Expressive Drawing – Rhythm

Rhythmic Drawing with Several Motifs
Expressive Drawing - Chapter 7 - Build 3
Digital

In Chapter 7 of Expressive Drawing, Steven Aimone discusses Rhythm. He observes there is a rhythm in all living things and suggests if a drawing displays rhythm, it can be experienced as being about nature or life itself. I agree that there is something primal about a drawing with a strong rhythmic component.

Rhythmic Repetition
Expressive Drawing - Chapter 7 - Play 1
Graphite on Paper
84.1cm x 20cm (33.1" x 8")

The initial play exercises concern creating long thin drawings based on the rhythmic repetition of vertical lines.

Horizontal Rhythm of a Vertical Line Bar Motif
Expressive Drawing - Chapter 7 - Build 1
Acrylic on Paper
84.1cm x 59.4cm (33.1" x 23.4")

The first build exercise is also about the rhythmic repetition of vertical lines. The instructions for the exercise are like those for previous exercises - you add elements to the drawing and remove anything you don’t like by erasing or obscuring it.

I had a major loss of mojo during this exercise. The drawing quickly reached a point where both Elaine and I were enthusiastic about it. Elaine even talked about framing it. I decided to do one more thing, which spoilt the composition and then spent weeks adding bits on and covering bits up - never finding a pattern I enjoyed. Part of the problem is once lines have been erased or obscured, the drawing begins to look overworked. The white acrylic I use intensifies the problem because it's not a pure white - it has a slight creamy yellow cast. My loss of confidence and enthusiasm was also due to a lack of time for drawing and painting.

Rhythmic Drawing with Several Motifs
Expressive Drawing - Chapter 7 - Build 3
Charcoal on Paper
59.4cm x 84.1cm (23.4" x 33.1")

I began to get things back together on the final build exercise - creating a rhythmic drawing with several motifs. I wanted to draw it again and refine it. For a change, I decided to do this in GIMP a free alternative to Photoshop.

Drawing and Painting the Landscape – Blind Drawing

Otter Estuary
Blind Drawing
Drawing and Painting the Landscape
February 2019
Ink
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
20cm x 11cm (8" x 4.25")

Lesson 3 of Drawing and Painting the Landscape by Philip Tyler is Blind Drawing (a.k.a. Blind Contour Drawing). Most drawing courses and books include blind drawing in one form or another. See the contour drawing label for posts about contour drawing and blind drawing from:

• The Natural Way to Draw
• Keys to Drawing
• Liz Steel’s SketchingNow Foundations course
• Adebanji Alade’s Inspired to Sketch blog

The aim of the exercise is to study the subject intently. You draw while looking at the subject, you don't look at the paper until the drawing is complete. I particularly like Kimon Nicolaїdes instructions from The Natural Way to Draw:

Imagine that your pencil point is touching the model instead of the paper. Without taking your eyes off the model, wait until you are convinced that the pencil is touching that point on the model upon which your eyes are fastened. Then move your eyes slowly along the contour of the model and move the pencil slowly along the paper. As you do this, keep the conviction that the pencil point is actually touching the contour. Be guided more by the sense of touch than by sight.

Langdale Hills
Blind Drawing
Drawing and Painting the Landscape
February 2019
Graphite Pencil
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
29cm x 15cm (11.5" x 6")

Philip Tyler recommends the exercise as a technique for warming up:

To find a way of getting into the landscape to discover how it might be drawn.

I drew a few blind drawings from photographs and one in situ on Selsley common. The common is on the edge of the Cotswolds with views over the Severn estuary stretching as far as the Brecon Beacons and the Malvern Hills. It is almost always blustery on the common, probably because the valley acts like a wind tunnel. Elaine and I were there walking with Doris on a particularly windy day. I took a few minutes to sit on a bench and draw the view of Pen Hill. The exercise reached a natural conclusion when the wind abruptly ripped the sketchbook out of my hands and deposited it a few feet away.

Pen Hill from Selsley Common
Blind Drawing
Drawing and Painting the Landscape
February 2019
Graphite Pencil
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
20cm x 18cm (8" x 7")

I enjoy blind drawing and always get enthralled by the exercise, but my drawings never look anything like the thing the subject. While drawing Pen Hill I realised part of the problem is I normally place the paper to my side - outside of my field of vision. The contortion on my arm makes it difficult for my hand to track accurately; which results in a wonky sketch. It doesn't really matter because the objective of the exercise is to study the subject intently - not to produce a master drawing, but I would still prefer the results to be slightly more accurate. Philip suggests using the cover of the sketchbook over your hand, so that you cannot accidentally look at the drawing. Something I will do from now on.