Detailed Nature Drawing

I have moved into the second section of my course called, "Observation in Nature". I am very much looking forward to this section as I enjoy being out in nature, and feel more drawn to natural forms and their organic, comfortable quality compared to the stiff formality of most human-made objects.

The first Research Point is to compare two artists who create/created detailed drawings - one contemporary and one 19th Century or earlier.

Robert B. Brandegee lived from 1849 to 1922. Here is his botanical drawing entitled, Anemones, 15th April 1867". It is graphite on paper, 10.8 X 16.8 inches. His interests in botany and ornithology was reflected in his work. His aunt taught him to make detailed drawings when he was young. Later, he went on to work under Thomas Farrar and John Hill to learn to create detailed watercolor botanical paintings.



© The Bridgeman Art Library - London, New York, Paris


I like the detail of this drawing of wildflowers in the grass. The dried leaf to the left, the lightness of the flowers and the grass blades combine in an carefully delineated drawing. There are no major highlights or intense dark areas, but, rather a blending of grays, creating a softly lit scene. I love how the scene is entirely filled with gentle graphite marks. The detail is complete without being sharp or harsh. It blends all of the elements together giving a representation of the way in which wildflowers blend into their surrounding.

The other artist I chose is Jonathan Delafield Cook (b. 1966). He started his career by making architectural drawings, but has since turned to natural forms. According to Pippy Houldsworth, "Jonathan Delafield Cook is amongst a new generation of artists who are rediscovering draughtsmanship. Rather than employing charcoal and pencil simply in preliminary studies he has examined what the process might yield as a medium with an end in itself." In another statement, Houldsworth said about Cook's drawings of flowers, "Despite the photographic quality of the work this is not photorealism, but rather an eroticisation of the flower on the paper.

Here are three detailed, charcoal drawings by Cook, all titled, "Bird's Nest, 1998", each 50 X 53 inches.







© The Bridgeman Art Library - London, New York, Paris

In each the texture is exquisitely detailed to present a feeling for the materials of the nest. The very fine, rounded grasses of the first contrasts with the broad, flat, smooth material of the second and the soft, cushion-like, mossy construction of the third. The feather details are beautiful. The use of charcoal to achieve such detailed depictions of texture is amazing. The large size of the drawings enables the detail, especially for the fineness of the forms in the first drawing.

Still Life Number 2

For my second still life I am required to draw natural objects. Since it is fall, I set up some squash and onions for a initial sketch.




I used Conte Crayon since it seemed to suit the subject. I was pleased with the shapes of the vegetables and the relationships, as well as the shadows. The one squash on the upper right is not exactly the right shape and doesn't seem to sit right in the sketch. I felt that the still life was too busy, so for my final drawing I pared it down and added some fall leaves.



This time I used Derwent Pastel Pencils. I wanted to play with the oranges, browns and greens of the squash. I am fairly happy with this drawing. I chose to make the leaves less detailed on purpose, since I wanted to focus attention on the squash. I wanted to the leaves to be a light decoration framing the squash. The shapes and forms of the squash are generally good. I like the detail in the squash in the middle. The greens play well with the yellow and orange. I had trouble with the one on the right (butternut). The squash is quite plain and I struggled with the details of shadowing and feel that it doesn't work as well as I would like. The one on the left is a bright orange, and more textured than I depicted. I like my treatment of the oak leaves, which adds a lightness to the picture. I think it would have been distracting to make them more detailed. I worked on my line variation in that area and feel is works well against the heavy, smooth, shapes of the squash.

Space Between

Research Point: Find out more about Patrick Caulfield and how he uses positive and negative space.

When I first started really seeing negative space (thanks ti Betty Edward and her ground breaking book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"), I finally was able to understand the relationships between elements in a drawing. This was about 20 years ago, but I still have a way to go in being able to use negative space as a composition in itself in the ways that Patrick Caulfield does. He is an English painter (1936-2005) known for his "Pop Art" depictions.


© The Bridgeman Art Library - London, New York, Paris

In "Signature Pots" a 1975 screenprint on paper, Caulfield draws the detail in the negative space. The reflections of light on the pots are done in a graphic red, but the rest of the pot surface is blank. The background depicting line drawings of trees and branches fills up the negative space. The result is an abstract drawing where the eye is continually drawn into the space between, rather than the object. As it places an emphasis on the negative space, the figurative, solidly colored objects have less importance in the composition.


© The Bridgeman Art Library - London, New York, Paris

"Reserved Table",an acrylic on canvas from 2000, plays with the positive spaces. The table cloth and part of the background are done in pure white. The only detail is in the lobster and it's reflection. There are some textural details in the background, drawing the eye through the doorway. The main colors, black, white, and blue are nicely contrasted with the red and red-orange of the lobster. The abstract nature of the painting invites the viewer to make out enough detail to place the objects in context, yet prompting such questions as: Is that stairs to the left? Why is the lobster on a shelf below a mirror? The title suggests a restaurant, but where are the chairs and people? Why is the table in a doorway, or is it a window? It leaves much to the imagination of the viewer, but provides an atmosphere in which to create a dining scenario of one's own.

Here is my experiment with negative space:



This is a quick charcoal sketch. I tried to look primarily at the negative space. The only detail of the objects is on the one in the foreground. I believe, that especially when making quick sketches to get at relationships between objects, focusing on the negative space, the spaces in between, can be incredibly helpful.