My own reflections
This assignment was done ahead of time in order to allow for assignment four to be done as my fifth assignment given the time of year, to enable outside activities at a better season – (little did we know about Covid-19 pandemic when we planned this!). I prioritised Project 4 to be done first as I had an artist in residence day in Cass Art, Glasgow where I used the experience to complete a portrait of a Rembrandt self-portrait etching within four hours in front of a live audience and talk to the public as well. No tall order then!! Focusing on the process of not failing miserably really made me look at my own process for painting and drawing ahead of time so that I was secure with the practice before I went in to the store – still not prepared for working on a window ledge with a table at a funny height causing me to stoop. I enjoyed the project of looking at an object in finer detail, my own style of drawing is quite representational, so this was naturally of interest to me. I used chainmail from the statue of Robert the Bruce statue at Bannockburn as a repeating shape that I could really chase the detail in. I used charcoal as a forgiving medium. This exercise also informed the choice for the artists book where I tried to depict the story of how the battle of Bannockburn unfolded over two days. This has been a topic close to my heart for a long time, and I am aware that it perhaps comes across as a small illustrated book – too much writing, but I was keen to depict the events as they took place. Might try this again and see what happens.
Really got out of my comfort zone through the performance of drawing and painting outwith the studio in front of a live audience. Enjoyed using a topic that I am excited about – medieval warfare – and used that within my drawing practice.
My own notes from feedback session.
Meeting opened with a general chat about the Covid-19 situation and how we are coping, NC explained that although being furloughed from work and thinking I would get a lot of coursework completed during this time, our situation at home of living with a vulnerable adult who is in palliative care has taken up a lot of time now that the four homecare visits each day has actually meant that I have not been as productive as I perhaps would like to be. Bryan commented that other students have had similar experiences with different reasons life gets in the way and I should not let it bother me.
Today’s feedback session was on Assignment five, Time Lines and not Assignment four as Bryan had suggested at last feedback session that due to the time of year, it might not be practical to be going outside. Now that we are in the lockdown situation with the Covid-19 virus, going outside is likely to be problematic. To this end Bryan has recommended that my efforts would be better concentrated on doing the parallel project and critical review. Bryan thinks I am at a good place with the work I am producing and I need to focus on exploring deeper between the classical approach to drawing and the more expressive works and to then really analyse and explore the differences between the two. This makes sense to me
The discussion then switched to the projects in Assignment five which again were slightly curtailed by the Covid-19 outbreak meaning I could not access a busy place. The artists book exercise was a topic that I am passionate about and Bryan has suggested that it might be better if I reduce the amount of written text and refine some of the drawings, BE commented that it looks like a first draft proposal idea. NC agreed that it kind of is, I have wanted to produce a series of large oil paintings depicting the various stages of the battle of Bannockburn using accurate information about period costume and weapons and how the battle actually unfolded. NC should revisit some of this work before assessment submission. Project 3 was informed by the chain mail being the repetitive detail which I produced on a large scale.
When I started the assignment, I did project four first where I filmed myself doing an artist in residence demonstration at Cass Art store in Glasgow where I had four hours to do an Alla Prima portrait. I filmed it as a time lapse which I placed on my Facebook page, so the interaction from the viewer is not just to view it, but actively find it using social media. BE asked about the experience of doing the live demonstration in the window ledge of the store and interacting with the public – some of which were also artists. It was a bit like performance art, but I was so dedicated to doing the complete portrait within four hours that I had rehearsed what I had to do before I got there, so when I had to talk about what I was doing, it was already rehearsed. It was outside of my comfort zone as I would have preferred to work in my studio, but it was a good publicity stunt. Fortunately for me, this happened in the middle of March just before the lockdown started.
The focus then switched back to the Parallel project where NC stated how the research for the critical essay on line and tone was influencing my work, especially Frank Auerbach’s process of working and re-working to create an image in one sitting that is built up from the previous attempts. This led to a toned charcoal drawing which was heavily blended and almost has the appearance of coming out from the paper itself due to the subtle blending being re-worked time after time. This is big step away from the classical style which I had been following in the Charles Bargue course, but the reason I have been doing the Charles Bargue course is to improve my drawing ability in order to become more expressive and retain a recognisable likeness of the subject. Discussion followed about mark-making and expressiveness and that I should really focus on two distinct paths for the parallel project, the classical portrait using the Atelier training style, and the more expressive, self-led style. Use the next ten to twelve weeks to really produce a solid body of works in those fields. Use this experience to tie in with the critical review (which is heading the right way in its second draft form) writing about Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Auerbach’s use of line and tone to explain form in their own unique way.
A short discussion then followed about digital submissions and the importance of clear photographs to show your work in the best way, some of my photographs are a bit blurry, so addressing that would be beneficial. I mentioned that I have used both sides in my sketchbook in many cases, how would this affect assessment if it is a physical submission? BE assured that as long as the page is highlighted with a suitable marker, then it is not a problem.
Next submission date agreed as 26th June and meeting closed at 12.45
Tutor Feedback
Formative feedback
Overall Comments
Thanks for uploading the latest batch of work. This report is based on the notes you sent,
with comments by me in RED. You also have a recording of the conversation to which you
can refer.
As discussed:
● Meeting opened with a general chat about the Covid-19 situation and how we are
coping, NC explained that although being furloughed from work and thinking I would
get a lot of coursework completed during this time, our situation at home of living with
a vulnerable adult who is in palliative care has taken up a lot of time now that the four
homecare visits each day has actually meant that I have not been as productive as I
perhaps would like to be. Bryan commented that other students have had similar
experiences with different reasons life gets in the way and I should not let it bother
me.
● Today’s feedback session was on Assignment five, Time Lines and not Assignment
four as Bryan had suggested at last feedback session that due to the time of year, it
might not be practical to be going outside. Now that we are in the lockdown situation
with the Covid-19 virus, going outside is likely to be problematic. To this end Bryan
has recommended that my efforts would be better concentrated on doing the parallel
project and critical review. Bryan thinks I am at a good place with the work I am
producing and I need to focus on exploring deeper between the classical approach to
drawing and the more expressive works and to then really analyse and explore the
differences between the two. This makes sense to me. I recommend that you go
through the fourth section and do the research it requires and think about any of the
exercises that make sense to do. However, it would be a better use of your time to
push ahead with the Parallel Project.
Assignment 4 Assessment potential
I understand your aim is to go for the Painting Degree and that you plan to submit your work
for assessment at the end of this course. From the work you have shown in this assignment,
Student name Neil Cramond Student number 515072
Course/Unit Drawing 2 ID Assignment number 5 (done as
fourth
submission)
Type of tutorial (eg video/audio/
written)
GH
providing you commit yourself to the course, I believe you have the potential to pass at
assessment. In order to meet all the assessment criteria, there are certain areas you will
need to focus on, which I will outline in my feedback.
Feedback on assignment
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of
Creativity
As discussed:
● The discussion then switched to the projects in Assignment five which again were
slightly curtailed by the Covid-19 outbreak meaning I could not access a busy place.
The artists book exercise was a topic that I am passionate about and Bryan has
suggested that it might be better if I reduce the amount of written text and refine
some of the drawings, BE commented that it looks like a first draft proposal idea. NC
agreed that it kind of is, I have wanted to produce a series of large oil paintings
depicting the various stages of the battle of Bannockburn using accurate information
about period costume and weapons and how the battle actually unfolded. This is
probably something for the future, but could be worth bearing in mind for Level
Three. NC should revisit some of this work before assessment submission. Making a
more unified, convincing copy of the book would be a good thing to do. You’ll have
learned a lot about the process while making the first one, but developing the project
and exploiting that knowledge would be good to see. It would also give you a chance
to reflect on the process a bit. Making something twice AWLAYS reveals something.
Project 3 was informed by the chain mail being the repetitive detail which I produced
on a large scale.
● When I started the assignment, I did project four first where I filmed myself doing an
artist in residence demonstration at Cass Art store in Glasgow where I had four hours
to do an Alla Prima portrait. I filmed it as a time lapse which I placed on my Facebook
page – make this available on the blog – so the interaction from the viewer is not just
to view it, but actively find it using social media. BE asked about the experience of
doing the live demonstration in the window ledge of the store and interacting with the
public – some of which were also artists. It was a bit like performance art, but I was
so dedicated to doing the complete portrait within four hours that I had rehearsed
what I had to do before I got there, so when I had to talk about what I was doing, it
was already rehearsed. It was outside of my comfort zone as I would have preferred
to work in my studio, but it was a good publicity stunt. Fortunately for me, this
happened in the middle of March just before the lockdown started.
Parallel Project:
● The focus then switched back to the Parallel project where NC stated how the
research for the critical essay on line and tone was influencing my work, especially
Frank Auerbach’s process of working and re-working to create an image in one sitting
that is built up from the previous attempts. This led to a toned charcoal drawing which
was heavily blended and almost has the appearance of coming out from the paper
itself due to the subtle blending being re-worked time after time. This is big step away
from the classical style which I had been following in the Charles Bargue course, but
the reason I have been doing the Charles Bargue course is to improve my drawing
ability in order to become more expressive and retain a recognisable likeness of the
subject. Discussion followed about mark-making and expressiveness and that I
should really focus on two distinct paths for the parallel project, the classical portrait
using the Atelier training style, and the more expressive, self-led style. Use the next
ten to twelve weeks to really produce a solid body of works in those fields. Use this
experience to tie in with the critical review (which is heading the right way in its
second draft form) writing about Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Auerbach’s use of line
and tone to explain form in their own unique way.
● This is an important moment for you. You know about different ways of going about
portraiture but need to work out where you sit. You are keen to build on the solid
foundation offered by the ‘atelier’ style teaching offered but the CB course, but I am
worried that it will simply get you to a point where you’re making work that is – if you
manage to master it completely – indistinguishable from other work produced that
way. In terms of contemporary art education, that suppresses you and and your
creativity and marks you receive will reflect that. Making work in a more exploratory
way – following your own nose – will take you to places you can’t conceive of as yet.
You know the destination of the CB course. Use the PP to explore the different ways
of making and – and this is the crucial bit for this unit of study – reflect in details and
analyse the work you make and the affect that work has.
● The looser work – the charcoal drawing and the one on the front of the sketchbook
show real promise. More please.
Research
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
I didn’t mention this in the feedback session, but the ‘books I have read’ page on the blog
needs to be more than a list of titles. For it to count in terms of assessment, you need to
explain what you got from reading these titles.
Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
As discussed:
● A short discussion then followed about digital submissions and the importance of
clear photographs to show your work in the best way, some of my photographs are a
bit blurry, so addressing that would be beneficial. I mentioned that I have used both
sides in my sketchbook in many cases, how would this affect assessment if it is a
physical submission? BE assured that as long as the page is highlighted with a
suitable marker, then it is not a problem.
● Reflect on how emotion and characters conveyed in your work. Don’t dwell on the
technical aspects. You write about wanting to produce work with ‘soul’. Think critically
about which work js that and how it’s expressed.
Critical Review: This has been annotated and returned to you. You need to focus on drawing
and restructure it slightly. An in-depth analysis of how Rembrandt / Van Gogh / Auerbach use
line and tone in similar and different way to show form / emotion / character would be good.
Be detailed and pick out particularities ti write about.
Suggested reading/viewing
Context
As discussed:
● I have already forwarded the Keith Tyson Instagram links about painting, which I
think ought to be of interest.
● The BBC series Age of the Image, currently on iPlayer is worth four hours of your
time.
Pointers for the next assignment
● Reflect on this feedback in your learning log.
● Follow up on the suggestions I have made.
Please inform me of how you would like your feedback for the next assignment:
Written or video/audio. For Level Two and three students I recommend having as
many video tutorials as possible though you’re under no obligation to have any.
Well done, I look forward to your next assignment.
Tutor name Bryan Eccleshall
Date 18/4/20
Next assignment due 26/6/20 – Let me know if this needs to change.
Neil C Drawing 2 