Assignment 2 - Still life

I am now putting together my work for this second part of the course, and drawing my final picture for assignment 2.  I set up a still life using contrasting objects of various sizes and textures, bark, stones and a willow branch.  I decided to work in pastels as it is good for coverage and also to get the depth of colour needed. I chose an off white/ buff coloured paper to work on as the buds were quite light and needed a slightly darker contrast.

 

Research Point - George Stubbs

Born in Liverpool, George Stubbs (1724-1806), had little formal training in art but developed a flair for portraiture and an interest in studying anatomy.  He rented a farmhouse in Lincolnshire and spent eighteen months dissecting horses before publishing his book Anatomy of the Horse in 1766.

  His life like paintings depicting horses and also sporting and racing scenes were considered more accurate than that of any previous painters. This was due to the many in-depth studies of musculature and movement he made before beginning to work.

 One of his most famous paintings is Whistlejacket, which now hangs in the National Gallery in London.

Another fish

A friend gave us some herring, following a fishing trip they had taken, and I couldn't resist trying to draw one.  Not a brilliant success, as I was trying to use layers of hatching to build up the tone, and the pencils being quite soft just ended up blending into one another.  I was trying to stop myself blending everything together, but on this occasion it didn't quite work.  Oh well on with the next drawing....