Introduction
For this module, we were told that there would be a large focus on instinctive thinking and drawing – to create drawings that are easy to understand and representative of the specific object/person.
The tasks completed within this module revolve around people: How they look, what they are interested in and more importantly.. what makes them unique.
Blind drawing
To begin with, we got into groups of 4 and drew other people 3 times for 20 seconds – overlapping each drawing. I found this frustrating, as I like how the first drawings looked but then when the other drawings overlapped, it made it look messy and cluttered. Over the course of these drawings, I began to feel a lot more comfortable with quick observations and ‘thoughtless’ linework.
I do understand why we were instructed to draw these obscure pieces. These drawings helped me ‘loosen up’ and not worry so much about what the line was doing, but think more about how the line represents the literal object (face) I was drawing. I can see how tasks like this could improve or alter the work I do in other projects – influencing how literal a drawing is.
Quick interview
For my next task, I was instructed to Conduct a short timed interview with any chosen partner. The aim of this was to begin to add information behind our drawings – too add character and more interest as we would now know more about the sitter.
Before I started my interview, I considered the questions I was going to ask my partner. I decided that learning about their hobbies and general life goals would give me scope to discover what type of person he was. After I chose myquestions, I spent 5-10 minuites recording his answers.
After we had an in depth chat, He interviewed me and I drew him taking into account some of the things he had said to me prieviously. I found it hard to show many of the things I had discovered about him within a portrait – as we were not instructed to add objects or anything other than the sitter theirself.
Drawing the face in more detail and with more focus on likeness, I found this task a lot more enjoyable than the first.
Conductive ink
Drawing with pen and penil is something we are all familiar with. The purpose of the next assignment was to create a working circuit using conductive ink.
Conductive ink is a black liquid that -when dry – allows an electric current to flow through it. The ink is fairly expensive and works best when it is applied thinly so there is less mass for the current to flow through.
To begin with, I got into a group of 4 and began experimenting with the ink – and also other conductive materials such as wire, LED’s and copper tape. Through the experimentation process, I found that the ink did not work as strongly as anticipated (which was very demoralising as I was looking forward to seeing it work in my design). Now working individually, I began sketching ideas for how my final portrait may be composed. I knew that I did not want to chose a concept that was typical or too easy to understand – I wanted something unique and impressionistic.
I considered using negative space to create a side portrait, though I felt that was also still on the more predictable side of my ideas. I eventually chose a more high-to-low view point looking down on a boy with glasses as the composition and addition of glasses added some interesting shapes, lines and an irregular finished piece. I laso added two LED’s in his eyes, though for the purpose of keeping my sketchbook tidy, I removed them.
Visual personality
After our break from the classic ‘pen and pencil’ drawing – I returned to the basics for this next project. This was another interviewing task – although the difference being that I was given longer to complete my final piece so that it looked more resolved. I was also now allowed to include colour, patterns, objects and basically anything that I thought would help me convey the personality underneath the skin.
The class was instructed to chose a diferent partner than who we drew last time, though I started to get very ill and through missed class-time – I made the decision to use my interview from the previous person.
Knowing that the sitter loved music – more specifically the upbeat and random rythyms and music videos – I decided to create a jumbled/mashed up version of himself. Incorporating musical notes and his bananas (favourite fruit), I feel like I showed some of the aspects that make him, ‘him’, very well. I do though feel like in hindsight that I could have added more things to the portrait to show off more of his personality.
Observation + mapping
When reading week came about, I was really dreading faling behind the class due to illness. Instead of giving the class books to read during our week off – we were tasked to draw where we went each day and one thing we did every day. Hearing this news, I felt releived as I knew that I would enjoy this as I would be drawing things that I was passionate about.
For my drawings, I tried to make them as unique and diverse as possible – from realistic to completely abstract. To further this concept of mine, I also chose to draw the most obscure and least predictable event for each day – which I feel worked well to make my drawings more interesting to look at.
I feel this was my favourite project within the module, as I enjoyed finding new ways to show a place, journey and/or event.
Visual CV
Sketchbook Tour –
https://vimeo.com/user91380407/review/298903298/f6d3808987