Week 2- Shape and pattern

This weeks task for my traditional module was all about focusing on shape and pattern and how to convey them in a convincing and accurate way. For this task we used a still life set up consisting of shells, foliage glass and a decorative jug with a prominent pattern on it. Since a lot of these assets had clear elements of shape and pattern to them such as the interesting natural form of the shells, they would allow me to practise my skills during this weeks task. After watching the videos on blackboard and refreshing my memory about the importance and structure of drawing shape and pattern well. Since there was also a mixture of natural and man made textures this will be a challenge to convey these surfaces in a convincing way through shading and rendering. I was reminded that the importance of line and weight would still be a necessary aspect in creating an appealing piece. I will aim to utilise a mixture of skills and focus on being able to render convincing lighting and focus on how it would react with each type of surface- manmade and natural. 

As you can see from the image above I began by testing out some different compositions using thumbnail sketches and a grid. Using any mistakes from last task and my acquired knowledge on making an appealing composition. i wasn't quite sure if I was entirely happy with this first one however after some feedback on the placement of the glass and the shell in the foreground I was able to move them and make the overall composition look more appealing. This particular set up has fabric in the background and since i am very weak at drawing fabric I thought this would be a good set up to draw as it would push me out of my comfort zone and trying to get a good mixture of tonal values in combination with the background. 

I decided to follow my first thumbnail sketch with another using the second still life set up that had been provided for us. I wasn't as keen on this one however as I didn't like the placement of the walnuts or the placement of the jar. I found my first thumbnail sketch to be considerably more appealing. I felt like there was too much negative space and a lack of levels presented within this set up. Therefore I chose to go with the first thumbnail sketch I did. I also felt that I could really accentuate the range of tones within the items in the first piece since the shells in the foreground had such a contrasting tone to the rest of the items. 

I began by drawing the grid down on my page and using my thumbnail sketches in combination with the still life itself I began sketching out the assets. I tried to draw them as accurately as possible whilst also taking care to visualise their 3D forms. I struggled somewhat with the ellipses and perspective of the jug in the back of the composition as I drew some of the curved lines around the top in different directions which created a flat looking and confusing effect. After receiving some feedback on this mistake I was able to somewhat correct the ellipses to make the object look more tube like and convincing to look at. I still struggle with the use of ellipses in my work and will be pushing myself to practise this as the year progresses. 

As I began shading my piece I really wanted to focus on the interesting patterns that were on each object by using a mixture of line weight and a wide variation of tonal values. I made sure to emphasise which items had strongly different values to other by starting off with some of the darker values and then working my way up to the lighter ones so that I would not run out of values. The items at the front of the piece have a more strong line weight as to create a more 3 dimensional look. Shading the glass in particular was challenging I found that a having a higher contrast creates a more realistic outcomes therefore I made sure to emphasise any shadows or highlights on this object along with considering the refraction that could be occurring.

The image above is my piece before I had received any feedback. I found the pattern on the jar very challenging as not only was I trying to recreate the complicated pattered I had to consider how perspective would be effecting it to make the object look 3D. I was happy with the level of contrast and values I had achieved at this point however I found that my piece was overall looking very flat, especially the jar. I had tried to get a much darker shade on the jar however there was no drop shadows on it at this point which was making it look 2D. I was happy with the details on the shells and flowers however the fabric was also letting it down. From the feedback I then went and corrected the parts that were not looking as good such as the flatness and the unfinished looking fabric. I working into areas slightly more and then knocked back tones. Here is the finished piece after feedback...

Overall I found this piece challenging as there were lots of elements to consider such as the complex design on the jar and also the natural forms and textures of the shells. I found the glass challenging to shade since there are a lot of aspects which contribute to making it look realistic such as light intensity and harsh contrasting lights and darks. Overall from this piece I gained a better knowledge and good practise on the shapes and patterns on elements and how to portray them in a convincing way. Throughout this piece I also considered the line and weight and made sure to apply that to the forms in this piece to make it look more 3d and dynamic.