Catherine Pilgrim
  • Home
  • CV
  • Images
    • Mrs Larritt Series
    • Installation View
    • Buda Series
    • Widow Series
    • Fabric based Imagery
    • Culinary Series
  • Drawing Groups
    • Drawing Group - 8 week Term
    • Buda Workshop
    • Winter and January Workshops
    • Testimonials
  • News
  • Litho - Photo Essay
  • Contact / Mailing List
  • Gallery Store
  • Blog - Drawing and History
  • Blog - Archive

Drawing and Observation

9/20/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture


Drawing is an outrageously broad activity. In Western culture (and that is my 'mother tongue') we draw for many reasons - to aid in the design or construction process, to communicate an idea or tell a story, to map a terrain, poke fun, to share something from our imagination, to express something personal, to show how we expect something to look in the future or how it looked in the past, or purely for the sake of drawing. We draw before we write, and only some of us draw into old age.

Drawing is often thought of as an activity available only to a particular group 'talented' people. Yet drawing is an accessible medium that can be beneficial for pretty much everyone.

John Ruskin believed that drawing from Nature allowed us a connection that made us better people. The UK based Campaign for Drawing promotes 'drawing to learn rather than learning to draw' thanks to Ruskin's ideas. This philosophy helps the tentative drawer move past the idea of drawing as a holy activity only accessible to the minority. And drawing from Nature allows us a more contemplative approach to the world... a kind of meditation.

The very general skill of observational drawing is available to anyone who can see and respond with mark making. How much that skill is honed depends on the objectives (and the tenacity) of the individual. Practice, as in any discipline will make all the difference - so draw, and draw regularly.

One way to start is by finding contour lines that follow the shape of an object. Catch something with a line. Then move onto finding the major lines that run through an object - consider what the subject is doing, not only how it appears. And look, look and look some more. Careful rendering of tone will give your drawing the illusion of volume...

There are many approaches to observational drawing, yet the main ingredient is always the observation which allows us to see in a way that goes beyond everyday perception. And that is where you will find the joy.

​



1 Comment

    Catherine Pilgrim

    Visual artist, drawing advocate, and mother of two red headed teenage boys.

    Upcoming exhibition 'Mrs Larritt' at 45 Downstairs, Melbourne opening Tuesday 29th October 2019 and current to Saturday 9th November 2019. This will be a second iteration of the work exhibited for site specific exhibition 'Mrs Larritt in Upside Down Country' at Dudley House Bendigo which opened Saturday 17th November 2018

    Archives

    October 2019
    July 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly