Detailed observation project – line drawing detail exercise – part 2

This was my second attempt at this project, several months after my first due to the break I took. I decided to do this exercise again and this time spend more time trying to observe the detail as my first attempt was rather rushed.

The object of the exercise was to draw line rather than tone. This fitted with the work I have been doing from Robert Kaupelis’ book, ‘Experimental Drawing’. The exercises I have doing from there have been teaching me about contour drawing and trying to focus only on the line and nothing else. This helped me to complete this exercise.

At my last attempt at this exercise, I chose to draw a sliced cabbage. This time, I picked something that I regarded as more challenging, a fir cone. The first drawing this time ended up far too small and did not fill the paper. I was trying to avoid using my pencil before using the pen, hence the result was too small. The second version filled the paper.

 

Line drawing of a fir cone

My thoughts:

It was a real challenge trying to avoid filling in the tone and concentrate only on line. I felt it looked flat at first but as I worked down the drawing it began to come together and looked more three-dimensional. I tried to apply what I had learned from Kaupelis’ book about imagining the pen actually touching the form. I am pleased with the result.

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