This one was an indoor assignment, working from a photograph. Exploring various ways to really look at a building, with continuous line drawing, negative shape painting (painting the sky), positive shape painting (paint the overall shape first, then add darker colours for roofs, windows, doors and cast shadows), and finally constructing volumes (trying to figure out how the building is constructed - a box in front of a box, a pyramid on top of box, etc).
I think it's clear which method I enjoyed the most - once I took out my watercolours and a brush, I was in the zone, concentrating and enjoying playing with paints.
I struggled with the concept of constructing volumes, and the fact that it was the 4th drawing, I was expecting a lot out of myself - that somehow having done the other exercises, I would suddenly understand and "see" the building and that my pen would follow my eyes. The fact that this is initially a pencil sketch made it more difficult for me too. My inner critic (or my Left brain, whatever you want to call it, one of the other students calls hers "Debbie" I think. Mmmm, maybe I should name mine, it might be easier to control it) was ready to pounce, with all these things I "can't" do, can't draw a straight line, can't draw a roof, can't draw an arch!
When I'm painting, Bruce, I think I'm going to call it Bruce, was thinking - There she goes again, painting like a child, I don't need to keep an eye on her. Because playing with paints isn't serious business. Whereas when she starts measuring, that's important, that means that the building has to be structurally sound, or there'll be casualties. And we can't have wobbly lines or wrong angles, or casualties for that matter. That would be a bad, bad, situation!
Poor Bruce, I think I've finally discovered how to shut him up - an attack of buff titanium and moonglow! That will shut him up!
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