Week 2 - Shape and Pattern

The shape and pattern task took a lot more time to finalise and was a bit more difficult than the first week task since it had more detail to be captured through shading, values and the right contrast between objects' tones and linework. The shell especially was a challenge, because it has so many intricacies. Since it was a light object, I had to portray these through line and subtle shading. 

I drew some thumbnails first, in order to establish what composition worked best and how it fits on the page. Ultimately, I chose this one because I feel it leads the viewer's eyes upwards, from the shell - that would be the main point of interest - to the flowers and then the vase. 

Then, I started building the composition, sketching the big shapes of the objects to make sure they fit on the page and have the general forms and lines. This is where I encountered a problem and noticed that since the line at the top of the bottle was curved downwards and the ones at the bottom curved upwards, it looked like the vase was gigantic. The point where we view the vase was somewhere in the middle and both the top and bottom part of the bottle extended so much they curved drastically and created the illusion of viewing a humongous vase. I fixed that by moving the point of view a bit upwards, as if we are viewing the objects from farther up than in reality.

I think the placing of the objects and making them fit in the drawing space has always been a challenge for me. It might help using grid lines for that, but I always forget to do that and jump right into sketching the objects. I have to introduce this step in my process somehow. Visualising how the objects look from above was surprisingly easily. I think the perspective exercises from last year helped me learn how to visualize this kind of thing, along with my own visual memory.

I started to shade, but ended up straight away making the flower petals, which are a very light tone, look flat and overworked, without much tonal variation. So I turned the reference image into grayscale to make it easier to recognize and vary the tones and introduce contrast, while not allowing myself to get tricked and darken the light objects while adding the details. 

This was the end result before feedback:

After getting feedback, I realize that the textile folds in the background have too much contrast, distracting the viewer from the actual points of interest. The drawing would overall need much more contrast, the vase having similar values with the background. I will tone down the background and darken the vase to make it stand out more. I will darken the cast shadows too, since it will help bring out the shells. The curved line of the shell is too harsh, so I will tone that down and bring the object forward through contrast rather than line. The flowers could use more contrast too and maybe some more indication of the subtle veiny pattern of the petals that I used on some of them. 

I will update this post with my post-feedback work as soon as I make the changes to the drawing.

After applying the feedback I'd been given, this is the final result: 

I have toned down the folds in the background so they wouldn't stand out like ugly dark cuts. I also toned down the line around the big shell, since it made it look almost cartoony and plane, breaking the three dimensional effect I was aiming for. I also did a bit more work on the glass and on the flower petals, as well as on the white shell. 

Overall, I really like how this turned out, especially the reflection of the flower on  the vase, as well as the shell and the flower petals. I think the glass could have been even more detailed and maybe the contrast bigger, but otherwise I am pleased with the final work.

On the topic of pattern and shape, in this post I would also like to discuss a bit about Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss", since it is most known for its heavy use of geometrical forms and patterns.

Gustav Klimt - The Kiss, 1907-1908

"The Kiss" is one of Klimt's most famous works, showing Byzantine influences through its mosaic like look. The two figures are both covered in geometrical patterns, all but the hands and the feet and face of the woman, so carefully and delicately painted, her eyes half closed in a content expression. Even though the clothes are heavily detailed with the patterns, the simplicity of the face as well as its pale colour contrasts with the rest of the painting, making it the central focus. The two lovers' silhouette in itself is rounded and flowing, symbolising the youth and love between them. The swirling shapes are mostly used on the woman's clothes, spirals and circles making up her robe, indicating femininity and inocence. Meanwhile, the man's clothes are adorned with squared shapes, symbol for balance and stability, only broken up by small areas of swirling shapes. The stability and safety reflects also in the way he leans over the woman, in an almost protective way. 

Although viewed as controversial during that period of time, the painting is considered one of Klimt's most succesful works, depicting love through its patterns and carefully thought out composition.