Week 8 Location Drawing, River Walk

Location Drawing River Walk

"I never really expect to find my subjects ready made. Effective drawing outdoors demands the imagination to reorganize and regroup scattered elements. For instance, I may be stopped by a landscape of undulating yellow corn fringed at the top by a strip of mountains. On reflection, however, I may feel that this looks a little monotonous. So I scan the terrain to see what other elements might be added: an engraved milestone, an artesian well, a tree or two, might make this into a more dramatic composition."

Recomposing Nature, Creative Pencil Drawing by Paul Hogarth.

The aim of this week's drawing session is to capture in your sketchbooks 4 contrasting areas of interest along Worcester's river Severn.

Inspired by the reportage illustrator Paul Hogarth's (1917-2001) drawing approach of 'recomposing nature', we'd like you to make 4 composite drawings - one for each area of interest.

These drawings should aim to convey something distinctive about the selected environment/landscape.  e.g. the beautiful and jetting architecture surrounding Worcester Cathedral, the weirs and dams of the industrial revolution's canal system, or the currents, floating debris, the wildlife (such as the swan sanctuary, cormorants and king fishers) of the Severn,  it's up to you, we're looking forward to seeing the river and surrounding area through your eyes !

To achieve the best results, start by making lots of very quick thumbnail sketches of  the area, these might be architectural detail, or trees, people, etc - whatever captures your interest. This will help you work out the central points of your drawing, or/and what to include or leave out.  Next, draw the key subject areas in your sketchbook page/s, then add other elements, making a conscious decision where to place them in relation to the rest of the drawing composition, be it foreground, middle-ground, background etc.

It's important to consider what materials, techniques, and tactics you'll employ to best convey the characteristics and mood of the area. Don't just use pencils! Remember all the approaches you've used during the course of the drawing module. What are they and how best could you employ them for this assignment?

Victorian Cemetery, Cambridge, England.  The wide variety of ornament in any kind of cemetery makes an excellent exercise for the artist who wishes to understand architectural detail. The cedar trees which dominate the composition were moved in to relieve the rather gray linear quality of the tombs. This is also the purpose of the figures in the center and immediate foreground.  
Paul Hogarth, Creative Pencil Drawing.

River Walk Map