The first 3 weeks of Semester 1 of VIS1010 were made up of Foundational Drawing.
Each week was a series of exercises, and a resolved work based on the preceding exercises. The resolved works will be presented in a separate entry, and the exercises for week 1 were as follows;

Week 1

Exercise 1 – Lines: Study the lines made up by the borders of the objects

Exercise 2 – Shadows: Study only the shadow tones that make up the objects

Exercise 3 – Erasure: Study only the highlights by applying charcoal to paper and erasing with kneadable eraser

Erasure Study 1 [Note: did not remove excess charcoal, resulting in clotted eraser and shallow highlights]

Erasure Study 2 [Note: removed excess charcoal but used a firmer, lighter charcoal. Did not like the depth of shadow and had to add darker charcoal.]

Exercise 4 – Perspective: Study the relation of the objects to each other.

Exercise 5 – Gestalt: Combine the variety of exercises.

Gestalt Study 1 — Gestalt Study [Note: Combined the erasure and shadow exercises. Noticed the boundary created by the *square* of charcoal against the negative space.]

Resolved Work Drafts: Create a quality piece based on the exercises above.

Resolved Draft — Resolved Work Draft 1 Cover

Resolved Draft reference — Resolved Work Reference

Resolved Draft 1 — Resolved Work Draft 1

Resolved Draft 2 cover — Resolved Work Draft 2 Cover

Resolved Draft 2 — Resolved Work Draft 2 [Note: Took the framing in the Gestalt study and changed if from square to round. Thoroughly enjoyed the telescopic effect it took by framing in a circle.]

Pages: 1 2 3

The following is a class exercise in which we lay a grid over the image of a face, create our own grid and replicate the portrait.
I have selected the climactic scene from the 2019 folk-horror film ‘Midsommar‘ for my portrait.
The theme of the scene is the main character releasing grief from their old life while witnessing their partner’s ritualistic sacrificial burning. Having recently divorced, undergoing a (non-violent) ritual burning of my own, creating this piece of sombre beauty was a cathartic exercise.

I admit that I struggle with floral and botanical subjects. The exercise this piece was for allowed for either a botanical or portrait resolved work, but I decided to challenge myself by incorporating both (as I have a history in portraits, allowing me to complement a weaker skill with a stronger one). The process of gridding the space was an effective way of addressing this challenge, as it turned the botanicals into smaller shapes that relate to each other.

The below is the source image, initial draft in pencil, topographical line study in pen, and resolved work in watercolour and pen.