Assignment 2 – Tutor Feedback

Overall Comments

I’m glad you have taken on my advice to do more preliminary sketches before you jump into the final pieces. The sketchbooks demonstrate this well and you can clearly resolve problems in a methodical way. You are beginning to work outside of your comfort zone and taking more risks and in this submission you have a choice of avenues to go down.

Research – A Visit To The Laing

 Dysphoria 1990 – Lizzie Rowe.  This is the first image that really grabbed my attention on a recent visit to the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle

Drawing Animals – Grabbing the Chance

 Deciding which animal to concentrate on has not been easy, not having easy access t0 any pets.

Assignment 2

Assignment 2 is meant to bring together all of the fine observation and practice that has been done on this part of the course.  The aim of the exercise is to; understand the use of colour in drawing, choose an appropriate medium and skilfully use it, set up an interesting composition, use varied mark making, show depth, contrast and an accurate depiction of form.

George Stubbs (1724-1806)

Stubbs paintings of horses are considered to be the most accurate ever painted.  

Research Point – How Renaissance Masters Depicted Animals

“The Renaissance era was a landmark period in human history, the formulative era where Europe became the centre of learning, taking the knowledge gathered by earlier cultures. As with many fields of study, biology and natural science began to gather their own identity , becoming increasingly specialised” – explorable.com

Art and science were inseperable and it was the work of artists and sculptors that brought biology and anatomy to the fore.  Artists began to dissect animals and plants to understand the structure underpinning the workings of the body and create ever more dynamic and realistic works of art.  Da Vinci was the first scholar to make the connection between the structures of humans and animals

Drawing Animals

 This was a tricky section for me.  I had the perfect model until recently, in the shape of Phoebe the family pet cat.  Unfortunately she is no longer with us, as of two years ago so I had to draw inspiration from elsewhere.

Fish On A Plate

 This was a straightforward challenge.  Buy fish, stick ’em on a plate (decorative), use coloured pencils and draw them. Ok, down to Morrissons and back with a brace of sea bream.

Research Point – Ben Nicholson

  Ben Nicholson OM 1894-1982

Plants and Flowers Check and Log

This project started out with a negative space exercise in a potted plant