3 Forgeries

This week we had to produce three copied pieces of art, each completed using a different media. The aim of this task was to allow us, as developing artists, to understand how each material can be used and the effect of it when used correctly. 

The first artwork I copied was Eric Robertson's piece 'Mary' created using pencil, implementing  the technique of cross hatching.​

Before starting this piece I practiced with different gradients of pencil to see the efficiency and the tone of their mark. I also practiced doing crosshatching as I often struggle to make my marks appear uncontrolled to get a more natural look. When starting on this piece I decided to begin with shading the face, making sure I captured the lights and shadows, I found it difficult to capture the tones of the skin at first, but as I got more confident with the technique it started to come together.  The part of the drawing that I found most difficult was the hair, as I discovered that the artist Eric Robertson began with very dark tones for the hair which he then lightened using a rubber. I tried to recreate this effect by using a putty rubber which I manipulated into a point which seemed to create a similar effect. I then finished this piece by cross hatching the background, using a 2b pencil which I felt had a good range of tone and created the depth that I was looking for. I found the background hard as I felt that I wasn't being free enough with my marks, as I was concentrating to closely on the direction of my marks, once I started being more free with my marks the whole piece started coming together. Next time to improve, I will create more practices in order to feel more comfortable with my materials and be braver with the application and intensity of my mark-making. 
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The second art work I copied was an illustration from Treasure Planet by Mervin Peake, this time cross hatching with ink using a dip pen. 

In preparation for starting this piece i practiced using indian ink with different ink pen nibs to see how the ink was transferred onto the paper. I experimented with different pressures and strokes with the nib that i chose to see how it effected the mark. Once I felt comfortable with using a dip pen I began my copy of Mervin Peake's work.  I found this piece challenging, as I struggled with the placement of my marks and I found it just as hard understanding where to leave negative space to make the black stand out.  The part of the drawing that I found the most difficult was the hair, as it felt quite complicated due to the curves and the density of line. I tackled most of the piece by starting with the large areas of dense cross stitching so that I could work up to the more delicate areas of the work. I feel that I have created a good interpretation of the artists work, however to improve I would like to feel more confident with using ink so that I can put more energy into the work so the piece feels less like a lifeless copy.
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The third art work I copied was Claire Leighton's, "Country matters" completed using scraper board. 

For me this was the most challenging piece out of the three, due to the fact that I had never used scraper board before. To complete this piece I used two different types of scrapers in order to get different thicknesses of mark. I began this piece by sketching out the piece with pencil on to the scraper board which left a faint mark allowing me to follow the pencil and get an outline of central figure. Before going in with the scraper I practiced using it first, playing with different ways of holding it to see how much of the ink could be removed at once and how to create small pinhole marks. When I eventually started scraping I found it difficult to control my scraper so it removed the right area of the board and ended p taking out bits that I had not wanted to, so I went back in with indian ink to cover it up.  The most difficult part of this piece was the tree as it was very delicate and i struggled with creating the branches and then taking out the area for the sky.  Overall,  although I found this piece difficult I liked learning and practicing a new skill, to improve i will leave myself more time to add more detail and I will use a variety of scrapers to get better definition.