Check and Blog One

How did holding your pen or pencil in a different way affect your drawing?




Gripping the pen/pencil firmly meant that I bore down on the paper a lot more than when i held it wih my finger tips. Due to a nervous condition I must hold my pen/pencil more firmly when i write so that I have more control over my work, so barely holding the pen/pencil at all gave me very little contol over the direction or the strength of the line. The same can be said for when I clasped the pen in my left hand as I am right handed.


Which drawing tools suited the different mark-making techniques you used?
Thick medias like wax crayon and charcoal meant that it was harder to define details in my work, but charcoal and pastels were great for adding tone to an image and giving it dimentions. Pencil was the best all-rounder as it presented multiple grades of softness so it could add detail and form to an object. Stippling I feel is best achieved with an ink tool like a pen or felt tip, where as hatching works best with a soft tool like a pencil, or a thinner media like a fine liner.




Did you find that any marks or tools you used matched particular emotions or feelings?


Calm = soft light blue pastel               Frenzy = dark red thick felt tip




How did the introduction of colour (soft pastels, Conte crayons) affect your mark-making?


In some pieces it made my work come to life and added more depth to it, whilst in others it just didn't seem appropriate. I enjoy using colour and would like to use it in my assignment where possibly, but I know if I choose a somber item to draw, or if I just wish to focus on its shadow and tone, rather than its impact I will stick to pencils and charcoal. 


Which of these experiments have you found most interesting and rewarding?


Probably the hatching experiment as it allowed me to practice it with many different media, so I could learn which medias I prefer to use as well as showing me which medias do not work well with hatching, like thick tools like charcoal; that is unless you are making quite a large drawing.