Blogs

  • OCA Drawing 1 – Project 2, Exercise 3 – Experiments with Mixed Media

    OCA Drawing 1 – Project 2, Exercise 3 – Experiments with Mixed Media

    For my first experiment I revisited a technique I’ve used before, coloured oil pastels covering a surface, then white oil pastel over the top of the colours, then ink mixed with a little washing up liquid and water. Then once dry, I drew into the ink surface with a sharp stick. The resulting drawing is… Read more

  • OCA Drawing 1 – Project 2, ‘Still Life’, Exercises 1 and 2

    OCA Drawing 1 – Project 2, ‘Still Life’, Exercises 1 and 2

    The first exercise focusses on investigating the use of line in a still life painting. Thinking about how you’ll show the connections and differences between the objects and where you’ll position yourself in relation to your chosen composition. I wasn’t sure to begin with how exactly to tackle this exercise; whether I should continue to… Read more

  • OCA Drawing 1, Part 2, Project 1, Exercise 1 -Detail and Tone

    OCA Drawing 1, Part 2, Project 1, Exercise 1 -Detail and Tone

    Practising using pencils and cross-hatching to build up light, medium and dark tones in a natural still life drawing. I chose to draw cedar wood roses as I thought these would give plenty of opportunity to practice capturing light and dark tones. After a few goes at drawing the roses in my sketchbook, as well… Read more

  • OCA Drawing 1 Research Point – Looking at Positive and Negative Spaces in Different Artist’s Work

    Looking at how various artists have made use of positive and negative space, I’ve found it useful to focus on the background of paintings and look at how the negative space around the main ‘positive’ objects help ring those objects to life. Often, strong and flat colours are used to ‘throw out’ the objects in focus, but… Read more

  • OCA Drawing 1 – Research Point: Still Life Genre

    The earliest evidence of still life drawings date back to at least the 1st century AD in Pompeii, in House of the Vettii. Here pictures are painting within simulated frames (painted to appear as if they are projecting forwards) on the walls of fruit, fish, game and glass vessels. (p150 of A World History of Art,… Read more

  • OCA study visit to Cambridge Original Printmakers Biennale

      On 25th September I went along to my first OCA study visit, organised by Clare Wilson. It was easy for me to get to because I don’t live far from Cambridge, which was one of my reasons for choosing this study visit, the other was to further explore and learn about different printing techniques. I’ve… Read more