Work in progress

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Guthlac

I find it fascinating to record a drawing being made, just how does something change over time as you work on it?   I suspect that this may say more about the drawing than the final result or perhaps it is like sausage making – you don’t want to see how they are made but want to enjoy the final results.  I am not sure which at the moment.

Anyway, I am recording the progress I am making creating this drawing of WH Auden.   So far this week I have been concentrating on female beauty and form – two things Auden did not processes – certainly as he grew old.   I saw this face the other day and I knew I had to draw it.  So far it has taken me the best part of five hours to get to this point and I suspect it is only about a quarter finished.   At this rate it should be completed by sometime next week.  It really is a challenge and at the same time deeply satisfying.  I just hope I don’t screw things up – at least I’ll have the photographs to remind me how much I screwed things up.

Simon Marchini LRPS

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My god – I have been making some photographs…

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Guthlac

Wot no iPhone?!  Yes it is true I am able to use a ‘real’ camera as well.   It has been snowing for several days and I finally decided to get out there and make some photographs – with my 5D.  I say make as the camera was the only the first step in the whole process.   The resultant images are merges – some might describe them as High Dynamic Range (HDR) images but I find that whole idea just a little over used.   I made these using a number of techniques – however each image was created from three separate images, one stop under normal exposure and one stop over – but I wouldn’t call these HDR – just images I made.

Now that is what I call splitting hairs!
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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With age comes wisdom…

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Guthlac

I have no idea whether this is a coined saying or something I have made up.  I am starting to realise that the only thing you get as you get old are aches and pains where you never thought there were any.  However, experience does appear to have a beneficial effect on wisdom or at least understanding of a subject, whatever that might be.

This week I have been trying to capture the female form.   I have had problems capturing the female face as well as the body.  I have tried to attack this from two fronts – drawing nudes and faces.   To an extent I have had some success but I can do better.   The wisdom I have acquired along the way is that there is no rush.  In the past I have worked on a drawing for half an hour and then moved on to something else.   However, I have now realised that I am missing on important aspect – reflection.  By this I mean starting something and then going away and doing something else and then coming back to it and looking at what you have done.  In short I have started to give myself time to look and review.  And guess what my drawings have improved.

Now whether this is a lucky happens-chance or a sign of maturity I have no idea.  I suppose all those aches and pains mean you can’t rush around as much as you did and so it does mean you can reflect a little more.

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Pregnant Women

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Guthlac

I am very interested in the creative process – just how did the artist come to the answers he/she has?  I am also very insecure about loosing ‘good’ drawings by later attempts to alter/improve/change the drawing.  So with this in mind I have made a series of photographs of the drawing of a pregnant woman during it’s own journey from conception to delivery.   This is part of the reflective learning process I am using to try and improve on my work.

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Searching for the perfect proportions

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Guthlac
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What an interesting evening I have just had.  I have been researching the perfect body proportions.  Perfect is a very loaded term I know so perhaps I should say I was looking for examples of male and female bodies that meet the classic western art proportions.   

As with all things images the first stop has to be Google.  Well you can just image the images you get when undertake search such as Nude Male Standing.   Anyway once I had worked through the porn it became clear that there was a certain amount of squimishness amongst the on line stock photo libraries to show the penis.   They have no problems with full frontal nudity when it comes to women but men, well they just have to cover the their penis in either the pose or a discreetly placed hand.

Now I am sure you can read a whole lot into this, perhaps the female nude form is considered more attractive than the male.  Or perhaps it is really sexism at it’s most powerful at work. I have no idea but it just struck me as strange that there should be such attitudes.

As for the search – well I managed to obtain the images and will try and draw them over the next few days.  This is not an exercise in anything other than working on the human form – trying to draw something that looks like a human with correct proportions.  Well that is the plan – I am not sure how it will work out.
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Having a bit of a Lord of the Ring feast

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Guthlac

Just bought myself the Lord of the Rings trilogy on Blue Ray and so I am going to have a bit of a Middle Earth weekend. With the weather we have at the moment then there are far worst things to do.

One ring to rule them all!

Sent from my iPad

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The silence and the fury

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Guthlac

Oh how I wish I had the photograph that this drawing is based on. It is from a series of photographs that Paul Fusco made in 2000 at a protest in New York city over the death of a suspect shot by the NYPD. It is full of power and outrage and sadness. Now my drawing is a pale interpretation but I have used this as a means to try and explore the use light and shade – chiaroscuro. I am happy that this a first stab at the approach but I have a huge amount to learn about control the medium. As the saying goes ‘ every journey starts with the first step…’. This is mine.

Photo

I’m on line at:

www.flickr.com/photos/guthlac
http://simonmarchini.blogspot.com
www.simonmarchini.co.uk

I hope you enjoy

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Working with the iPhone in Walsall

Posted on November 25, 2010 by Guthlac

yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away…  well according to the Beatles that is.  Actually yesterday all my troubles seemed to be baring down on top of me – now this is quite so.  Anyway, even with my state of mind I went out and captured a couple of more images with the iPhone.   I am playing with the idea of making a book based on the view from art gallery windows.  The motivation/idea behind this is that when you go into an art gallery you are not allowed to take any pictures – not entirely sure what the galleries are trying to prevent but there you are.  So I have started to take photographs out of the windows of galleries and they do make up an interesting set of photographs.  Anyway, these are the two I have chosen from Walsall Art Gallery.

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Yipee I’m back on line

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Guthlac

Order has been restored. The Internet has been reestablished in my small little corner of the world. Funny thing is I was just starting to get use to living a short while with out it. There were a lot of small jobs that had been put off were being lined up to be worked on over the next day or so – now I guess they will remain undone.

I have also learnt, well had it reinforced actually, that I can no longer deal with disturbances in my calm life. There was a time when was not so but those who know me that my recent medical history means this is no longer so. In short I am shrinking violet inside my hulking body. Oh the joys of my life.

Sent from my iPad

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Living without the Internet

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Guthlac

I know I am still posting but at the moment I have no Internet. I am having to rely on my iPhone and 3G – not perfect but it will have to do at the moment.

You forget how all pervasive Internet connectivity can be – especially as I have been on line since 1995 – and forget the iPad with without wifi is really not that good.

The tech support will be here this afternoon so let’s hope they sort things out – otherwise it is down to BT and goodness knows how long they will take to check the line. Back to the 90’s, runs on currencies, financial melt down and a conservative government – oh god help us all!

I’m on line at:

www.flickr.com/photos/guthlac
http://simonmarchini.blogspot.com
www.simonmarchini.co.uk

I hope you enjoy

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