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Join me on my ‘A drawing a week’ challengeOrTake your time and ‘Just Draw’ ‘A drawing a week’ challenge.Hello everyone, when social distancing and isolation started, I decided to draw at least one picture per week throughout the period of the restrictions being in place and decided that this would be of something in the environment around Berden that I have seen on my daily walks. Generally, I either take out a sketch book or take pictures with my phone to use later. Occasionally my pictures are landscapes but more often they are roads and paths, solitary trees, interesting pieces of wood, plants, stones and pebbles, flowers, beat up fences and walls and interesting rock, anything that catches my interest. I would be delighted if any of you would like to join me in this project. If this topic isn’t to your liking or you are unable to leave the house there is a link below which will take you to a list of topics that you can work through or select from, however you like. You might find you want to draw something that isn’t on the list; that’s fine.If you are going to commit to doing the ‘draw a picture a week challenge’, and I really hope you will, of course doing a drawing is the most important thing. The subject and how you do it is your choice. It can be a small sketch, maybe in a dedicated sketchbook, or a larger piece of work. Whatever you are comfortable with.I chose to draw a picture a week so it wasn’t overpowering for me but you can always do more if you wish.If you have more time and want to create more than one picture a week, you could take ideas from the list or come up with your own. Do as many as you like. The more you do, the easier it becomes. The Royal Academy has started a ‘daily doodle’ on Twitter which you might like to link in with. They are putting up a different idea for every day and some people have already posted work they have done. Have a look maybe try it and let us know how it goesJust drawFocussing on a longer project.If you prefer to undertake a longer single project that extends over a number of weeks, whatever materials or techniques you are using, that is ok too. We would still like to know about it.Getting startedSome of you may be experienced in drawing or painting. If you are new to it, you might feel a bit daunted or just that it is too difficult to try. When drawing from objects or life or even copying from pictures, the important thing to remember is draw what you see, keep looking and checking and adjusting and looking. You may find yourself redoing and trying again. Don’t give up. You are learning a new skill and you won’t be a Rembrandt immediately. Keep going and if you need some help, just ask. There are ways to use measurement and other techniques to help you. You might find them useful. They are tools to help you. You can find them on the internet. Examplesfor figure drawing still life would encourage you to try to draw from observation at least at first, but if you don’t want to, you could take a photo of the object on your camera and copy the image if that helps you to make a start. Other sources of things to draw.You could also draw from pictures sourced from the internet, cards, newspapers, magazines, photographs. It’s fine to copy.You could try drawing and painting your favourite piece of art, painting or sculpture, from an internet picture or photograph. Fitzwillliam Museum has a small exhibition called ‘Sharpening Perceptions’. It shows painings alongside copies made by students studying to be conservators at the Hamilton Kerr Institute as part of their course work. ’t be put off by the complexity but look at how the painting is constructed.Many galleries have digital pictures of their collections that you could refer to, for example, the National Portrait Gallery The National Gallery larger galleries have virtual exhibitions on their websites at the moment which may inspire you, here is a link to a collection of galleries across the world see their Facebook pages, for example of copying from pictures If you want to use a structure when transferring the picture you want to copy to your paper, try this example you have a small picture to copy and want your drawing to be larger try this example. from memory or imaginationYou might want to draw pictures from memory or imagination. Perhaps your composition might be inspired by something you see on one of your daily walks, or a scenario such queues outside the supermarkets, even your family sitting around the TV. Or even pictures from the TV. This could even be a pictorial form of recording what is happening at the moment rather than a written diary.Some ideas to help you approach your composition idea can be found here, again, don’t be put off, the site is targeting both beginners and more experienced artists. Have a look and have a go.Other sources of helpIf you get stuck with drawing a particular object, look on the internet for pictures that will help you and copy or re model the image into your picture. Similarly, you might find objects in your house to help you.If you want to draw ‘make believe’ or fantasy pictures try to develop what you are doing by looking at different ideas you find on the internet. You could look at the work of different artists on the internet, books or magazines and comics for ideas.Some other hints:The Royal Academy Website has a section showing historic doodles from famous artists and others over the years. It’s worth a look to fire your imagination. are many videos on the RA site. Try this historic film of Picasso painting a picture. Tate Galleries also have some great activities in their kid’s zone which are also good fun for adults, such as painting like Van Gogh! on the same site, a great interactive activity to create abstract work in the style of Frank BowlingAnother step by step interactive activity: making a picture like Kandinsky a look and have a go, whatever age you are. It’s good fun!I haven’t any materials what should I use? Don’t worry about materials, given our current circumstances, this is about creating pictures, not worrying about trying to order specialist materials, papers, paints etc. If you have a pen or a pencil and bit of paper or card in the house you can draw. If you do have crayons and paints, felt pens, Sharpies, chalks, basic wax crayons and can access them easily that is good too.Some of the drawings made by David Hockney currently in the National Portrait Gallery are just done with pencil or coloured crayons. Although the Gallery is closed there is a small slide show of his drawings on the site which might inspire you. terms of paper, if you have a sketch pad or plain book that is great, but if not, use whatever you can find. Most of my early drawings were on the backs of old greeting cards or other bits of card which my aunt brought each week, or various flyers put through the door. Card from packaging, the back of file paper pads, and junk mail is also okay. It’s good to recycle. Use what you have. It will be interesting for you to see how creative you can be.If you have some leftover household paint try using it to prime the cardboard. (A number of artists used household paint when they were short of cash or for other reasons, including Picasso, Jackson Pollock, it won’t last forever though but won’t be a problem if you don’t intend you picture to last into the next century). When dry you can draw or paint on it.If you only have thin paper and are going to use paint, it might be wise to stick the paper down on a board or piece of thick cardboard first (it’s best with masking tape) which will reduce the puckering of the paper a little.You can also introduce texture and relief to your work by adding things like paper, tissue, card, twigs, seeds, fibres string, bits of material. There are many YouTube videos and other sites that will help you.Example on the Royal Academy Facebook page. Find films on the ‘Picasso and Paper’ exhibition. . this film incudes burning and scorching so appropriate conditions and supervision would need to apply.Picasso used collage and paper cuts, even newspaper. You could also experiment with digital drawing programmes. After all David Hockney uses his iPad for his work now! See below for his work during self isolation! start with paint3D or similar.Making pictures with textiles and embroideryYou could also make your pictures with fabrics and thread either stuck on or embroidered or a combination of the two. A friend of mine is making a section of a quilt dedicated to the NHS. All the sections made by different people will be joined together. Find your idea and give it a go!If you have any queries or are not sure where to start….please get in touch……Dilys ................
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