Alongside producing tasks and literature for the workshops I am creating, providing credible examples for the students to work towards is also very important. It is also just as important that I keep developing my personal practice to add any influential elements into my workshops. With that in mind, my fifth drawing of the project focuses on one point perspective. This is a significant part of the project because I would not typically use one point my perspective as my preferred angle to draw from, as I feel two point perspective gives a building more shape. But, in an effort to expand my practice and create more diversity in my work, applying some one point perspective is a good way to experiment. This will also be a good example to use within the workshop because of the clear use of one point perspective.
My intentions for this drawing was to document this drawing in a high level of detail while referring to two references, an observational sketch and a photograph. This is an important aspect of my practice because the preliminary sketches and references directly reflect how I produce a larger piece. I have learnt from my previous drawing that having more than one reference that is specifically an observational sketch can generate a more fluid larger piece that focuses on specific details that I noticed while in front of the structure itself.
I began this piece in the same manner to how I start all of my drawings, a basic outline in pencil. This allows me to develop an initial shape and ensure that the perspective is correct in all areas of the structure. As I will be focusing on using a specific type of perspective, I need to insure it is right from the first stage. As this is not my preferred use of perspective, it made the process of drawing slightly easier because I was working from a single vanishing point. This meant that it was far
more straightforward to draw as all of the lines were directed at one point rather than two. I found the process of initially drawing the shed out quite easy, and made sure to document the process. As I picked a fairly straightforward example of one point perspective, I think this will make it a good piece of work to follow along with while learning how to use perspective in a simple manner. It has also shown for my practice that not all drawings have to be complicated to be effective. More emphasis can be put on the details rather than the overall intricacy of the shape or angle of the drawing. This particular shed had an interesting shape regardless of the angle it was viewed at. Trying to capture it in any level of realism would be a challenge that I haven’t approached in other, more conventional examples of sheds.
As I began to progress through the drawing, I started to add detail, mainly in the foreground. As I had elements in front of the shed, it was important to capture these elements to ensure the piece didn’t look too flat or unrealistic. Here, I feel I could improve slightly on the tonal range by taking into account more of the lighter areas, simply to show the direction of light and to give each object a more three dimensional feel. I think one point perspective limits a drawing in places because of the flatness of one side of a building. It makes some of the object on the front quite insignificant, which is not always the best thing for the overall success of the piece. However, I think I was able to do well in terms of creating some shape, but this could be done further in a revised version or in another drawing using a similar point of perspective.
After completing the foreground of the drawing to the extent I was satisfied with, my focus turned to the wooden panels of the shed itself. This is often the most intricate part of the drawing because I focus on texture rather than developing light and dark. I do this
because wood often has its own natural shapes and lines within it that forms the areas of light and dark by it’s very texture. Therefore, making sure I document the grain of the wooden panels is far more important in this area of drawing. To do this, I prioritise the dark grain lines, and fill the rest of the panel in with lighter pen lines to show how the wood has been cut. I find this process to be the strongest part of the drawing because it is about adapting your drawing skills and focusing on simple line work in a repeating pattern. This does not necessarily require a wide tonal range due to this, which I think lends itself more to pen drawing than other aspects of the piece, such as defining light and shadow. However, it is important to acknowledge that sometimes the individual panels can become lost when focusing on such intricate line work. With this drawing, the reference showed that the shed had clear individual panels, making it a significant part of the piece. To try and make these obvious with the use of such a limiting medium, I decided to darken some of the lines that where horizontal to differentiate between the two. However, I can see that this may be a challenging aspect for the participant to approach because the use of pen does not allow you to build up enough of a tonal range to give a gradual shaded look to your work. To combat this in my workshop content it is my intention to offer the student/participant the option to draw in whatever drawing medium they choose, depending on their ability and level of confidence.
FINAL DRAWING
This is the final drawing focusing on one point perspective. I am really pleased with the outcome of the drawing, and feel it is a good representation of one point perspective, and is achievable for a stu
dent to try as part of a workshop. I think the subject matter makes approaching perspective as a drawing technique easier, because the structures are simple in their construction. More focus is put on the detail added to the drawing rather than the intricacy of the form of the structure, which allows you to approach the piece in a slightly different manner than a more complicated subject. I think the selection of this shed was positive because it shows the structure in a positive manner, as well as being a good example of one point perspective that is not too intimidating for your average participant.
This drawing has helped me develop my own practice as well. The fact that I would typically avoid one point perspective and opt for two point shows that I was creating limitation in my own work because I had a preconceived idea that two point was a better option in terms of the use of perspective. However, this drawing has shown me that opting for different angles on buildings or different perspectives will give viable outcomes. It is about focusing on the details I can depict in my chosen medium. Being more flexible with the choice of perspective means I can stretch my drawing ability, as well as broaden my project’s horizons further than I had initially intended. Experimenting with drawing techniques has shown me the importance of knowing, understanding and being able to a translate the techniques creatively. Having the ability to diversify my own work to change the outcomes, even fractionally, helps develop my understanding of what is required in educational content, as well as developing my personal practice further. In light of this, I think that this experimentation has opened new doors in my own work, as well as giving validity to the tasks I am creating for my workshops. All in all, I think it has been very beneficial and therefore successful.
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