Janet's Jottings

Size matters

Janet E Davis — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:30:48 +0000

Interior of Microsoft offices in London.

This weekend, my timestream on Twitter was full of a specific hashtag: #ukgc12. I had intended to be there but a fortnight beforehand realised that I had to withdraw from it.

I was glad to see that everyone was having a great time there, but had the kind of feeling of missing the popular kid’s birthday party. I had looked forward to the event all year, planning what to wear, anticipating which friends and acquaintances I could meet, and even thinking about camera angles. Six months ago, I had hoped that I might be able to upgrade my camera by the time this unconference came round. I am very conscious that my current camera does not do a great job in relatively low lighting.

I was trying very hard not to feel envious of those tweeting their journey and arrival in London, then at the unconference, and then providing link to photographs of the event. As I was looking through the photographs again at the end of the second day, I realised that those there seemed not to focus much on something I found it impossible to ignore last year: the building.

It is a big building, and the architects made the most of the splendid view of another large and more distinctive piece of architecture. It is a building with good quality finishes, and maintained to a high standard. I have been in quite a lot of office buildings that do not have that level of quality, so notice the difference more.

One of the reasons that I get excited about going to London is the architecture. One of the reasons I miss London when I have not been able to visit for a while is the architecture. There are so many buildings that are such a larger scale than elsewhere in the UK. Yes, there are some large buildings elsewhere but very few that are ‘Look at me!’ big ‘designer’ buildings on the same scale, and there are not large numbers of them.

The positive side of the lack of big architectural showpieces elsewhere is that the centres of towns and cities outside London tend to be on a human scale. This is a generally a good thing. It is possible to get around most of the main shopping and entertainment districts on foot for most people. Many of the UK cities are still essentially medieval in their central layout. York is a nice example of this (compare 1617 map with current Google map).

Natural History Museum doorway, Janet E Davis 2011.

Some of the grandest architectural statements of the late 18th and 19th centuries were the industrial buildings, the transport structures and the waterworks. The modern industrial buildings are often dull. Modern retail architecture can be even duller. My heart sinks a little as soon as I spot the corrugated structures of industrial and retail ‘parks.’ I feel an almost overwhelming urge to give street artists a large quantity of paints, scaffolding towers, hard hats and masks and let them clothe the horridly bland structures in wonderful images. It is the implication that the landlords or developers of such ‘parks’ are more interested in making as much money as quickly as possible than in investing for the future that annoys me as much as the ugliness of the buildings.

Although my professional focus during the past couple of decades has been on pre-20th century buildings and designed structures, I really enjoy good modern architecture. I would love to see more top quality contemporary architecture. British architecture has often been far too conservative in style: essentially variations on the Classical theme or Gothic.

I was rather sad when Newcastle City Council decided to demolish its 1968 Central Library, designed by Sir Basil Spence Glover & Ferguson in association with the City Architect, George Kenyon. It was in a rather sad state of repair but I am not sure whether any serious consideration was given to whether it could be repaired (I had thought that it might have great potential as specialist shops, such as designer clothes and commercial art gallery, with restuarant and cafés). Not many seemed to appreciate its style and be concerned about its loss (my job was based in the building when the decision to demolish and replace was being taken).

More recently, I have watched and recorded the demolition of another great, earlier 20th century building on Tyneside: Spillers Mill (or Buildings). The white mill had been such a familiar landmark on the Tyne. I was sorry to see it go, rather surprised that it was not considered sufficiently important to save, and I dread that something horribly undistinguished will be built on the site in the future.

Interior of the Sage, Gateshead during the Thinking Digital Conference 2011.

The Tyne’s Quayside deserves good buildings. The Sage still looks rather out of proportion in its mass but its lines do echo the curves of the famous Tyne and Millennium Bridges. Both the Sage and the Baltic Mill have some big vertical spaces that allow one to view from a distance, to get a sense of perspective. There is some space to think, views of the river and the bridges and, in the distance, one can see the great award-winning and Grade II listed Byker Wall.

These would still seem rather modest buildings if placed in the middle of London, however. Amongst the blog posts and tweets about UK Govcamp 2012, someone mentioned that the views on the way to were part of the great experience for them. There are so many big buildings, in so many architectural styles in central London. If one visits the docklands area, there is a cityscape unlike anywhere else in the UK, with so many tall towers of glass. I have yet to see the Shard, although other people’s photographs suggest that this would be well nigh impossible to photograph except from a great distance. I would not want a Shard by the Tyne. It would dominate the view too much and be totally out of scale. I would love to see more high quality buildings in other cities, but not too many really large ones.

Being unable to attend UK Govcamp 2012 naturally meant I missed the people whom I had been looking forward for months to seeing. I also miss experiencing the spaces of good large-scale architecture. It is good to be in spaces that enable different perspectives and longer views. For that kind of experience, size matters.

Tagged: #ukgc12, buildings, camera angles, cities, London, microsoft offices, planning

Life drawing 2011 week 18

Janet E Davis — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 09:53:07 +0000

Male life model holding stick up against the celiling (back view), 2-minute pose © Janet E Davis 2011

Week 18 was the sixth in the third block of once-a-week sessions. It was the last session, and might be my last session for the year.

Having been late for the start of the previous week’s session, I made sure that I was early for this last one. Having done some very unsatisfactory drawings the previous week, I was keen not to make the same mistake of getting anxious to produce something ‘good’ because it was the last session. I kept trying to remind myself that I wanted to focus on the process, not the end result.

I did not make a brilliant start. and am not entirely pleased with the drawings I did. I didn’t allow enough space for limbs. I have almost always been able to place a life drawing well within the boundaries of the page since I was in my teens. I am not sure whether it indicates a lack of forward planning on my part, or the subconscious desire to stray beyond the boundaries, get out of the box.

For some strange reason, I kept drawing the model’s head too small. Giacometti’s drawings kept creeping into my mind. It is quite difficult to get the proportions looking right when there is little distance between model and artist. One tends to look most at the area that is at normal sight level.

I tried drawing on watercolour paper for those the longer poses at the end. It had potential but was not that suitable for using as a support for pencil or Conté sticks. I continue to look for the ideal drawing paper.

Male life model sitting on stool with left leg crossed, 15-minute pose © Janet E Davis 2011

The drawings were probably not as bad as the previous week’s, but they were not great. Looking at them again, the drawing of the ten-minute pose is possibly my favourite, apart from the head, which I neglected in order to concentrate on everything else. I think that I did capture the sense of the model leaning back on his arms.

As ever, there was simply not enough time for the last two drawings to get where I wanted them to be. I did not need a lot more time, but another 10 or 15 minutes would have got them to a point that I would have found more satisfactory. I had gone into this last session thinking that I would do tonal rather than linear drawings, using light and dark to find the figure.

This session might have been my last life drawing at least this year. I could not afford to book a place on the sessions starting in September and I heard this week that the places are already full. I am not sure when I will be earning enough money to have some to spare for more drawing materials as well as life drawing fees. I shall miss the people. Something I have not said much about is how much I have enjoyed the company for two hours a week of the others. Everyone has been nice. I have enjoyed talking to people in the minutes before and after the drawing, and during the teabreak in the middle.

Female life model in 2 poses - kneeling with twisted torso, and balancing on hands and feet. 2-minute poses © Janet E Davis 2011

The models are interesting people and I have appreciated the fact that they think about how they pose. It is more interesting when there is a proper dialogue with a life model about how they pose. A life model who dictates the limits of poses to just a couple of the same lying or seated poses week after week, and manages to look lifeless in those poses, is not great. Fortunately, I have only come across such models a couple of times, a long time ago. Almost all the life models I have met (including the two this year) have been interesting people, often doing something unusual or even unconventional in their lives.

I admire people being able to cope with being looked at without any cover or disguise of any kind. I have sat for portraits a few times, many years ago, and felt very self-conscious about being looked at for such a long period. The idea of being looked at without the protection of clothes? It scares me. I am far too uncomfortable in my own skin to do it. This means that I appreciate so much more that there are people can do it. I continue to think about the issue of what it signifies to be clothed or unclothed in our society today, and how that compares with other periods. My overall impression is that Victorian painting had a lot more focus on unclothed or sparsely-draped figures than painting today.

Setting aside the question of whether I can afford to do more life drawing this year, where do I go from here? I feel that I have not finished my exploration of the process of drawing the human figure. I would like to do some half-day or full day life drawing but I am not aware of anywhere offering that in our region. If I could afford to get down to London again this year, I would book a place at the Art Lab at Heatherleys.

Male life model recumbent with right knee raised, 15-minute pose © Janet E Davis 2011

I would like to have a proper studio at some point, in a building where other creative people are working. It would be wonderful if there were a facility for an art school type of space that one could pay a fee to use for a limited amount of time over a year, or quarter of a year (I’m thinking of something like the office spaces where one can use them a few hours per month). There would be a life studio with different models on different days of the week. Maybe it could be a place where occasional creative thinking workshops for non-artists could be held.

I am getting urges to try portraiture again. I have always wanted to do portraits, but trying to get someone to sit for them is even more difficult than finding a life class. I should return to drawing other things, but I still find the need to understand fellow human beings (and, maybe, thereby myself) is too strong, and I do take photographs of other things that interest me. My camera is failing, however. It is possible that too much exposure to high winds on beaches and standing next to the sea has not been good for it.

Female life model lying on back, 20-minute pose © Janet E Davis 2011.

Life drawing has been very good for me this year. It has helped me. Being in a space with other people all engaged on the same activity, doing his or her own thing but having to cooperate with everyone else to be able to do his or her own thing, is something everyone should experience. I am still unsure about what I should do with the pile of drawings that I have created during the past months. I am filled with panic at the thought of having to face the rest of the year without either life drawing or photography.

Perhaps the thought that remains uppermost in my mind after completing 18 weeks of life drawing this year is that I need to be creative.

Do have a look at all the drawings I did in week 18, and comments are welcome (especially if constructive). It is good to get some kind of feedback.

Life drawing 2011 week 17

Janet E Davis — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 01:41:53 +0000

Female life model in 2 poses - kneeling with twisted torso, and balancing on hands and feet. 2-minute poses © Janet E Davis 2011

Week 17 was the fifth in the third block of once-a-week sessions. It was the penultimate session, and I managed to be late for the first time, by about eight or ten minutes.

I went on to draw what are still looking like some of the worst life drawings I have ever done. I became unsure about what drawing materials to use, and ended up using a Pitt pencil which gives a relatively sharp, very black line for some. The worst drawing was using pastels.

My sense of composition vanished for a while. My ability to measure proportions by sight disappeared. Being late and rushing to start drawing had thrown me a bit, but the first two had been better drawings than the third and fifth.

At the end of the session, I shoved the drawings into the back of the car and could not even face bringing them into the house for several days.

I think I know why I drew so badly in this penultimate session. I was very conscious that I had only one more after that, felt that I had to try to do something ‘worthwhile,’ and consequently started the 10-minute and longer poses more tentatively. I was cross with myself for arriving late and missing at least 2 or 3 quick poses. The choice of the tight lines of the Pitt pencil was also a bad one when I was already quite tense. I knew as soon as I started drawing on the creased Canson paper that it was a mistake to try to draw on something that creased, especially since it was bigger that the drawing board.

Female life model seated on chair, 20-minute pose © Janet E Davis 2011.

So, I messed up. I had a moment of thinking that I might not publish all the drawings, but I had made the decision at the beginning that I would display the drawings regardless of how awful they turned out to be.

What did I get from this session? Maybe that, even when I have tried to convince myself that I was focusing on process, I was still clinging onto the idea that I needed to produce a perfect end product. I realised that I was annoyed with myself for not getting it right, and that I need to be able to do that without being so cross with myself afterwards.

After next week, there are no more life drawings sessions until September. It is possible that there will be no places left by the time I can afford to book a place. The places were already going quickly. I found myself thinking that I ought to let other people have an opportunity to do life drawing.

I would like to be able to more life drawing, for half or whole days, or even for a weekend now and then. I would like to do some life painting. For now, I have to concentrate on trying to be more relaxed for the last session, and on what I do instead of life drawing for at least a month or maybe longer.

Do have a look at all the drawings from this 17th session.

Life drawing 2011 week 16

Janet E Davis — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:51:50 +0000

Male life model seated with left leg stretched out, 15-minute pose © Janet E Davis 2011

Week 16 was the fourth in the third block of once-a-week sessions. It was quite full again but I concentrated a bit better than the first couple of weeks of this block (full set of drawings are on a separate page).

It felt rather hot in the room after a while, and the model was warm enough to suggest that we could switch off the heater.

The drawings I did were not entirely what I thought I would produce for that session. I was a little concerned afterwards that I had started to be a little more cautious when it came to the two longer poses. I had intended to try drawing in dark blues and purples but the model was looking so tanned (a natural tan from being out in the sun) that I felt I had to stick with the earthy red and brown of Conté sticks.

Male life model standing with left foot on chair, 20-minute pose © Janet E Davis 2011

I do really enjoy going to these life drawing sessions. I face an internal struggle and work hard to achieve the drawings each week. Surprisingly, it is physically quite hard work, especially because I try to cover quite a bit of my (usually) A2 pieces of paper. My hands get covered in graphite, charcoal and (or) Conté every week, and somehow that is incredibly satisfying. Maybe getting dirty signifies that I have done some ‘proper’ work.

I have been listening to music as I draw for about the last 5 sessions. I put together a set of life drawing playlists that are intending to last about 20 to 40 minutes, the length of a longer pose.

The playlists to which I have listened during weeks 15 and 16:

Life drawing 01

(I listen to this one most)

Jessie J – ‘Price Tag (feat. B.o.B)’
Jessie J – ‘Stand Up’
Arctic Monkeys – ‘Don’t Sit Down (‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair)’
Arctic Monkeys – ‘All My Own Stunts’
Arctic Monkeys – ‘Piledriver Waltz’
Arctic Monkeys – ‘Brick by Brick’
Kaiser Chiefs – ‘Little Shocks’
Kaiser Chiefs – ‘Out of Focus.’

Life drawing 02

Stereophonics

I’m Alright
Since I Told You It’s Over
It Means Nothing
Stone
Crush
Drowning
I Could Lose Ya
Pedalpusher
Mr Writer
My Own Worst Enemy
Superman

Do have a look at the full set of drawings from week 16.

Life drawing 2011 week 15

Janet E Davis — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:22:49 +0000

Female life model standing, 15-minute pose © Janet E Davis 2011

Week 15 was the third in the third block of once-a-week sessions. This one was quite crowded again. I did begin to concentrate better this week.

The model gave us some interesting and quite challenging poses. I like the fact that she thinks about what poses will make interesting shapes.

Yet again, I thought that I had produced bad drawings. I was concentrating so much on getting the curves of her legs right, they look a bit too big but this was partly perspective because she was quite close, and the upper half of her body is twisted away so is more of a side view. I do quite like the drawing. Even I think it does not look too bad for just 15 minutes of looking and drawing.

Another 15 minutes would have been great for the last pose of the session, the seated one where the model has her arms wrapped round one leg. I wanted to get more of the feel of the three tightly entwined limbs. There is something a little defensive and vulnerable about the position. It was an interesting one to draw, and really challenging.

I do think that there is a tightness about these drawings although I did try to keep the lines loose. I do still worry in the back of my mind as I draw about distorting the way this model looks. In part of my mind, I still want to avoid offending or upsetting the models.

Female life model seated, arms wrapped round one leg 25-minute pose © Janet E Davis 2011

Although the models are individual people to me, people I like and chat to during the break and after the session, when I am drawing them, I am trying to capture something more universal about human beings through observing, analysing and drawing them. I am also trying to work out who and what I am, how I think and relate to other people.

Please do have a look at the full set of week 15 drawings. Feedback is welcome, including thoughts on what I should try next.
I think that I ought to draw things as well as people, but the challenge of drawing human beings is the ultimate challenge for me.

Life drawing 2011 week 14

Janet E Davis — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:03:27 +0000

Female life model standing with left hand on right shoulder, 5-minute pose © Janet E Davis 2011

Week 14 was the second in the third block of once-a-week sessions. This one was almost as crowded as the previous week. I again felt that I was not concentrating fully. I had to rush to get my paper and pencils and missed approximately the first minute of the first 2-minute pose.

Again, I thought that I had produced bad drawings. I was very conscious that the difficult perspectives in the two longer drawings in the second half really needed twice the amount of time to resolve. Looking at the photographs of the drawings, I can see that I got further towards resolving the penultimate one than I thought I had at the time.

These drawings also seem a bit tighter than I would like. I now have the problem of not having enough paper for the next session, so I must try to get to the art shop. I am wondering whether I might try to use some watercolour. The last drawing of week 14 was done with a watercolour graphite pencil that I just scrubbed a little at the end with a face wipe. I had looked at pastels last time I went to an art shop but they had none of the deep colours I wanted.

I still need to progress further in some way, and am not sure how. I also have a stack of drawings that is growing so fast, I may have to scrap them.

Do have a look at the entire set of drawings for week 14. Feedback is welcome, including thoughts on what I should try next.

Female life model lying on back © Janet E Davis 2011.

You might also want to visit a blog that tells something of the other side of the drawing board – the experience of being a life model: Everyday Life Model. I was delighted when he contacted me, and find it fascinating to read about his experiences of life modelling.

Life drawing 2011 week 13

Janet E Davis — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 17:29:27 +0000

I decided that I needed to sign up for the third block of untutored life drawing this year, even though I could not afford it easily. The idea of not drawing once a week was actually disturbing, and I still want just to draw people.

So, week 13 was the first in the third block of once-a-week sessions. This first one was a crowded one. I felt that I was not fully concentrating because I was very aware of all the other people. I was also a little twitchy about not being able to change position, or, at least, only being able to shift if I got in someone else’s way.

At the end of the session, I felt that I had produced some really dreadful drawings that were very out of proportion. I was rather cross with myself for letting the more crowded conditions distract me. Now I look at them in the photographs, they do not look anywhere near as bad as they looked on the evening I drew them. The last one, second of the 30-minute poses, is more unresolved than I would like, but it needed at least another 15 minutes because there was some slightly awkward perspective.

The other thing about these drawings is that they look rather tighter than I would have liked. It is interesting how my tension and feeling of being more physically constrained in the space shows in the lines that I made.

I am still looking for a more suitable (and cheap) paper because I found that the charcoal and Conté are falling off the new paper that I got. I am also still thinking about where to go from this point in my drawings.

Do have a look at the full set of drawings from week 13.

Life drawing 2011 weeks 11 and 12

Janet E Davis — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:52:52 +0000

Since I did not have time to write up last week’s and the previous week’s within a few days, I am writing about both session within this post. They were the fifth and sixth (final) sessions of this second block of life drawing that I have attended, and the eleventh and twelfth sessions this year.

The group was quite small both weeks – which was good for us because we had more choice of position.

I concentrated on tone for the longer drawings. The paper I had does not hold charcoal or even compressed charcoal well. It seems possible to change the drawing almost just by breathing on it. I am still looking for an affordable paper with enough ‘bite’ for charcoal, compressed charcoal, chalk or pastel to remain deposited on it.

Curiously, I found the last pose of the last session the trickiest. I was tempted to describe it as ‘just rubbish’ but, really, I just ran out of time and needed at least another half hour to complete it. Someone suggested that I should draw on black paper to save time. I thought about this suggestion afterwards and when I was photographing the drawings, and came to the conclusion that I do need to start with white paper. It would be someone else’s work if it started with a black base.

There is something very satisfying about getting my hands carbon-black. Maybe it satisfies the small child within who was reprimanded for playing with the coal in the outhouse. Being a practical adult, I do take wipes with me so I can clean it off before I transfer it to every surface within 50 metres (especially my face).

The next block of six sessions start on Monday. I am trying to think about where I want to go with my drawing. I cannot just build up a massive pile of drawings. I wondered if life drawing over a longer period – half or whole day – would be a move forward if it were available. Maybe I should think about using paint? Trouble is, oils and the necessary thinner are messy and hard to control in a temporary environment and transporting the work when still wet.

Do take a look at my drawings from week 11 and week 12. If you would like to suggest a way I should consider going with drawing, please do comment below (or tweet me). I am still wondering what to do with all my drawings – those that have not vanished through the charcoal falling off the paper, that is. If you have ideas, please let me know.

Life drawing 2011 week 10

Janet E Davis — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:33:54 +0000

This was the fourth session of six, the tenth life drawing session that I have attended this year.

We were quite a small group this week. The nearby quayside had drifts of rubbish and marquees from the weekend’s Evolution Weekender Festival. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had rather hoped that Iggy Pop might be hanging around still and offer to be our life model for the evening. Wow! How great would that be, to draw Iggy? A day of drawing him would be great, and possibly a little edgy, maybe a tiny bit scary.

Iggy was long gone, however, so we settled down to draw our usual male life model. The others opted out of deciding the types and lengths of poses, so I made the broad decisions – but checked with the others that they did not object, and with the model that he could hold the pose for the length of time required.

At the time, again, I thought that what I had done was utter rubbish – but pushed myself forward to try harder on each successive drawing. After I had photographed them and uploaded them onto the computer screen, I think that I got closer than I thought to what I was trying to do: keep the looseness and expressiveness of line whilst trying to build some sense of volume and mass.

But please take a look at all 7 drawings and decide for yourself.

Only two more weeks to go. I am not sure whether I shall be able to afford another set of life drawing sessions. I am also wondering what to do with all my drawings. I am a little reluctant to shred them all.

Life drawing 2011 week 9

Janet E Davis — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:42:14 +0000

This was the third session of six, the ninth life drawing session that I have attended this year.

At the time, I thought that the drawings I did were really not great during this couple of hours.

I just did not seem to have my drawing head together, maybe because I had other things on my mind.

It has taken me just over a week to get round to photographing the drawings. It was good to have the distance of some time.

If you want to see all 8 drawings from week 9, and judge for yourself, I have put them together on a page.

Janet's Jottings

Size matters

Life drawing 2011 week 18

Further reading and more images

Links to pages of life drawings

More of my posts about life drawing

Life drawing 2011 week 17

Further reading and more images

Links to pages of life drawings

More of my posts about life drawing

Life drawing 2011 week 16

Life drawing 01

Life drawing 02

Further reading and more images

Links to pages of life drawings

More of my posts about life drawing

Life drawing 2011 week 15

Further reading and more images

Links to pages of life drawings

More of my posts about life drawing

Life drawing 2011 week 14

Further reading and more images

Links to pages of life drawings

More of my posts about life drawing

Life drawing 2011 week 13

Further reading and more images

Links to pages of life drawings

More of my posts about life drawing

Life drawing 2011 weeks 11 and 12

Further reading and more images

Links to pages of life drawings

More of my posts about life drawing

Life drawing 2011 week 10

Further reading and more images

Links to pages of life drawings

More of my posts about life drawing

Life drawing 2011 week 9

Further reading and more images

Links to pages of life drawings

More of my posts about life drawing