On Training the Eye

The view from my drawing boardIn general I am not one for representational art, especially hyper-realism – I just don’t see the point when a camera can capture a subject so much more quickly and accurately. There are far more interesting things to explore in art-making than merely drawing something that looks ‘real’.

However, recently it occurred to me that it would be interesting to draw from life once more as a form of discipline. It is too easy sometimes, when drawing from the imagination, to become generic, and therefore uninteresting and repetitive. To draw from life one must train the eye to observe what is there and guide the hand, rather than what one thinks is there.

… one must train the eye to observe what is there and guide the hand, rather than what one thinks is there

One of my favourite mediums to draw in – especially for life drawing – is charcoal, and I like to go quite dark and heavy. Not only to create mood, but to build layer upon layer and subtly shape form out of darkness – like a two dimensional sculpture. I particularly love Georges Seurat’s black and white charcoal drawings for this aspect.

Egg and silver spoonI decided to do some small studies, and in the end completed six over two or three days this past week. They were all small objects, quite different from one another, but all organic matter: an egg on a silver spoon, three cherry tomatoes, a stone sculpture of a horse, a carved wooden Balinese hand, a Chinese calligraphy brush, and a spider seashell.

My drawing board faces a window, so all the items were backlit and quite shadowed, which certainly encourages a heavy hand with the compressed charcoal. I also used a smudgestick for blending (I do use my fingers too) and a kneadable eraser (I love those things!) for rubbing back to create highlights. I really dislike going back and using white conté to create highlights – it creates an ugly whiteish-grey colour. It’s much better to let the paper shine through. 

Drawing flat versus at an easel presents its own challenges, but I am pretty pleased with the results, though some are more successful than others. I wasn’t too hung up on capturing every exact detail – the drawings are small and the charcoal is fat! – rather, capturing the essence of the object was more important to me. I enjoyed myself enormously too. Scroll down to see the finished pieces. 

Moroccan stone horseMoroccan stone horseBalinese wooden handBalinese wooden handBalinese wooden hand
Spider seashellSpider seashellChinese calligraphy brushChinese calligraphy brushChinese calligraphy brush