Overview and finals

Overview:

Throughout this assignment for animals and creatures, I have tried hard to experiment further with my materials, colour and marks. This has allowed me to get a greater idea of what works best for each creature, and what I would and wouldn't like to use and develop in future assignments. In my fourth sketchbook, I tried to focus also on particular animals that I felt were quite interesting, and that may have some interesting features that when working on my finals and my 'monsters', I could combine with other animals and maybe even exaggerate. I worked mostly from the internet, however looked at some of the books I had previously worshiped. Here are some of the studies I have created to help me reach my final images:

I found the image I worked from here at this site

I drew this bear in pencil, and again took influence from the artist E.H. Sheppard, and his quite traditional, simple style. I found it quite enjoyable to draw and took time adding the detail of the bears fur, and I was interested in perhaps using a bear or type of bear in my finals. 

I found the image I worked from here at this site

After illustrating the panda bear above, I found that I could develop some of the features I focussed on in my first bear study like the fur, and add them to a panda which I actually think might have a bit more potential for my final images in terms of character and interest for viewing.

I found the images to work from for these studies on this site and this site

I wanted to have a look at hippos because I think that they're quite interesting animals and I had not yet looked at them. I used fine liner to create simple line drawings but despite enjoying looking at them and drawing these, I found that did not see much potential for these drawings in my finals.

I drew this using pg 79 of 'Skeletons' which I used for previous research.

I thought that it might be interesting to look at bats and bat wings with them being such an interesting feature and bats being such interesting animals generally. I used fine liner to create a semi detailed sketch of a skeleton wing to get an idea of the form of it, although after developing my ideas was unsure of how to fit this in. I originally had an idea of adding them to the body of the panda for a sinister, monochromatic drawing.

I found a photograph of a hare to work from on this site, and have later
realised it actually has a lot of lovely illustrations to view.

I had really been enjoying drawing the rabbits and hares over this project, and this time I decided to experiment further with my media when studying the animal. I used a mix of watercolour, pencil, graphite, charcoal, chalk and fine liner to build up the details of the hare and the textures of the fur etc. I found the process rather enjoyable although I am now quite confused as to what works best - this or the more limited studies I created earlier. I had an interest in perhaps using the head or maybe just the ears of the rabbit in a final.

I found the image I worked from for this study on this site

I thought that an ostrich would be quite an interesting animal to look at because they definitely have some very outstanding and unique features. I was quite interested in their large bouncing feathers, but mostly the long neck and legs of the bird, because I think they look quite comical. I thought that I could perhaps use a couple of these features and combine them with other animals. For this study I used black ink and fine liner for the details of the feathers, and also the head neck and legs of the bird. I thought that because of the interesting marks - like the dots on the legs and neck and the bold blotted marks on the feathers, that this study or whatever I would choose to do with it would work well as a print.

I found the image for this study on this site

I was quite interested in looking at horses because they too have quite bold features and appear quite bold and strong. I was not at all happy with the above study I created using acrylic paint, however it did enable me to look at the body of the horse again and focus on the muscular build and form of the legs etc because I thought it would be interesting to use the body of the horse with perhaps the head of another animal.

Image for this study found here

Here I did another simple like study of a bull because I thought I would like to look at the animals horns, and after went on to look at them in more detail, as well as the horns of the buffalo:

I found the images I worked from here at this site and this site. 

I tried to focus on the main features of the bull, the horns,
because I thought that it might be quite interesting to add these to another animal. I wasn't able to get my studies to a standard that I was happy with, however the idea of adding them to another animals body I think is still quite interesting.

I found the image I worked from for this study here

I used only ink to sketch out this elephant quickly using a stick to work with the media. I wanted to briefly focus on elephants because I think that they are quite magnificent creatures, and definitely have some astounding features which could be very fascinating to look at in further detail, and combine with the features of other animals bodies. These naturally include features such as the trunk, tusks and ears of the animal, but also the height and general structure of the elephants body.

I found the image I used to work from for
this study here

I used the same image for both studies

 I chose to look at parrots for a moment because I quite enjoyed studying birds earlier in my work and I thought that these tropical birds would be particularly intriguing to look at due to their brightly coloured feathers. To bring out the vibrancy of the colours I used brusho, and on top of this used ink in the same way I had with my study of the yellow lizard, and am still finding influence from Quentin Blake's illustrations when looking at these. I found putting them together very fun and interesting, however wasn't sure about how the first one worked because of the limited detail, so in the second study I also used fine liner in an attempt to bring out some more of the details. However on reflection, I think I prefer the first one more and so will remember this when approaching my finals.

I found the image I worked from in this site here

This is another simple line drawing using fine liner, and varied shapes to express the pattern of the zebras stripes. I had chose to look at the zebra because after struggling depicting the image of the horse, I thought it might be good to look at this animal because they obviously share the same characteristics but the zebras have an added bonus of the interesting stripes which I decided could have potential amongst my finals.

I found the image I worked from for this study here

I created this study using watercolour, pencil, fineliner and acrylic. I wanted the giraffe to perhaps feature in my finals also, because of its outstanding characteristics. I was however very unhappy with this study. 

My finals: 

When I began planning my finals, I decided to start crossing over animals that I had enjoyed drawing, and that I thought had interesting quirky features that might work interestingly together. I thought showered a few ideas and then started to put them together roughly in simple sketches to try to put the different shapes and forms together which I found quite challenging. 

For my first idea, I decided to cross a panda bear, a horse and a zebra, here were my initial sketches when I was struggling to get my creature together: 

A grazing panda (again unsuccessful!)

First sketch in pencil

Side view attempt (awful!)

More detailed fineliner sketch from front

 I found it quite difficult to get the features to combine together well, and so began trying different drawing techniques so that it was not as vivid and noticeably ineffective. Here are some of these:

I am still very uncertain of these studies on reflection, but I do think they work better in this style than in my previous attempts. I decided to use the face of the panda (which I studied with an image found here) and then I looked at the body and the build of a horse (using an image found here) and then the legs of the zebra for the patterns (here). I chose to combine these animals because I thought that the black and white patterns could help provide some camouflage as this creature would live in rocky areas, and the stripes (as with zebras) they keep irritating insects at bay. I used the body of the horse and legs of a zebra so that the animal would have strength and the ability to run fast from predators.

Here is my final for this creature:

Final 1

For my next imaginary creature, I decided to swap the features of a giraffe, ostrich and bull. I decided to combine the characteristics of the giraffe and ostrich especially because I find that they each have quite feminine qualities, the giraffes being its facial features like its long eyelashes for example, and the ostrich having its very long bare legs and huge feathered coat. Also, both the giraffe and the ostrich have long necks which is quite interesting. I then decided to add the horns of the bull onto the giraffes head due to them already having stumpy horns for fighting each other with (the males) and so I thought that this could help the creature whenever they were in battle. The long legs of the ostriches body would also help with running away from predators and the neck to continue being able to reach food. Here are some of my initial sketches:

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4

5 

I had decided after drawing these that the media best worked fluidly, using ink, watercolour and fineliner rather than just fineliner alone or pencil. I also recognised that the animal was best drawn facing the left like in my later studies. I then went on to draw these:

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Before completing my final here:

Final 2

For my next animal I decided to put together a mix of a bear, a hare and a fox. I wanted to combine the ears of the hare, the face and body/general build of the bear and the foxes tail into one creature. I decided that the animal would have huge long ears to help listening when hunting, and that the body would be big and strong with sharp teeth and cunning eyes. The fox tail would help to keep the animal warm and hidden when sleeping. Here are some of my early studies of this imaginary animal:

Initial first sketch in pencil

Adding detail in watercolour and graphite

Practicing with brusho and ink

Brusho and fineliner

After creating my first attempts, I found that the one that worked better was a study I did using just fineliner, a detailed drawing building up short lines in an attempt to create the textures of the animals fur. I then decided to base my final on this. Here are the drawings:

Sketchbook attempt

Final

For my last and final creature, I based it on two very different creatures, an elephant and a parrot. I did this because I had the idea of wanting to give an elephant wings, and so did not draw the parrots wings on to scale, but to suit the size and mass of the elephant, giving it the ability to fly. I wanted there to be a contrast between the dull shade of the elephants skin and the bright vibrancy of the tropical bird wings. I first sketched this idea out quickly, and then after liking the look of the rushed, basic drawing, I decided to repeat this same drawing process through monoprinting. Here were these results:

Quick pencil sketch of idea

Print 3

Monoprint 1

Monoprint 2

 I quite liked the way the images looked so childlike and rushed, and decided to stick to this idea to complete my final, here:

Overall I found this project very interesting and very beneficial. I was given many great opportunities to study real live animals up close and practice drawing them both still and moving. This project enabled me to study the anatomy of various animals and focus on their varying qualities. It has gave me a chance to strengthen my skills and also my imagination by thinking creatively when designing my own pretend creatures.

Week 4: Printing workshop and taxidermy

Printing workshop 

During our second week we had the chance to take part in a printing workshop, to practice 'etching' for the first time. We each took a sketchbook of our animal work down to the printing room and chose an image to etch. This was very fun and enjoyable for me. I chose to work from a study I had done previously of my neighbors dog, because I thought that this could potentially make quite an interesting print when considering the mark making I used in the original drawing. We were given small sheets of card which on one side had a waxy coating, which looked glossy and similar to photo paper. We then had to scratch our study into this using a sharp utensil, and we were taught that we could create many different marks by doing this, like dotty ones for example. We were also able to tear parts of the waxy coating off with our hands which would later create big bold inky marks when put through the printing press. The marks that we made created an area that the ink was able to absorb into. We carefully applied the ink to the cards with rubber squeegees, and then rubbing the excess away with paper towels. This ensured that the ink had filled into the scratches and tears comfortably. The next step was putting the card through the press which a sheet of damp paper covering it, for the inked image to transfer onto. Unfortunately, I used the wrong type of paper on my first attempt and so my first print was not successful, however my second one was, which I was pleased about. Here is my result:

This was my finished result, after the second attempt! I was quite pleased with it and really enjoyed the workshop. I quite like the different effects that the varied marks have made in the study, and I would definitely like to experiment in the print room again to learn more and develop my skills. I am quite excited to try this again in the future to practice mark making more, I think it would have been good to have been able to create a few different prints so I could create different scaled pieces.

The right paper I used on the second attempt

The wrong paper I used (You can see that the ink hasn't
properly wiped off)

Taxidermy workshop
Also in our fourth week, we visited a taxidermy where we were able to illustrate the range of stuffed animals they had. This was a good chance to draw real animals that were still for us to study them and their details closely. At the workshop there were many animals like rabbits, hares, foxes, owls, otters etc, as well as many different insects. I very much enjoyed drawing the hare that they had, finding it fun to capture the details of the fur in a study. Here is what I created: 
 

I simply used pencil to draw out this animal finding that using the various types of pencil allowed me to create harsher and softer marks for the fur, helping to build up regular textures. I like how the hare looks as though it has been caught being very aware of itself and surroundings, as though it has frozen in a moment before racing off. 
 I think that the above drawing was my most successful from the workshop, however here are some of my others:

I used pencil to illustrate the otter but was very unhappy with it

I used bolder lines with graphite to draw the back of the bird, I was also quite unhappy with this study.

I experimented with pencil and fine liner when drawing the butterflies

I also attempted one in colour pencil to try to express the vibrant patterns on the butterfly, but am unsure as to how this looked overall.

 I think that I may have been more pleased with my studies if I had allowed myself to experiment further with colour and media during this task. However, I found that this workshop was very beneficial towards my practice, it further enabled me to discover new animals and insects that I liked drawing, which in this case above the others was the hare. Therefore I would like to further experiment drawing hares and rabbits and see where this takes me.

Animals and creatures: artist research

Quentin Blake
 Whilst studying animals and creatures, I found some artists who have inspired my practice throughout. One of my favourite childrens book illustrators is Quentin Blake, whose artwork is very playful, colourful and creative. It seems to come alive on the page, and I quite wanted to create this feeling in my own studies. Quentin Blake is an incredibly successful artist loved by children and adults, and has been exhibiting since the 1990s. I think that the life in his drawings is incredible but I particularly took notice to this when studying Animals and Creatures, because I wanted my own studies to look lively.

found here

I took particular notice to the fluidity of the coloured marks in his work and the playful lines he uses, bringing each of his characters to life be it human or animal. I think his vibrant use of colour also plays a part in this. I took influence from his work especially in the following study:

I used watered down brusho to try to get the same vibrant colours expressed in the artists work and used ink to draw the lines on top of this. I quite enjoyed working this way and would like to experiment further in the future.

Jackie Morris

Another one of my favourites is Jackie Morris, a talented illustrator who works for both children and adults. Her work is a lot more delicate in colour but is very beautiful, gentle and captivating. I find inspiration from her work a lot, and I took notice of her work when I practiced with watercolour. I find her work fascinating, and find that she captures animals incredibly well in her work, making them look realistic and beautiful. She studies their characteristics and portrays them accurately and powerfully in her work. Here is an image of a tiger created by her, and then one of my own where she has inspired me somewhat in my creating:

Beautiful work of hers found here

My own study inspired by her

E.H. Shepard

I think above all, the artist I have found the most inspiration from that I researched is E.H. Shepard, who is mostly known for his illustrations for the classic Winnie the Pooh books, by A.A. Milne. This is where I actually found my inspiration, because although I greatly admire all of this illustrators work, like the previous artists I have discussed, E.H. Shepard has a unique way of bringing his characters to life, by using a very traditional approach. I admire the artists use of media and when taking into consideration the length of time ago these drawings first came on to the scene, they are quite quirky but with a delicate feel, theres very much a feeling of innocence in the artist work.
I have mostly been inspired by the way the artist has illustrated the character 'Rabbit' in the Winnie the Pooh drawings, here is an example:

found here

In these drawings the artist uses the correct proportions and also delicately adds the detail of the fur giving a slightly realistic quality to the character. His studies inspired me and when I was drawing rabbits in my books, I referred to E.H. Shepherd's work and he influenced my choice of media (dry) and the way I placed my marks. Here is an example.

my hare drawing

I took influence from the way his work looked alive on the page, and this is a look I hope to achieve when I continue my studies - I will keep in mind each artist but especially E.H. Shepard and will hopefully manage to create more studies like the above one which I enjoyed creating.