Friday 26 September 2014

Reportage - Week One

When given the task of filling ten sketchbooks in two weeks, my heart sank into my feet! How could I possibly fill ten sketchbooks in fourteen measly days when it takes me nine months to almost fill one?! 

The answer? Simply stop caring.

In the first few days of this exercise I was being far to careful and had not even half filled a book when others around me had completed two. Panic began to set in and as I looked over the work I had already completed I realised that I was trying to hard to create something beautiful. I cared to much about the finished product and missed the point of the exercise entirely.

So in the final days of the first week I have managed to complete three sketchbooks. Only seven more to go...




Here are some of my recent drawings with a fine liner. These sketches were done very quickly as the moment happened. Over all these are some of my favourites. I love the quick, flowing, scratchy lines. There is an energy and motion to them and I am reminded of another artist who used to capture similar images in the same style, using a similar medium.


Above: Card illustrated by Harold Hope Read from my families collection.

The above image is by a little known British artist called Harold Hope Read and he created many images like the one above using pen and ink. He liked to capture street views and often inserted himself into the scene. Mr Hope Read is the gentleman with the pipe admiring the lady in front.

I love how he has been able to capture the motion of the well-dressed lady as she walks, you can almost see her hips swaying as she struts down the street. He has captured the busy scene with chaotic, but controlled use of the pen, each mark adding to the over-all bustling sense of the street while drawing the viewer to the lovely lady, he himself seems to be admiring.

While Mr Hope Read's work is far more polished, I feel I have managed to incorporate the method into my own work with pen and ink, it is certainly a method well suited to the medium. Unlike graphite, mistakes with ink are not so easily hidden or corrected. Any mistakes made become a permanent fixture in the finished product, and while this initially sounds like the worst thing that could happen to any artist and their work, I happen to like the end result, mistakes and all.

The images do not simply show an image of what ever the artist happened to be drawing at the time, it also shows their journey, the steps they've taken to learn, through their mistakes and ultimately grow as an artist.




These next pieces have been created using acrylic paint and black ink. It was hard for me to put the fine liner down as I was getting very comfortable with that medium, but being comfortable when creating something is an indication you probably should try something else. So it was with some reluctance I picked up the paintbrush, and stole my friends dog, Toby.

It was surprising to find that capturing the little West-Highland White, was not difficult at all. The large, hard-bristled brush and thick acrylic paint was perfect when creating the flow of the little dogs fur. The different coloured paper also helped, as it created subtle mid-tones that worked well as empty space. 

Above; Painting by Lou Ros courtesy of inspirationhut.net

Lou Ros' style is some what similar to what I have done. The brush strokes in his work are clearly visible and create an impression of motion. In the image above, I get the impression that the man in the painting is dancing. His unbuttoned shirt flowing away from his body as he gyrates, his hands a mere streak as the eye struggles to keep track of them. Detail is blurred out and what is left, are the sure-strokes of direction and flow.




Having stuck, mostly with black and white, I figured it was time to inject a little more colour into my sketchbooks and use another medium I am not at all comfortable with. Mainly because of the mess involved. Soft pastels are wonderful for creating both soft and subtle tones of colour, as well as bright and bold lines. Oil pastels are not as easy to control and it is difficult to blend. I have yet to have a eureka moment with these mediums, when I do I will let you know...

For now, I have seven more sketchbooks to fill. Bring on the colour.

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