2011-11-29 21:45:29.0
I am buying an air purifier tomorrow so I can work safely at home. I'm really excited to be able to start working. I have my materials I just need to work now.
Meanwhile, at Utrecht I am begining to treat the chalkboards, that I draw monthly-ish, less as a task and more as something I get to do.
This is what I'm working on currently. This is done after Norman Rockwell. Though I'm taking complete creative freedom with the rest of the drawing.
Next time I want to do this spanning both boards:
2011-11-18 05:54:50.0
When I first started drawing the biggest problem I faced, as I now see it, was learning how to see properly. The trick when trying to draw reality is to learn how to look without focusing directly on one object. I used to get lost in the details, working too heavily in one area or on one object, while ignoring the bigger picture. Sitting back, what at one point appeared perfect while my face was stuck directly into the drawing, now appeared foreign and apart from the rest of the image as a whole. I didn't understand yet what I was doing wrong nor how I could change.
We were often told to look back and forth very quickly between two objects to observe the differences to accurately judge whether or not we were achieving the correct values or colors. I now realize that this is getting halfway to the point. Observing the entire picture is the most important thing, but the way in which you do this is even more important. Squinting is not enough to view a scene accurately. The trick is to not really look at anything. *GASP*
To do this, look at a point in space without actually perceiving it and then focus on perceiving the space aroud it. Peripheral vision should be used to judge relationships and a scene as a whole. Peripheral vision is a beautiful thing and using it takes practice, but once trained to do so, allows you to see things so much more clearly. No more looking back and forth between objects quickly to judge relationships. I can look at 2, 3, 4, 5...etc. objects all at the same time. At this moment, I can see, the relationships between 5 such objects all while I am typing this entry. The trick is to not get lost in the detail...in other words, don't focus directly on something! The moment you do, you lose sight of the bigger picture and inevitably single objects out and draw them foreign to their surroundings. This is the problem I used to have. I used to squint, as I was told to do and then at some point, realized that I was actually using my periferal vision to see.
The trick is to look without focusing, like when you day dream and stare off into space. You are not looking directly at something, yet you gaze is directed in a particular direction. Direct your gaze somewhere, now scan your peripheral vision and find some objects, to focus your attention on.
The important thing to understand here is that peripheral vision is really anything that is outside of your direct focal point. If you hold your thumb out in front of you at arms length you will see the size of the area that your eyes see in focus at any one given moment. It is only through tiny movements of the eye that you see entire images as a whole. Thus, anything outside of that tiny area is prime retail space for your peripheral vision. This should be used for objects near or far away from each other. Everything should be seen in relation to everything else. and don't just compare single objects. Compare everything to itself. When you view a scene in such a general sense, you will be amazed at what your eye will tell you. It will be much more apparent when something is amiss, because your eyes will certainly let you know.