Line Exercises
For the first exercises, I started off by experimenting with different line types; much varied than a regular lines when drawing.
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1. In this sample I drew fairly straight lines with differing pencil pressures applied to each line.
2. Here I made a wavy line and tried to follow if as closely as possible with the consistent line weight.
3. In this one I quickly flicked the pencil onto the paper which resulted in one defined end and another more thin. I also changed the direction giving an interesting highlighted effect.
4. This exercise was about making a continuous line looping itself, but I failed since it looks like a very distorted wave rather than 8.
Pattern and Texture Through Mark-making
The second set of exercises required following set patterns in order to achieve a nice overall patterned texture. The key was to keep them fairly small and close to each other.
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5. Here I was making zig-zagged lines all over, which look a bit similar to picture [2], but seem much more noisy. The pattern looks like scales or a very crude chainmail.
6. This sample was created by the repetition of two rows consisting of short lines going in opposite directions. The pattern may be used to suggest woolly (woven?) sweaters, rugs or native patterns/decorations.
7. The next one I made by freely scribbling curly lines. There is no 'pattern' other than uneven and random curls. It looks like a wool/cotton before being made into strands.
8. In here there are 3 repetitive rows of a pitched wave; one tilted left, one right and another going straight up. IT's quite tricky to say what it can be used for, I would say wines or algae.
Tonal Experiments
We moved onto creating a gradient and tone, still using pencil, but also trying out other black and grey media: graphite, willow charcoal and ink. Apart of just shading I also applies few textured with a rubber, stronger pressure and white oil pastel.
Pencil
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9. The first sample was made by quickly flicking with pencil horizontally. At the very top I pressed harder and gradually using less force as I followed down.
10. The next one was pretty similar but with shorter diagonal 'bursts'. There was less blur between the shades. Instead, there appeared borders since I followed it closely.
11. In this sample I used cross-hatching in several directions. I made more and stronger lines at the top and by going down, I drew fewer of them. The outcome looked similar to the texture of fabric.
12. Here, just like in sample no. [7], I doodled. The difference was that instead of making an even, constant tone, I altered it. I also haven't used a sharp pencil, which made the sample sort of fluffy.
+ Eraser
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13. As in the picture [9], I used simple straight, close to each other lines. At the end, however, I smudged them all over to create a softer gradient.
In these two samples [14, 15] I copied the picture [13] twice.
14. On the first copy I used a sharp cut edge of an eraser, trying to press it gently at the top and harder at the bottom.
15. On the second one I was quickly creating a lot of zig-zagged lines all over, also varying the pressure from the top to the bottom.
Graphite
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16. The effect on this sample was achieved by smearing the side of charcoal on an uneven table surface and then blurred slightly with my finger.
These two [17, 18] followed the first one's [16] technique as a base. In the next steps however:
17. I used a rubber to make lines (rubber doesn't work perfectly on a graphite surface).
18. I pressed the tip of the graphite to make lines.
Willow Charcoal
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19. This sample was a base for three following pieces [20, 21, 22]. It was made by filling the surface with willow charcoal and then blurred with my finger. The lighter patches were made by accident when touching the sample in order to move it.
20. Here I simply made strokes with charcoal, pressing slightly lighter at the top and stronger at the bottom opposite to the base 'gradient's' direction.
21. Here I rubbed out lines, also with firmer pressure at the bottom.
22. Finally I used a rubber but making an uneven zig-zaggy pattern through the whole piece.
Ink
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23. I tried to achieve a tonal gradiation by only using ink. At the top I used most of it and quickly followed to the bottom, allowing the dry remaining to fill the page.
24. This one was very similar to the previous sample with the difference that here I poked the paper, not dragged the ink.
25. In this sample I used ink and mixed with water. The tonal change was much easier to make and more subtle.
26. Here I used white oil pastel to make marks and covered them with diluted ink. The oil pastel 'resisted' the ink.
Mixed-Media (Monochromatic)
*using unconventional materials
We continued experimenting with larger spectrum of materials and techniques, this time approaching unconventional ones, which normally wouldn't be considered in the first place.
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27. In the first sample I simply applied coffee concentrate mixed with water onto a paper. The paper wrinkled and while drying, the coffee moved more to the edges leaving an interesting leather imprint.
28. The next example I covered the area with acrylic by sponge. It made soft but fairly noticeable bumps which appeared more visible underneath the wash of light grey paint on top.
29. Here I applied white acrylic onto brown paper with my finger, smudging it gently.
30. In this sample I repeated the picture [27], using the same amount of coffee. I was applying more of it with a cotton bud in some places, making the area a slightly darker shade. Then while it was wet, I made some dots (the tiny dark ones). After it dried up I created two layers of other dots, those with outlines around them.
31. Here I covered the area with thick layer or black acrylic. After it dried off, I dabbed the white paint with the use of sponge, making sure it doesn't create a massive blob, but spotted/splashed pattern.
32. I tore off the casual columns of text from a newspaper (making sure there won't be any straight lines) and glued them in a random manner onto the paper. Afterwards I covered it with a thin layer of white acrylic, which made the text appear as a texture instead.
33. In this sample I simply laid the diluted tea evenly onto the surface.
34. Here I painted the piece with white acrylic in a curly manner . While it was damp but not wet I splattered coffee with a toothbrush, which made these curved, embossed rows visible after it dried. At the end I splattered another layer of coffee.
These two samples [35, 36] are fairly similar with the intention of slightly mixing two acrylic paints, white and black, making several shades of grey but leaving patches of original colours.
35. The first one was blended with the use of my finger. I tried to create irregular, curly lines and the gradiation from edge to edge.
36. The second one wasn't really blended, but rather scraped with the use of a glue spreader. I made rather straight lines with a lot of bumpy areas where the paint accumulated.
37. This sample is a bit similar to the picture [34] with the difference, that I did straight lines with white acrylic paint and splattered black acrylic on top of it.
38. The last piece had the coffee background, just like the first one [27]. When it dried I applied white acrylic with my finger. While the paint was still damp I pressed the finger in several places and pulled it up, which caused the paint to rip off the sheet, creating an interesting outcome.
Colour Exercises(?)
As we progressed, we finally moved onto the coloured media and exploring their potential.
Watercolour
These four samples [39, 40, 41, 42] were created with the same two watercolour paints and either resist or texture(?) techniques.
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39. The first picture was made by scraping the PVA glue onto the surface, making sure it isn't flat, but with bumpy and sunken parts. As it was still damp, but not wet, I covered the area, making it look like a tree.
40. In the next one I created some marks with a white oil pastel, then painted on top with a slight gradient between the colours. The oil didn't resist the paint as it was expected, but the marks became visible.
41. In this sample I glued down thick pieces of string and then covered the whole piece with paint. Some spots however stayed white, and that may be because of the glue.
42. The last picture had stripes of masking tape on it, but to form an uneven surface, not as a resist for the paint.
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43. Here I made a gradiation of three primary colours, making sure they blur smoothly in the entire piece.
44. In this one I picked 8 colours from my watercolour palette and placed a very thin layer on them in each rectangle. After it dried I created some marks with more condensed amount of paint.
Acrylics
For all the pieces here I used 3 primary colours (red, however, had two shades - cadmium and crimson) and white, which were then mixed with each other to create other colours or shades.
(For some reason the white paint doesn't show up on screen)
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All the colours used + White ^
45. Here I mixed yellow with cadmium red to create orange.
46. Here I mixed crimson red with blue to create purple (which looks more black for some reason). The cadmium red would create more brownish outcome, that's why it wasn't used.
47. Here I mixed blue with yellow to create green.
These three samples [48, 49, 50] used the exact same colours as the previous three [45, 46, 47], but instead of a brush were applied with a cotton bud. I attempted to make a gradiation of colours but it was very hard to achieve.
48. Yellow + Cadmium Red
49. Crimson Red + Blue
50. Blue + Yellow
These three pieces [51, 52, 53] had primary colours and white mixed together with a glue spreader, just like in sample [36]. I attempted to create a fairly smooth gradient, but also leaving some odd shades within as well as blobs of paint.
51. Cadmium Red + White
52. Blue + White
53. Yellow + White
These three samples [54, 55, 56] followed the exact same pairs of colours as examples [45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50]. At first I layered the first colour with a sponge, and the other on top of it, also with a sponge. After it dried, I gently covered it with the first colour, very diluted.
54. Yellow + Cadmium Red
55. Crimson Red + Blue
56. Blue + Yellow (here I forgot to change the water, and instead got kind of brown colour on top)
57. This piece was a little similar to pictures [48, 49, 50], though I used all the colours (except crimson red) in four corners and tried to blend them in with a cotton bud. It was quite tricky to blend them evenly together.
58. This piece used the similar method to [34, 37]; I laid white acrylic as a base, but then I splattered all other four colours on top of each other. At the end all of them created brown colour.
59. Here I made something similar to pictures [51, 52, 53], but instead of a glue spreader I used a normal brush to make a gradient between crimson red and white paint. At the end I slightly altered the marks by using toothbrush, which gave more feathery effect.
Oil Pastel
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All the colours used ^
60. In the first one I used yellow and brown colours, and tried to achieve the wood-like effect. The colours don't contrast much.
61. The next one used dark blue and purple and scribbled a lot of different stars. The colours don't contrast at all.
62. Here I used red and light blue (which somehow looks more grey) and made swirls in different sizes. The colours are so contrasting, that the red seems to be glowing.
63. In the last piece I used green and cream colours and drew multiple triangles on top. Colours are fairly contrasting.
Coloured Pencil
These four last samples [64, 65, 66, 67] followed the similar marking techniques to some of the first pieces done [9, 10, 11, 12].
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64. Here I used multiple colours from yellow through green to blue and blended them all together using cross-hatching marking technique.
65. In this piece I chosen shades of purple, liliac, grey and brown, and blended them together making swirly marks.
66. In this one I used yellow, orange and brown shades and blurred them using only short straight lines following in a circle.
67. Finally I used only two colours; red and green, and mixed them making long lines, and varying the pressure to create a brown colour in-between.