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.