Drawing from Reference and Observation

Drawing from Reference

         Drawing from reference indicates drawing from photos, pictures

         and books. When we talk about drawing from reference we have

         some source of visual information to inform the drawing. It is

         important not to begin a drawing purely from a photograph, but 

         instead from an idea. Illustration is not drawing from a photograph.

         Some artists predominantly draw from photographs in their work.

         It is not necessarily a bad thing, they can still portray their

         level of skill in drawing and mark making, but this can sometimes

         restrict the level of cognitive creativity shown through the image.

Holly Wales is a prime example of an artist who works mainly from

          photographs. This work designed to advertise alcohol presents a high

          level of skill with the use of felt tip pens, however it does not 

          present an idea or a structured 'illustration' as such.

          

          

David Sparshott is another example of an artist who predominantly 

                 works from photographs. He was commissioned to do a lot of work 

         for sports magazines, hence working from photographs would be a 

         more sensible option due to the subject matter being constantly 
         moving.In this instance working from a 2-D reference would be the best

         way to gain the maximum information possible to then produce an

         image.

Task and Aims

 We were then given the task to produce four drawings from a reference

        photograph. I picked up the first book that caught my attention in 

        the library entitled 'Beavers and Other Rodents'.

Work Made

Beaver no.1 first observation

Beaver no.2
I squinted my eyes and colour mapped
the lighter and darker sections.

Beaver no.3
Playing around with shape and line density
to give a more unique sense of character.

Beaver no.4
Attempting to combine all of the 
techniques I previously tired out.

Initial Intentions

         To produce accurate drawings from reference that reflect the form

         of the beaver.

Evaluation of Outcomes

  Through studying this image four times I gradually gained a

         better understanding of the anatomy, density texture and 

         character of the beaver. I developed my study each time by

         using different ratios of ink and  water alongside different

         brush strokes. 

Speculative Thinking

         Drawing from reference has its strengths.It allows the artist

         to make a more accurate drawing in terms of being able to 

         refer back multiple times to the same, unchanging piece of 

         information to then make a similar image themselves including

         a large proportion of that information. However, drawing from

         reference restricts the amount of wider information that can

         be portrayed within the created image. For example, I do not 

         know the beaver that I have drawn. I don't know how big or 

         small it is, where it lives, how it moves, its relationship

         with its surrounding environment or its characteristics. 

         These could be considered vital pieces of information to go

         forth and create a more structured, informative illustration.

Drawing from Observation

    Drawing from observation is a visual translation between a 3-D object, 

    and a 2-D study. It is a reflection of the real world through our own 

    eyes, how we see and interpret things. It is a hedonistic way to

    understand the real world through experience and different view points.

    A practitioner that refers to observation is Samuel H. Scudder, with 
    his essay written in the 19th century entitled 'Look at Your Fish'. 
    In this essay he wrote about a scientist who presented his class of 
    students with a fish and said, 'tell me about this fish', with initial
    responses of minimal answers, such as 'its got eyes, scales and its
    grey'. The scientist continued this practise, leaving his students for
    periods of time gradually getting longer to observe the fish, even up 
    to a day, by which the students had time to broaden their imaginations
    and observational skills  when describing the fish.

Wesley Willis- State Police from the 90's

              
               Another practitioner who draws from observation is Wesley Willis.
        This must have been a difficult piece to draw due to the constantly 
        moving vehicles, however Willis has used line and strokes in a way
        that suggests that the vehicles are moving, for example the direction,
        and the forces that they are creating for example friction and gravity. 

Task and Aims              
               We carried out a similar drawing exercise to the first, in which we 
        had to produce four drawings from viewing a three dimensional object
        in front of us.   


Work Made  

Cactus no.1

My first cactus drawing was done extremely quickly

using a thick, square brush, gaining a basic 

understanding of composition and characteristics,

such as the contours and spines.

Cactus no.2

My second observational drawing of the cactus

is quite the opposite of the first. I spent a

long time paying attention to detail and 

observing the density and quality of the 

cactus.

Cactus no.3

Due to having a constricted amount of time left

                                    to produce two more drawings, I used a quick

                   continuous line technique to observe the cactus.

Cactus no.4

In my fourth drawing of the cactus, I applied

techniques I had previously used, for example

using lighter to darker ink washes to create

tone and density, but also adding attention 

to detail in delicate areas such as the spines.

Initial Intentions

         To improve my observational drawing skills.

Evaluation of Outcome

         Similar to drawing from reference, I gained a better understanding
           of the anatomy of the cactus, but this was more interesting as it was
           a physical object rather than an image which allowed me to observe it
           and draw it from different angles/ see where light reflects and study
           it in different ways, which is evident in my work.

Speculative Thinking

Today I have discovered the massive difference between drawing

           from reference and drawing from observation. Drawing from

           observation is more of a gateway to creating an illustration,

           absorbing the 'real world' around both you and the subject

           matter, allowing the finished piece to have a greater sense

           of depth, understanding and meaning. It is also a very unique

           experience with each artist interpreting the subject matter

           in entirely different ways to which someone else may do so.

           I have also gained a better understanding about how that 

           drawing merely from a photograph is not an illustration, it is a 

           drawing from reference.