She Reads.

What do you think of my second pencil drawing?

She Reads.

I used this photograph I found online below as a starting point.

Of course, all credit to the photographer (whom I couldn't find!).

In my last Shakespeare artwork, I blogged that I wanted to work on my perspective, making my 2D look for 3 dimensional and just generally drawing people. I picked this photograph based on all those things so that I can practice each of them.

What I've learned?

1. If it's closer to you, it's bigger!
   Logically, this makes no sense whatsoever. How can an object be "bigger" depending on where it is if it physically hasn't changed it's state? However, I've found that particularly in this photo, if you keep this unlogical, artistic logic in mind when drawing, you'll find it's bigger on the inside - (nope! Sorry that's Doctor Who!) - you'll find that it makes drawing things in perspective becomes that little bit more easier!
2. Your rubber is not only for mistakes!
   Now, we are taught from the moment we can pick up a pencil that the sole purpose and function of a rubber or eraser if you're from over the pond, is to get rid of any of mistakes you make on your paper. I found that it helped me a lot on the blending side of things when I was shading in the steps - in particular the side of the steps where it's darker nearer the top. Try it - who knew the rubber was so multifunctional!
3. Direction of shading is important!
   Looking at the steps mainly or even the shading on Anon(ymous) the little girl, focusing and establishing which direction you want to shade in helps make your drawing more realistic as we don't live in a horizontal/vertical lined world. The outline of the steps in my drawing are basically just long strips behind the little girl but with differentiating the direction of the shading for each strip, every 3 strips builds up one step - you following me? So for example, for the girls arms, I shaded using curved lines to try and make her arm look more cylinder-esque than rectangular.

Turning my Can't into Cans - not the Tin kind!

So I clearly still struggle with humans - not so much on a social level but more in the 2D world of drawings! I struggled quite a bit on her cute button nose and her right leg. Random, but true. Oh, and not to mention her left hand holding the book! That had to be by far the hardest part of the drawing that I found. Just generally the bottom half of this anonymous little girl had me stumbling over myself.

Having said that though, I'm really happy with how it came out as a piece overall. Yes, it's not a splitting image of the photograph but I'm happy with my attempt. Quite frankly, it came out better than anticipated! I am no means a Van Gogh but it's fun trying!

Pick up a pencil and doodle - you can thank me later!

Take care and keep smiling xxx

BLOG, I'VE MISSED YOU.

It's been a while blog-adile!

I definitely did not anticipate how busy I'd get; even too busy to post once a week! I'm ashamed. It started off only missing one or two and then another one or two was added and well, we both know what happened next.

I'm still busy and can only predict myself getting busier as the academic year progresses. But I still want to blog because I enjoy writing down my thoughts; otherwise they all get clogged up in my brain with a risk of explosion. Fact.

I may not be able to commit once a week but I will try my absolute hardest. I'm trying to manage my time a little better so if I schedule a specific time to dedicate to my blog, theoretically I shall still be able to keep up with it - even if it's not as regularly as I would like.

Update: I'm a teacher?

Just a bit of an update on what I've been getting up to, I've been busy being a baby in the teaching world and getting to grips on what kind of teacher I am. It's incredibly tiring but incredibly rewarding at the end of the day. I'm excited to refine the art of teaching for myself.

Arty Charcoal Pencil Pants

Speaking of art, I observed an Art lesson and the charcoal portraits on the walls just inspired me to spontaneously buy charcoal, a sketchpad and a mouldable rubber. Charcoal did arrive but it wasn't charcoal at all so have ordered another set. So in the meantime I have been experimenting with the simple pencil and I'm loving it. I'm currently working on a little girl drawing, which of course I shall post when I'm finished with it. I was feeling quite Shakespearean this Monday and spent the day drawing his humble abode, the globe and him, which you will be able to find on the Arty Pants page or see it directly by clicking here.

I do YouTube?

And finally, though I've not posted any written posts on my blog for a while, I did post a video of mine; The BBC Sherlock Tag (My Updated Version). I hope to post more Youtube videos because it's so much fun! But we'll both have to wait and see what will become of it! You can subscribe to my Youtube channel here (SkeenaKeepSmiling) so that any new videos I make will appear in your subscription feed.

That's all for me! I hope you've been keeping well since I posted last.

Take care and keep smiling xxx

Shakespearean it up in here!

After observing an art lesson, it inspired me to spontaneously buy charcoal pencils, a sketchpad and a mouldable rubber. The charcoal pencils arrived but were in fact NOT charcoal so whilst I wait for some actual charcoal to arrive in the post,  I decided to go back to basics with ye trusty ol' pencil et voila!

His Humble Abode, The Globe and Him. 

Getting to "Et Voila!"

I was feeling particularly Shakespearean,

so opted to first start off his his humble abode. I found this photo below online and as it's been somewhat over 5 years since I've actually drawn something, I thought that a house that was so geometrically pleasing to the eye would be a good start.

I then was left with a massive space in the bottom right corner of my page and what better to fill it with, but The Globe itself. I love how this photo displays the Globes circular nature with it's open top, thatched roof.

 

And finally, how could I draw a tribute to Shakespeare without including the Bard of Avon himself! The longer I stared at this portrait whilst drawing him, the more his eyes in the portrait felt alive staring right at me. Quite freaky but with a Mona Lisa-esque stare - his eyes will follow you whichever angle you make look at it! 

And there you have it!

Although initially I was going to leave it at that, I wanted to add a little colour into my drawing. I knew I definitely didn't want to colour in my drawing as such so I had the idea to write in and around my drawings in coloured pens. I thought it would be a nice little extra to have my scrawly scribbles surrounding Shakespeare as we all know him for his own scribbles in the form of his poems and plays.

Outside the Globe (the pink and green writing) reads who Shakespeare was - William Shakespeare, the playwright, the poet, the Bard. Inside the Globe (the blue and orange) are a selection of his plays - Macbeth, Midsummer night's Dream, Richard III, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry VIII, Romeo and Juliet, Tempest, King John, Anthony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar and Othello. 

Alas! Poor yorick! What would you improve?

I think with whatever you produce, it is always important to reassess and evaluate your work so that you can better yourself and go that one step further in refining your skill. So though I do like the outcome of this piece, there are a few things that I would like to work on.

One of the things I'd like to work on is bringing the 2D to life into 3D. I did try and attempt a bit of shading in this drawing which is a start. To help with this, I also need to look at perspective and how different elements of a drawing relates to other elements.

Out of the whole piece, I struggled the most with Shakespeare's nose. People and their features were always something I could never get right; noses, ears, lips, hands. But with practice, I hope these will become more comfortable to draw.

I've started to work on my second piece of a little girl and her reading book. I will be trying to work on my shading and drawing features and we shall see what the outcome is once I finish!

Thanks for reading!

Take care, keep it Shakespearean and keep smiling xx