Module 4, Chapter 5: Drawing with colour

 

4.5.1 Adding colour with water soluble crayons

	I like this photograph for the strong shapes of the poppies and the negative shapes between the stalks.
	The negative shapes might be cut out later on and layered, in different sizes perhaps. I have already made a few copies… The drawing measures 20x14 cm and was done with a B3 pencil.
	A much enlarged detail, drawn with Neocolor II, size A4.
	With added water and more colour added after the first wash. (I am already thinking of cutting along the edge around the leaf and the poppy.)
	The whole poppy composition, drawn with Inktense pencils, size A4.
	Adding water changes the Inktense colours even more than Neocolor.
	After the pretty flowers I wanted to have a go at my muddy boots with their worn, discoloured leather.This was again done with Neocolor II, layering all available browns, grays and ochres. For the bleached spots on the leather I dabbed wet colour off.

After the sheet was dry I rubbed a dark stick over some places to suggest roughness and added some black lines to help bring out the highlights on the metal hooks. Size A4. All the drawings were done on 160 g/square m paper.

I liked very much working with water soluble crayons in this activity. I could build up layers slowly, lighten colours or make corrections. I found it practical to always have a sheet of paper on the side to look at the colour of the washes, as they can differ a lot from the dry state.

 

Looking back to chapter 1: a gun

A big THANK YOU to Barbara and Alfred! The husband of my colleague was so kind as to allow me to take photographs of a gun of his, a remake of a duel pistol from around 1800. I was fascinated by the amount of care and craftsmanship that had been used to make this weapon – after all, its function is to kill or at least injure someone. It made me think about the place weapons have in our culture (and in other cultures as well, if you remember Japanese swords, for instance).

A few photographs (I took lots!):

Drawings:
29x20 cm It was fun to draw the shadow. I think it adds to the drawing, clarifying the shape of the trigger, and it puts the pistol on the ground.	21x13,5 cm It was interesting to observe the reflections on the metal, always combining a light and a dark line. I think the decorative shapes and lines might be developed into a pattern perhaps.
I also took rubbings, especially from the handle. It has a textured surface to prevent slipping.	For the rubbings I used Conté crayon.