Claire Smyth AAD009 Drawing in Practice: Museum visit / drawings
During the two full days off campus in the Ulster Museum, I have in which created multiple drawings / studies soley using the drawing materials of different types of charcoal along with aspects of pen through looking at and drawing from specific exhibitions and pieces of history placed throughout and around the museum.
Over the corresponding two days I produced 4 charcoal studies based upon exhibitions that I found intriguing to draw from, these included: dinosaur skeletons, bones, ceramics, structures (metal beams), windows, doors, stones and glass display cases that held historical pieces such as clothing, vases, medals and crystals etc.
Getting the chance to go to the museum despite COVID-19 restrictions was in fact extremely useful, educational and also visually pleasant as I was able to go round at my own pace scanning and looking out for significant exhibitions which caught my eye both intellectually and physically especially through the various selections of exhibitions available to where I feel that I was overly happy my ability to draw from what I see. In addition to this, the ability to just focus upon using charcoal as the main media for the drawings over the two days was in fact extremely worthwhile, as previously charcoal has not been one of the best drawing materials for myself personally to use as I found myself not being able to utilise it correctly and most sufficiently to achieve the best effects. However, getting to fully focus on just drawing, using and playing with different types of charcoal was in fact highly beneficial and rewarding as I was able to receive any relevant guidance / critiques, along with new improving ways and techniques as the time went on regarding the most successful ways to utilise, draw and experiment with charcoal to achieve a successful piece of drawing / artwork.
(Range of scale used in charcoal drawings: A3 / A2. Date over when work was completed: 6th – 7th October).