ;) ) I got a good response from Trena, other than "again", my edges are too crisp in places where they probably shouldn't be - but that's good criticism and I WILL learn from it….and it will be something I am becoming more and more conscious of. All in all I am really happy with the composition I chose for the last piece of the semester.



Still life set up - Charcoal & Pastel on Mid Tone Grey Canson Paper 75 x 55cm. Yaaahooo... Final stage of week III, but unfortunately a little unfinished and even worse as I was putting my portfolio in the car, the rain fell off the back door and of cause the only place it could dribble was through the handle hole, straight through the top of the drawing, through the neck and across the yellow triangle.

I feel happy with how this piece went, it was satisfying and rewarding, and not at any stage did I feel anywhat frustrated. I felt this was a good end to the semester...

Semester 1, General Drawing has been really really satisfying, I have learnt so much this semester, and as I heard someone else saying in the class, there hasn't been one session where I have walked away and thought I hadn’t learnt anything new. Remember everyone, on day 1 drawing boxes hmmmmmmmmm. Every session has been an absolute blast – thank you Trena for all your time and patience, I have enjoyed every moment of it.

JOINT WEEKEND EFFORT

Joint effort - Charlie Feargus Spencer Hamilton / Lisa Hall.... our weekend indoors - Charlie did the fabulous acrylic painting and I did the charcoal drawing over the top....now it takes pride of place over our lounge mantel place. Charlie is so proud of it, and so he should be, would not look the same without his contribution.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

GENERAL DRAWING.

Tuesday we started on a Tonal Realism drawing in Pastels - loved it. Can't wait to continue, hate having to wait a week when I get into something - I guess the suspense makes it all that much greater. I'll keep you updated from week to week.

For home work we have to do at least 3 pieces of fruit in the same media and same technique. Still have loads of work to do on it, which I should probably be doing now while little Charlie is having a nap. I am tempted to do another now I have played with the pastels a little more, and really not sure about the choice of table cloth I placed the fruit on. It was really great trying to get the colours to match and look life like. I (ssshhhhh) lashed out and decided to buy a red Schmincke pastel (just to see what the difference would be like between that and Rembrant), no comparison, WHAT a gorgeous stick to use - I WANT MORE, shame about the cost - Mark work harder ;) Can't wait to get the red into the dressing gown in the studio piece. mmmmmmmm

LIFE DRAWING

Oh hell PASTELS - life drawing homework, was this a challenge or what. Skin TONE, much much harder than I could have every imagined. I have never done anything with colour before. I felt that I turned a reasonably good black and white into a complete disaster - not only that, I have my nose stuck up in the air (due to looking in a mirror while drawing myself) and look like a complete stuck up twat (giggle) ;)

Let you in on a little secret - I actually did three, and non are any better then the other.

Can't believe it's only a few weeks and we will be at the end of term 1.....I have had so much fun, I so glad I picked ACSA as the School of Art to study.

Subject last week was light source - unfortunately I never seem to get a subject finished in class (slow), although there is so much you can get done in 3 hours. Once we turned on the "light" so to speak it was incredible how all our drawings came to life.
Home I went to start the process over again - and this was the outcome. The only comment I got for Trena was the shade behind the light on the wall was probably not dark enough, so all in all I think the drawing went pretty well.

I feel I am getting better at 'squint, squint, squint', and again, observation. When I look back at day one I can really see how far I really have grown and the confidence I have built.

LIFE DRAWING

Woo Hooo...... here it is...a little colour added in pastels. SOOOOOO much fun, yes a little of a disaster, but I really enjoyed playing with colour. We have been working on these pieces for the past three weeks, today was the first day of colour, unfortunately didn't get to finish them, but playing with colour was fun. I'm sure the day will come when it will actually look like the model.

Hatching is just not my thing......

TUESDAY AGAIN...YAAAAY

GENERAL DRAWING -- Ahhhhhhhh ink., hell, has this been a challenge or what! At least I found out what media I don't enjoy, first "challenge" was ink and brush, following week was ink, pen and hatching - I did so many of these at home just trying to get ONE drawing suitable to display at school - finally, FINALLY I managed something just suitable.....



Today we focused on light source - as you can see from the gorgeous mannequin.









As I normally do when I am not satisfied with what hear in class when we discuss our homework, I come home to prove to myself that I CAN DO IT, I CAN ACHIEVE WHAT IS EXPECTED OUT OF THE CLASS..... So here is my second try and drawing shiny objects - hmmm or is my 3rd, 4th or 5th try ;)

LIFE DRAWING

We have been working on the one figure for the last two weeks, fortunately for me I am feeling a little more confident with what I am doing, if anything I am probably still a little precious with the amount of tone I put one - I get a little frustrated with myself at times that I just don't get in there and DO IT.., let loose so to speak ;) Next week we are adding our first play with colour - I am really looking foward to that, hopefully if it isn't a total disaster I can post it for all to see.

Homework this week was (you guessed it) self portrait... ahhhhh never done one before. Do I really look like that!

GENERAL DRAWING

First week back after a break and we were straight into tone, exploring light and looking through water.

Picture 1. School Work
Picture 2. Home Work (Found this exercise, really rewarding and really really enjoyable).

GENERAL DRAWING

Getting GD up to date -



Here we are looking at tonal drawing, after all this squinting I am so going to need some botox -



This is what I managed in class, and as usual I am always more determined to get it better once I get home. This time I think I managed it better in class this week.

GENERAL DRAWING

Time to get General Drawing up to date....

MARKS BIRTHDAY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK....

After having Nell (my baby Sister) and her son Max staying with us for a couple of days, celebrating Max's birthday and then a sudden (unfortunate and sad) trip to Hobart and celebrating Nells Birthday while we were there - we came home to celebrate Marks Birthday..... I don't think I have seen Charlie that excited before. After so many birthdays in such a small span of time, he seemed to have caught on to what happens - you know, presi's, candles and cake. Charlie could not wait to give Mark his presents - unfortunately I think he still has some years to understand the whole idea of wrapping up the presents is so they are a surprise when you open them.... he was quite happy to let Mark know what was inside each present before Mark had a chance to open them....

We had a great night of sushi and fantastic Chocolate cake - which seemed to also keep Charlie up most the night.

Life Drawing

No guessing who's ugly mug this is!

Part of homework has consisted on hands, feet, ears, nose, mouth and eyes............along with tone, tone, and tone.
I am randomly putting photos of my schoolwork up, so hope you can all keep up.....

I must admit, it has been quite good fun looking back through all the past drawings, and how far I feel I have come. It is nice to feel that each day I AM actually learning and feel that I am actually getting somewhere. Wont be long ;) instead of having my work on plinths in Galleries I might actually be able to have things hanging (who would have thought).... ;)


A little of my own creativity on a beautiful sunny Adelaide weekend, I think the couple of glasses of Chardy I consumed at the same time may have helped a little.


FOR ALL ART LOVERS - I lashed out on a fantastic art book the other day, oops, yes Mark gulped when he saw the credit card details - 'Vitamin D - New Perspectives in Drawing' well worth tracking it down in the Library if nothing else.

An effort at drawing Charlie in graphite...hmmm, I think I need a little more time and guidance before I tackle someone so close to me again...talk about frustrating.