Observational Drawing

Drawing from Reference

Drawing from reference is a good way to gain visual knowledge on the appearance or mechanics of something so that it can be drawn with greater accuracy and understanding. This is especially useful when particular objects are unavailable.

The Bitter Years: The Farm Security Administration Photographs

Through the Eyes of Edward Steichen

Photographed by Dorothea Lange

12 year old son of a cotton sharecropper near Cleveland, Mississippi. June, 1937

I enjoyed drawing with Quink ink as it was easy to build up layers and create variations of a single colour. I also liked the slightly blueish tones that appeared when the ink was diluted.

This example is less accurate however is more expressive. I tried to use a greater range of brush marks, applying the ink quickly for more illustrative results.

For this last example, bolder marks were created and there is more of an emphasis on colour and shadow. Because of the wash of colour behind the lines, the figure looks gaunt however I think this isn't necessarily a bad thing considering the context of the photo.

Drawing from Observation

Drawing from observation differs from using references as you are made to study objects around you which, unlike a photo, have depth and are three dimensional. From studying a subject, the information has to be translated into marks

For the second part of the exercise, we had to draw our own plants we brought into class.

My first observational of the plant. I like the clean lines and the fluidity of the shapes, however I feel something more could have been added to make it more visually interesting, e.g. some form of texture or mark making.

The drawing above is more abstract than a typical observational drawing, however I am happy with the line work and the texture from the brush. The variation in shadow also adds weight to certain areas of the drawing.

Even though I'm unhappy with this drawing above, I thought it was good to explore other techniques. I did want to explore negative space, however I still included some lines. I may carry this out more effectively next time.

I think that the benefits of observational drawing definitely outweigh the cons. It can get repetitive and stagnant when drawing the same thing continuously, however this can make you want to consider different methods of drawing. These exercises improve hand-to-eye co-ordination, and are a good way of refining skills.