Jo's Old Site

Mum just got home from shopping at Plainlands when she told dad and me that someone backed their car out and bumped our car. Mum also said that there was no apologies from the person as all this person said was “well you’re in my way.”

This lesson explans how to construct and use a viewfinder which is a tool used by artists to help them when they are composing a drawing. Another useful tool for compositions is called a grid and can be used with a viewfinder too. As a grid can help artist to put the subject exactly where they want. I also think that these tools helps artists to slow down and develop an eye for what they are trying to draw. A viewfinder frame is adjustable and can be made in various sizes and it allows artists to view a potential drawing from various viewpoints. As viewing a subject first before we draw them at different angles and distances can help us decide what we prefer.

And this is what makes the viewfinder invaluable when artists are planning a composition whether it is a portrait, figure, or a landscape and it can also be useful for any other subject we are trying to draw. Brenda also says that we can make a viewfinder out of matt board or acid free cardboard. And we also need a utility knife, a ruler, and two large paper clips. She also advises to stay with neutral colours, as viewfinders that are brightly coloured are too distracting when artists go to view something inside its perimeter. Then to make one out of cardboard we need to cut two identical L-shapes and put them together to make a frame by using the paper clips. Another thing that Brenda says about this pastime is that one of the good things about drawing is that we can change or modify our subjects and this is where a viewfinder comes in handy. She also gives details on how to use a grid if we are drawing from a photo.

As I’m revising “Mrs Mopp’s Diffficult Dilemma” I started to think that the title needed changing and a couple of people who have read it hinted that the title needed to be changed too, and so I’m now calling my story “The Mopp’s Difficult Dilemma” as it is not just Mrs Mopp’s problem but it’s her family’s problem too. My eldest nephew Liam also told me that he is still interested in doing the illustrations, and so we decided that he will draw some characters and I’ll draw some too. I’ll also be making further updates.

In this lesson headed “making a portfolio” Brenda gives instructions on how we can make our own portfolio, using duct tape, a sharp utility knife, a straight edge or long ruler such as a T-square, strong string, or a rope, or some fancy shoelaces, (as either of these three things will be used to make handles.) We also need to select acid free cardboard or matt board which is available at framing and art supplies stores.

Brenda’s fourth lesson is headed “creating your own studio space” and says that the size of our drawing space depends on how big our projects will be. I also think that it is appropriate to add that this also depends on the size of the room we’ll be drawing in as I can think of two areas in my room that I will be drawing at and that will be at the white table, and I also got a extension on my computer table that I can work at too. She also says when choosing our studio space that we should take our surrounding into account and this area should also be peaceful and free of distractions.

The area where we plan to work should also be a place where we enjoy being, and suggests looking through decorative books and magazines to get ideas to make it so if it isn’t already. And also says that when we choose a space we should think about being near a source where there is natural light where we plan to work but then sometimes this isn’t possible and so have to rely upon artificial light from flexible neck study lamps with halogen bulbs. Then why she suggests halogen bulbs is because when they are on their light is closest to natural light as Brenda says it is important to mimic it as this will have an effect on what we see and produce. Brenda also suggests that the ideal drawing surface is slightly sloped and can be something simple as a book that is propped up on a piece of plywood; or it can be an adjustable sloped tabletop or drafting desk.

She also suggests that before we go out and buy things she had suggested to make a plan of the working area, and also make a list of what we need but I also think that it is important to consider the things that we have got already too.

Brenda’s third lesson is headed “buying drawing supplies” and she recommends that beginners should start their journey by buying the best that they can comfortably afford when buying most materials. And as I read through the third lesson noticed that the exception was when buying a pencil sharpener as she recommends a inexpensive handheld metal pencil sharpener that can take both regular and oversized pencils. Brenda then creates a descriptive list of all the materials that she recommends a beginner to start off with such as “hardcovered sketchbooks” and also tells us to experiment with the “drawing paper” as there is such a variety of colours, textures, and sizes.

She also advises against getting art books that are less than nine by twelve inches saying that their space is too limiting and also advises against choosing art paper that is extremely smooth; as this sort of paper is difficult to work with. Then says that the “medium tooth paper” is the most popular as it is somewhere between “smooth” and “rough.” Also another type of paper she recommends is watercolour paper which is coarse and highly textured it also holds marks made by graphite very well. The next item on the list is pencils and comes in various grades. Also pencils that are graded with the letter H are the hardest and leave the lightest marks while pencils that are graded B are the softest and leave the darkest marks.

Then mechanical pencils are another option and I came across this word in the first lesson and wondered what they were like. They can also hold various grades of graphite that are both hard and soft and then another thing that Brenda says about them is that they are ideal for sketching loosely or drawing on large surfaces. There are also other types of material that we can draw with and they are “chalk pastels,” “charcoal,” “conte” “coloured pencils” as well as “pens” and “markers.” The next thing she suggests is getting a portfolio case to protect our works and recommends getting ones that are hard sided.

Another thing that is definitely needed is erasers and she recommends vinyl erasers and kneaded erasers and get them both as they are useful and can do different things. Then the third last thing that is recommended are tools for blending and they leave an effect when rubbed on shaded lines and again we can experiment here but whatever we use must be clean. Brenda then lists some items that can be used are things like cotton balls, tissues, and chamois.

Brenda’s second beginner art lesson is headed “understanding talent” and she explains that drawing means different things to people then asks us to answer what drawing means to us? So I gave myself time to think about it and here’s my answer:

Drawing is a skill and it can be something that looks simple or complicated and like writing, to get better at it we also need to seek the knowledge that we require to improve and it also needs time and peserverance. And the more we’re comitted to follow our interests the more time we would spend on doing just that. This also means taking the time to develop an enviroment that supports our artistic minds and whatever other interests we may have and make decisions.

As one of these decisions we definitely need to make is deciding to become an artist and not just to be an observer of art that other people have done. Art takes on many forms and styles and we may know what we like or we may not. And it can also be used to express our feelings and may also suggest something about our personalities.

Liss sent me info on art lessons that is free and ranges from beginner to advance. And my sister and I decided to do the lessons and we didn’t have to sign up for them; as all we had to do is read the info. Anyway, I have just read part of the first lesson so far and this lesson is to get us familiar with words that have something to do with art and it is eighteen pages long. Right now I’m up to the description of the word “blending” and will get back to it. I also found these descriptions easy to read like part of the description of the word “talent” refers to people that possess the interest and motivation needed to become exceptional in area of interest. Aerial Perspective is another word that is described that stood out to me and another name for it is Atmospheric Perspective.

And this got something to do with how we view things from a distance. I also don’t know why but it made me think of the time when I had my light on and was looking at the shadow of my hand on the wall.

As when my hand came closer to the wall its shadow became clearer and darker, and when I moved my hand away from the wall its shadow was slightly lighter. And I guess my purpose for writing about this is that this has an effect on what we see. Also just discovered from reading my sister’s site that this has another name and that is “cast shadow.” I also been thinking about what happens when we view things from a distance and that is the further away we are from something it looks smaller when comparing what it looks like from up close as then it looks bigger.

Some other descriptions that I came across is words like “composition” and Brenda’s explaination refers to how a drawn subject is arranged into a drawing that highlights what the artist is trying to draw attention to. “Contour Hatching” is a shading technique that is perfect for drawing hair and has a three dimensional effect. “Contrast” is a technique that is used for when the artist is trying to heighten the effects of their “composition” (I guess that means add more detail). There is also “high contrast” which is created by drawing the “darkest values” close to the “highlights” and “lightest values.” Dark, and light values also made me think of dark and light shading when I was looking at the picture that was near this description and thought that the method is very effective. Also the opposite of “high contrast” is “low contrast” which Brenda described as having a limited range of values.

One of Ilse’s idea of having fun is when she is running after Ruebens, who although is an Irish Terrier he is extremely friendly as people who have met him say there’s not an aggressive bone in his body. Anyway, as soon as Ruebens saw that Ilse was out and about, he then started running and doing all these twists and turns; as they just simply adore one another and Ruebens is such a show off he even rolled down the pile of sand which made mum laugh. Also Ilse can’t run as fast as Ruebens (though she tries to keep up the best she can). Then after they started slowing down Ruebens and Ilse then stopped so that they could get a drink and I did manage to get Ilse back after that and then I gave her a treat for returning.

Just like to add another update on my story called Mrs Mopp’s Difficult Dilemma, as I have just completed the sixth chapter and now I’m revising what I got so far before I’ll start on the seventh; then I’ll be doing more drawings. As I still like the idea of doing the illustrations myself, and I have also been looking up websites about writing that had gave me some quite useful tips, and then another thing I also found is an American website called Writer’s Mind: they got a cd available that is also called Writer’s Mind on the site which I now got and believe that it is helping me with my revising, it has two tracks on the cd and both tracks go for some time – the idea is that it is to be listened to while the listener is working on their writing.