Analysis of Reproductions

Analysis of Reproductions - Darks
Based on "Lighthouse at Two Lights" by Edward Hopper
3 March 2014
Graphite Pencil on Paper
16.5cm x 11.5cm (6.5" x 4.5")

I am persevering with the Composition from Reproductions and Analysis of Reproductions exercises from the Natural Way to Draw (see Composition from Reproductions). Kimon Nicolaides suggests doing the exercises for 4 years, so I have a few years to go.

The Composition from Reproductions exercise involves drawing small gesture studies from works of art. Nicolaides specifies they are to be done quickly and I use a two minute time limit for each study. The Analysis of Reproductions exercise is an extension of the basic exercise and uses the gesture studies from the original exercise as a starting point. It has three variations:

• Take one of the gesture studies and spot in the dark areas of the composition
• Turn one of the gesture studies upside down and use it as a starting point for a gesture study of something you have recently seen or done
• Take one of the gesture studies and analyse the straight and curved lines in the composition

I approach these analysis exercises in a more relaxed way and spend up to 10 minutes on each study.

I work on a 5 week cycle - Composition from Reproductions exercises for 4 weeks (studying a different artist each week) and Analysis of Reproductions on the fifth week. So far I've studied works from 48 artists. I aim to spend about 40 minutes a week on the exercises, but when I am busy, this is the first thing I drop from my schedule.

I have a love hate relationship with the basic composition exercise. It’s enjoyable to study an artist’s work for 40 minutes, but sometimes I question the benefit of the frantic scribbling. If nothing else, it provides input for the analysis exercises which I always enjoy and find useful.

The Edward Hooper study at the top of the post is from my last round of analysis exercises (you can see the original here http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/edward-hopper/lighthouse-at-two-lights-1929). Hopper makes dramatic use of light and dark. His pictures lend themselves to this sort of analysis. After completing this study, it struck me how this exercise has correlations with the simplified landscapes from chapter 7 of Keys To Drawing (see Keys to Drawing - Chapter 7) and the Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group exercises (see Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group - Weeks 24 to 27.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group - Weeks 28 to 30

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 28

The Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group exercises for weeks 28 to 30 are about colour (see http://www.studiorousar.com/2013/07/07/memory-drawing-group-week-twenty-eight/)

The focus is on the relationships and differences between a group of colours rather than the precise recall of a single colour.

The instructions for week 28 are:

• Select five squares of dissimilar colours
• On the first day, choose one of the squares to act as a constant and another as a target to memorise
• Place the squares next to each other and study them for 5 minutes
• After 5 minutes, hide the target and try to paint a swatch of the colour using the constant as a reference
• On the next day, repeat the exercise with two different squares

Week 29 is the same exercise, except it uses two targets and on the last day, you memorise the constant as well as the targets.

Week 30 increases the number of squares again and this time uses similar colours.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 29

I started the study time for each exercise non-analytically - just staring at the colours trying to retain an impression of the whole. I used some of the time to compare the colours – asking questions such as is this one warmer or cooler than that one? Is it darker or lighter? Which is the more saturated colour? What is the difference in hue? I spent a small amount of the time trying to name the individual colours and thinking about how I could mix them.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 30

The exercises provided an interesting insight into my ability to recall colours, but also more fundamental skills to do with discerning the differences between colours, accurately mixing them and painting flat washes These exercises and many of the memory group exercises are good painting and drawing exercises that are worth repeating without the memory element.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group - Weeks 24 to 27

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 27 Day 8?

Weeks 24 to 26 of the Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group (see http://www.studiorousar.com/2013/01/01/memory-drawing-group-week-one/) are about drawing landscapes.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 24 Day 2

In week 24, you draw a different landscape on each day. You stare at a view for 10 minutes and then hurry home to draw it. Darren Rousar’s instructions are to focus on simplifying the tones and shape in the scene.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 24 Day 3

The exercises are a good reason for spending some time outside - just standing and looking at the scenery for 10 minutes.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 24 Day 4

In week 25, you draw the same view on each day. You study the scene at either dawn or dusk because the half-light helps to simplify the shapes and tones.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 25 Day 5

I did most of the drawings for week 25 in the evening, but on the last day, I got up early. The flat early morning light seemed more reliable than at dusk. In the evening, the light seemed to be changing constantly. At dawn, the light conditions remained the same through out the exercise.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 26 Day 2

Week 26 is more of the same, except you choose a new landscape every other day.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 26 Day 4

The challenge for week 27 is to reproduce a charcoal drawing by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon. You can see the original here:

 http://www.studiorousar.com/2013/06/30/memory-drawing-group-week-twenty-seven/. 

On the first day, you:

• Print out the drawing, add a centre line and 3 marker points
• Copy the line and marks to a larger sheet of paper
• Study the original for 10 minutes
• Hide the original
• Copy what you remember on to the larger sheet of paper using charcoal

On the second and subsequent nights, you:

• Compare your drawing with the original
• Make a mental note of your mistakes
• Study the original for a further 10 minutes
• Hide the original
• Work on your drawing - making corrections and adding more details from memory. 

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 27 Day 3

I normally only follow each exercise for 4 nights, but I decided to work on this for 2 weeks. On the first 4 nights, I focused on drawing the shapes accurately. On the second 4 nights, I worked on the tones and made some refinements to the shapes.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 27 Day 5

This is the first time I’ve used charcoal. I was impressed by how easy it is to erase and correct. Eventually it stains the paper and the drawing looks over worked, but it is very forgiving.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group - Weeks 19 to 23

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 23 Day 4

The exercises for the Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group become evermore challenging (see http://www.studiorousar.com/2013/01/01/memory-drawing-group-week-one/).

Week 19 is another abstract shape (see Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group - Weeks 13 to 18), but weeks 20 to 23 increase the difficulty. These exercises are drawings of real objects.

The instructions for these weeks are:

• Light the object (or objects) with a strong light source
• Study them for 10 minutes
• Move, so you cannot see the objects
• Draw the objects from memory

You can change the orientation of the objects each day, but I prefer to keep the same arrangement and try to produce a better drawing at each attempt. Darren Rousar suggests taking a photograph of each layout, so you can review the drawings.

Week 20 and 21 are drawings of single objects, but they are approached in different ways. Week 20 starts by treating the object as though it were flat.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 20 Day 4

Week 21 focuses on it being a three-dimensional object.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 21 Day 4

Week 22 concentrates on the main areas of tone in a group of objects and places less emphasis on the individual objects.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 22 Day 4

Week 23 is about individuality – don’t just draw an apple shape – remember and draw a specific apple.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 23 Day 4

The exercises are time consuming. The memorising part may only take 10 minutes, but some of the drawings have taken more than half an hour. This is eating into the time I have for the exercises from Keys to Drawing and Composition, but I am persevering. These exercises are not just improving my visual memory - they are good daily drawing practice.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group - Weeks 13 to 18

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 18 Day 3

The exercises from the Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group (see http://www.studiorousar.com/2013/01/01/memory-drawing-group-week-one/) are time consuming, but they are entertaining and I think I am improving.

Weeks 13 to 18 return to memorising outlines after the challenges of memorising tone (see Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group - Weeks 7 to 12).

The basic instructions are the same as for the original exercises, but the shapes are more taxing and you are limited to studying the images for 5 minutes before each attempt to draw them.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 13 Day 4

The outlines for weeks 13, 14 and 15 are silhouettes of figures from Greek kraters (large vases used to mix wine and water in Ancient Greece)

The images do not have any reference lines or reference points, but I added lines at the top and bottom to make it easier to compare my drawings with the originals. In retrospect, these lines acted as references, but the exercises were still challenging enough - I don’t feel as though I cheated too badly.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 15 Day 4

The outlines for weeks 16, 17 and 18 are abstract shapes.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 17 Day 3

I have no idea how accurately my drawings should match the originals, but I am pleased if:

• The drawing reflects the gesture of the figure or shape
• The drawing contains each major change of direction in the outline
• Each attempt is better than the previous one

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group - Weeks 7 to 12

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 12 Day 4

The exercises for weeks 7 and 8 of the Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group are similar to the exercises from weeks 1 to 6 (see Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group - Weeks 1 to 6 and  http://www.studiorousar.com/2013/01/01/memory-drawing-group-week-one/).

They involve memorising a shape and drawing it on a piece of tracing paper. The shape for week 7 is the outline of a pelvis and the image for week 8 is the outline of a vase. Both images include 3 reference lines and 3 reference dots that serve as an aid for the memory.

The instructions are the same as for the previous weeks:

• Copy the reference lines and dots on to piece of tracing paper. 
• Study the image for a few minutes
• Hide the image and try to draw it on the tracing paper
• Once you have finished drawing, put the tracing paper over the image to see how well you have done and correct your drawing
• The next night, repeat the process, starting with a review of your drawing from the previous day

The image of the pelvis for week 7 is so difficult you are allowed to add 3 more reference marks towards the end of the week. The vase for week 8 is simpler, but the additional challenge is you are only allowed to study it for 2 minutes each night.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 7 Day 4

The exercises take a diversion in weeks 9, 10 and 11. Instead of memorising shapes, you memorise tones. The instructions are similar: study a row of squares of varying tones for a few minutes, hide the source image and try to draw the shaded squares.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 11 Day 4

Week 12 is even more difficult. In this exercise, you memorise both shape and tone. The image for the week is a photograph of a bust, without any reference lines or marks (see http://www.studiorousar.com/2013/03/17/memory-drawing-group-week-twelve/.

You are allowed to study the photo for 10 minutes before hiding it and trying to draw it. My best effort is at the top of the post. My drawings improved each night. It was interesting to see how much more I could remember with each attempt.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing Group - Weeks 1 to 6

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 6 Day 4

Each Daily Composition (see The Daily Composition Revisited) is a reminder that I want to improve my visual memory.

I would like to be able to draw the things and scenes I have seen during the day, but wasn’t able to record at the time.

More importantly, I want to improve my visual memory because virtually every drawing is drawn from memory. The first chapter of Keys to Drawing explains this (see Keys to Drawing - Chapter 1). Bert Dodson describes the process as Look, Hold (Remember), Draw. There is always a small delay from looking at the subject and making a mark on the paper. Being able to remember more detail with greater accuracy can only help.

Studio Rousar are running a memory drawing class. It started in January 2013 and it runs for a year. Each week, they publish a new exercise. I started the course in June, so I hope they are going to keep the exercises on the website after the end of the year.


Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 3 Day 3


The exercises for the first 6 weeks are outline images with 3 reference lines and 3 reference dots. If you are interested, you should take a look at http://www.studiorousar.com/2013/01/01/memory-drawing-group-week-one/.

The images for the first 3 weeks are various bones, weeks 4 and 5 are vases and week 6 is an outline of a foot in a sandal – each week the outline becomes more complicated.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 4 Day 3

The instructions are simple:

• Copy the reference lines and dots on to piece of tracing paper.
• Study the image for a few minutes
• Hide the image and try to draw it on the tracing paper
• Once you have finished drawing, put the tracing paper over the image to see how well you have done and correct your drawing
• The next night, repeat the process, starting with a review of your drawing from the previous day

The instructions for weeks 5 and 6 include the direction not to analyse the shape on the first night – just look at it and remember it. I find this remarkably difficult because normally I would try to remember the shape by describing the object as I look at it. Perhaps I've been stopping my purely visual memory from developing by using my analytical and verbal skills as an unnecessary crutch. I am doing my best to respect the instruction and I’ve already started to notice an improvement. I’ve started to be able to remember shapes without having verbal descriptions of them.

What Comes Next?

Sorry About the Chips
Watercolour on Paper
24cm x 34cm (9.5" x 13.5")

I am back, completely refreshed after a break from blogging. Elaine and I spent a relaxing couple of weeks in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

We saw the herring gull at the top of this post while we were enjoying a glass of Pimms in the garden of the Turks Head in Penzance. I cannot decide whether he looks contrite or like an evil Bond villain planning his next nefarious scheme.

Since we returned, I’ve been deciding on which aspects of drawing I want to improve:

• Accuracy – The Natural Way to Draw does not offer much guidance about accurate draughtsmanship. The instructions for the Extended Gesture Study include the advice “You may use any and all methods at your command to arrive at the correct proportions and the posture”. I am going to reread Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson as a refresher course on some of the methods to arrive at the correct proportions.
• Composition - Composition by Arthur Wesley Dow looks like a good starting point to learn more about composition and design. Its approach seems to be learning by experimentation, which is exactly what I want. It is another old book - even older than The Natural Way to Draw. It was first published in 1899. 
• Mark making – Dow recommends brush and ink as the best medium for the exercises in his book. I hope these exercises will also improve my line drawing and brushwork.
• Visual memory – Studio Rousar started a memory-drawing group with weekly exercises in January 2013. I’ve started to follow these exercises, but I am half a year behind.

This seems like quite a workload. On top of this, I want to continue with the Daily Composition and Composition from Reproductions exercises from the Natural Way to Draw and find time to paint.

Lets see how it works out.