feeling like I wasn't getting anywhere in my quest for a looser, more abstract approach to drawing the landscape, frustration was building
I knew what I wanted, just not how to go about achieving it
a chance request by another student in an online class forum yielded an answer that caught my attention
she was wanting to improve her landscape drawing skills and asking for suggestions for online drawing classes
there were several recommendations and as I have been wanting to do the same I checked into them all
one stood out:
she has a number of classes that look interesting but "Translating the Landscape" caught my attention and though I had sworn off any more courses until Fall at the soonest, after watching the course trailer and looking through her website and instagram account, I found myself signing up and jumping right in
and so very glad I did
her approach is methodical, interesting, focused and grounded in developing good skills and paying attention to all the important things: line, shape, texture, value, colour and so on
you begin with working through those elements with something other than the landscape - I used pears and pomegranates
the pears were much easier
(there's a reason pears get drawn so much!)
I'm so pleased with the results - they're not amazing or even good but they're better than anything I've ever done and as I look at them, remembering the process, how the marks were made, what I was thinking about, I can't help but feel a bit pleased
the light and shadows are not always where they should be but the lines show promise
it's more about making something that looks like a pear but not a perfect rendition
I used soft pastels in a drawing for the first time - messy but the blending effects are amazing
this was done with a bright kelly green, vivid yellow and a smokey grey
I was glad to see they worked out so well as they were the only yellow and green I have!
below are all eight pinned to a board where I can see them as I get ready for the next lesson, where we
take all of these elements to the landscape
it's surprising what clear explanations can do - not a "copy what I'm doing" rather, an approach for keeping loose and staying away from too much detail
today I spent some time searching photos of the landscape, editing them and then printing a colour version along with a black and a white one
can't wait for tomorrow!
3 comments:
Wow... how to make a pear look amazing several ways!! This workshop looks right up my street. Hopped over to have a look at it... sadly it's "not available in my area". Doh! It sounds like it is a really unique way of looking at things. I shall follow your progress with interest!
Those are really good - free and energetic. Well done!
I never knew why so many people seem to paint pears (not that I'm a painter!). It sounds as though you found the perfect class to help you develop your skills even further. Mind you, I think your skills are pretty good as they are!
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