Exercise 5.0 - Taking Stock

 Exercise 5.0 - Taking Stock

This task had me looking back at what I’ve practiced and learned throughout the course. To look at the reflections I’ve made at the end of each section as well as the tutor feedback  and choose which aspects of the course I would like to return to.

Also this task asked to describe my experience with the sketchbook circle and what I’ve gained from this opportunity, this opportunity was denied by the pandemic and its consequences that affected the circulation of the sketchbook throughout different people. Alternatively I’ve joined the Inktober challenge which I guess it has a similar purpose as the sketchbook circle, which is a means to draw consistently and at the same time to interact with a community, respond to a prompt as well as challenging you to explore and improve your draftsmanship. 

Here’s some key points for this exercise:

• Based on the reflections I’ve made at the end of each section, to think about which aspects of the course I would like to return to;
• Go through my sketchbooks looking at each one separately taking stock as I go of what I have practiced and learned throughout the course;
• Think about my experience with the sketchbook circle and what i’ve gained from this opportunity;
• Read back over my reflective statements and notes in my learning log and take note of any points or thoughts that may have changed since I originally made them;
• Focus on the most positive aspects of my reflections; 
• Go through my tutor reports;

Taking Stock

Below are the materials I feel most connected with 

Materials 

• Ink pen
• Ink pen and watercolour 
• Dip pen and Indian Ink
• Watercolour
• Ink pen and tonal grey markers
• Sharpies
• Charcoal
• Drawing tablet 

Processes I feel more connected with

• Pareidolia
• Life drawing 
• Blind contour drawing
• Narrative arc/Story Structures 
• Reusing/Reworking existing artwork
• Traditional sketching with digital refinement 
• Use of Hatching/Crosshatching to create tone gradation 
• Spotting blacks
• Using "foldy zines" for rough sketches 
• Fast drawing
• Reportage drawing
• Using words with pictures

I will list the exercises and assignments and score them according to how much I enjoyed each. (1=Bad, 10=Good).

1.0: What sort of sketchbook should I use? = 2

1.1: What is your relationship with your sketchbook? = 2

1.2: Making Mistakes - working fast and cutting work up =  7

1.3: How personal do you want your sketchbook to be? To hide, or not to hide? = 2

Assignment 1: Recording and Sharing your work = 8

Exercise 2.0: Rapid sketches = 5

Exercise 2.1: Limited line drawings = 5

Exercise 2.2: Investigating a process = 7

Exercise 2.3: Blind contour drawing = 6

Exercise 2.4: Drawing with tea bags = 7 

Exercise 2.5: Drawing with objects: A journey scrapbook = 8

Assignment 2: Happy Accidents = 9

Exercise 3.0 : Observation- Topography, where to draw. What to draw = 6

Exercise 3.1 : Understanding viewpoints = 7

Exercise 3.2 : Working with external visual impetus - people = 8

Exercise 3.3 : Illustrative drawings = 7

Exercise 3.4 : Interpretation and Communication, suppose we make it different? = 8

Exercise 3.5 : Free Association = 9

Assignment 3 : Illustrative people and places = 8

Exercise 4.0 : Fill it up - FAST! = 9

Exercise 4.1 : Description and Depiction = 6

Exercise 4.2 : Storyboarding = 7

Exercise 4.3 : Conversations with pictures-Interpretation = 8

Exercise 4.4 : Using basic narrative structure = 9

Assignment 4 : Building Stories = 10

Keyword tick list

Tutor report review

I will list below some of the feedback  given by my tutor from Assignments 1 to 3 in the form of goals, approaches and techniques  that I will be focusing on:

• As well as sketching from whatever I observe and imagine, also explore developing more detailed drawings through slowly building up ideas in rough thumbnail sketches that test out aspects like composition/style and allow to select the most effective method to then spend more time in a detailed sketch.
• To get into the habit of making hand-written notes in my sketchbook to allow myself to think through ideas and to record any ideas that that might arise whilst drawing.
• To explore how techniques like list-making / mind mapping / collection of reference materials and articles, films or scripts that could be potential focuses for a project can help me to begin to select ideas to focus on. At the same time to continue with general day to day observational drawing.
• Regarding research tasks, to look at a wide range of artists and explore a wide range of methods. Through researching beyond the normal styles that may interest me I might discover new ways to approach subjects or materials that in turn enable me to bring my own creative twist on a genre. Also, develop a more analytical note making in my researches, describing more methodically how I produced an image, e.g. colour palate, compositional devices, range of marks, etc.
• Also in technical exercises look for artists/illustrators who use similar styles and consider how it affects the feel of an illustration.
• To keep exploring digital sketches and take screenshots of the process of these to add to my blog in order to create a kind of digital sketchbook. 
• Consider how other illustrators and designers often create surreallness or creative characters simple through unusual combination of objects, components or places.
• Continue looking at a range of artists and illustrators.
• Explore elements essential for graphic novel space as composition and viewpoint, creative linking of different scenes/frames upon a page and research on unusual layouts, classic framing and find ways of building narrative within interestingly formatted frames and larger frames that lead the viewer through a narrative.

Questions

Have your opinions and thoughts changed about how you keep a sketchbook?

My opinion about keeping a sketchbook has remained constant thus far with the addition of becoming more adventurous with it by being less precious about it, not being afraid of making mistakes, of making bad drawings, in fact, I believe I allow myself to make more bad drawings, to "flush them out of my system " in order to produce good ones, without getting frustrated during the process.

I think I was more risk-averse , still am but to a lesser degree.

Which comments do you now most empathise with and why?

"I gained a great insight by studying not only the artists sketchbooks which I selected but also I started to pay more attention ,although more superficially, to other artists as well. " 

- It’s a habit i’ve  cultivated in my artistic research, to become more mindful of other artists’ process. The more variety I look into, the more options are there to choose from in the hopes of absorbing what I think works best for me.

"there is value in your mistakes, I thank them. " - Exercise 1.

Most of my progress was achieved by analysing my drawings and their mistakes and improving upon them.

"By drawing the most mundane objects and situations lies great potential to develop into more imaginative sketching." - Assignment 1

This quote makes more sense after going through the exercises and assessments completed thus far. The majority of the ideas I acquired for my imaginative drawings, particularly the Brush Man, were captured by drawing everyday objects and elements. Furthermore, by looking at other artists and illustrators work, I had a sense of confirmation bias, in that they have this common pattern of including their everyday on ther work. 

 What have been the most surprising changes to your thoughts about sketchbooks?

Not being as precious as I once was with the sketchbooks and feeling less intimidated of using an expensive sketchbook. Being less frustrated with the outcome.

Which of the exercises and assignments would you like to do more of or return to?

More of: 

- Pareidolia, Assignment 2 - happy accidents , Illustrative people and places, 

building stories

-Return to: Building stories and Observation