Now this is the second try to write down my reflections on the topic. I have experienced some days going from sheer panic to slight relief, because I had accidentally deleted the database of this blog. The entire work of 2 years was gone… but thanks heaven, my website provider does regular database backups, and so I was able to recover the blog. Only the last articles were gone. I was able to recover the post on the Mike Kelley exhibition, because I had left open the editing view in another browser window, but I completely lost the article on the course review and the review of my work for Part 2 – corresponding to my choice for the final assignment. That article also contained all my reflections about this choice. It took several hours to write, because it summarized my notes and reflections over a few months. It was interesting to do once because of all the thought processes involved, but the idea of repeating it seemed like a real chore. I think I couldn’t, even if I wanted.
So I’ll just write a summary of the main points from memory instead.
Where I’m at with the course
Since I’m doing two courses in parallel, I had to find a way how to organize my work. I found I got along best if I alternated between the courses. So typically I’m doing one course part completely, including the assignment, and then switch to the other course.
I had been working on the review of Drawing 1 after assignment 4, and then switched to Watercolour 1, and am now getting back to drawing in order to approach Part 5. Initially I wanted to review the entire drawing course and repeat the all weaker exercises before tackling Part 5, but I changed my mind. I’m running out of “tutor time”, which means that I have to submit the final assignment by mid April. I signed up for Course Assessment in November 2014, which should leave sufficient time for a review after assignment 5. I might even decide to do one or more additional options in part 5 and see how far I can get.
Review of the coursework
Before reviewing my work, I had relatively negative feelings about what I had achieved so far, and thought I’d get into trouble what to select for Course Assessment. But going through all the materials, I realized that there was quite a body of work with some really nice drawings, plus quite a diversity of themes and media. So this was a really nice effect of the review. I know that I could have done better each and every exercise, assignment and research, but what I have actually done was not as bad as I had thought. In particular when I included the follow-up work for parts three and four (landscape and figure).
Deciding on one of the options for part 5
I had begun thinking on the options quite early, I think it was while finishing part 3 (landscape), when I took a leap forward and read the remainder of the course book in a single go. I seriously considered all topics, but wasn’t able to decide at that point. Then after finalizing part 4, I realized how much I was interested in figure drawing, and thought about making a self portrait for assignment 5. But I was aware of the many problems associated with drawing myself, including the physical strain of maintaining a fixed position while drawing, and the artificiality of using a mirror. This was all related to the problem of not having a model.
So now getting back to the choices, I re-read Part 5 of the course and analysed the central task involved within each option:
Option 1: Mark making and tone – The final drawing will be an interior view of my home
Option 2: Observation in nature – The final drawing will be a detailed study of some natural object
Option 3: Drawing outdoors – A landscape or townscape drawing made or at least prepared outdoors
Option 4: Drawing figures – A figure, a portrait, or a self-portrait drawing
Without a model, I decided to exclude option 4 at this time. Option 3, drawing outdoors, was difficult because it’s winter and way too cold for drawing outdoors. I did not want to rely on photographs, so I dismissed this option as well. I liked Option 1 and felt that I’d benefit enormously from focusing on technical basics, but I wasn’t fond of the idea to draw an interior view of my home. What remained was Option 2, a detailed observational study of a natural object.
I felt that I struggled most with this part of the course because of problems with my sight – I need glasses for the distance and for reading, and I can’t use either glasses for drawing because I see blurred when switching between distances. On the other hand, those exercises where I managed to focus on one particular object or detail and thoroughly study it were among the most interesting and challenging. I also felt that I needed to build up the skills involved – both observational and practice with different media.
So finally, I decided to go with Option 2, observational drawing
Review of my work for Part 2
I think I enjoyed most the first project of that part, which was about exploring coloured media. I loved playing around with different materials, leaving aside the requirement of drawing something particular.
I found detailed observation extremely difficult at the beginning and got quite stuck at times, but somehow it got a bit better with practice and repeated attempts. I seemed to need some time to tune in to a very slow mode of looking and drawing which gave me enough time to process what I saw in front of me. I think my skills improved slightly, although there’s still much room for further development.
The nicest works seem to have been those in the fruits and vegetables project – they are colourful and look like really solid objects, even if a bit stylized. The plants and flowers section was more difficult and I tended to be overwhelmed by the complexity of the plants.
Drawing animals was definitely the weakest project. The problem was associated to the animals moving – neither my eyes nor my hands were quick enough to capture anything meaningful of a moving cat. Some drawings of sleeping cats were better, and the still life of a fish on a plate was quite successful. Although this final drawing lacks the colourful contrasts of the real scene, where I had a bright silvery fish on a dark gray plate onto a black tablecloth. I don’t know why I did not incorporate these strong colours into the drawing, as they would certainly have added to the overall effect.
The assignment was also a bit on the weaker side. The preparatory pencil studies look interesting, but maybe I should have done more studies to see what else I could have done with my chosen topic. But then again, this was at the beginning of the course, and realize that I look and work differently now.
To summarize, the work for part 2 was not extraordinary, but I think choosing option 2 for the assignment was wise with respect to the learning I’d expect to take place. In a way, it was a decision to improve basic skills, and I think I’ll benefit from this.