Week 9: fabulous observation skills

This is our second from last session of 2018! Everyone is starting to get to grips with proper observation in their drawing, in their understanding of the shapes that make up their subject and in their understanding of colour and tone.

Andy: so good to see you working with better quality original images - it shows in the quality of your drawing.  Keep adding tones to the faces using pencil - try a softer pencil eg 2 or 3B. Then paint the background in several colours.

Claire: superb light in your colours (tints) with skilful contrasting dark colours (tones). Your soft blending is starting to work (right hand sky) so stay focused on that and make all your sky edges, where colours meet, to "blur" together. 

Dot: brilliant control of toned (greyed) colours yet achieving an atmospheric light. Keep gently adding layers of pastel colours to enrich the surface.

Ella: your sensitive and careful approach is working beautifully even at this early stage, This is a slow technique but you be hugely rewarded by the end of the drawing so do not worry about how long it takes and stay focused. Look for at least three basic tones in all the shapes to change the outline flat shape into rounded "forms". Increase the darkness in the darker areas of the drawing to heighten the contrast with the middle and light tones. 

Graeme: excellent painting technique. Now that you are using more paint on the surface your skills are having more room to develop and improve. Think about every shape and try to give them a consistently painted surface so the one shape does not look unfinished compared to the rest.

Jeff: excellent progression of technique and observation, especially your understanding of light and colour temperature. You don't need to make your shadows quite so dark. Look at how the main tower shadow has light in it (well done!) and use that as your compass for shadows in the whole picture.

Rebecca: this is really coming together now! Your trees are very well observed and with excellent light touch to the shapes and colours. The outer edges (contour) of the trees are especially well done. Perhaps for the final stage add more ranges of blue and purple to the sky.

Yvonne: early days but you are now starting to tame the beast!  Your use of studies for the various areas (and challenges) is a vey powerful and effective learning tool and it shows (as can be seen below). In the large picture, continue to work on those areas where you have solved the puzzles in your small studies. 

Yvonne: see comments above. Look carefully at how the colour can change as the stone turn towards the light (right end edge near the door frame.