LJL FVL-2

Oct 16, 20213 min read

FUNDAMENTALS OF VISUAL LEARNING

"Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others."

INTRODUCTION-

Fvl-2 was all about studying the form ,shape ,texture, color, shadows etc. of your organic form in detail and bringing all of it on a piece of paper using different mediums.

OBSERVATION & REPRESENTATION-

Different aspects of a form/object that should be kept in mind in order to arrive at an accurate visual representation/drawing-

Firstly, always keep your object on your eye level in order to observe it accurately.

Carefully observe and look at the contour lines of your object and try to draw at least 50 free hand contour line drawings from different angles in order to get a hold of the shape of your object.

Then start observing the other details like types of lines, spots etc. on your object and try to add those in your drawing.

To make it look more realistic and accurate, try to carefully observe the texture of your given object, for eg my object banana had a very soft and smooth texture on the inside whereas the outer peel had a spotty kind off a texture

After observing the texture try to find out the exact color of your object by carefully observing it under sufficient light. Make different swatches of color by mixing different tones of color together and try to make the exact shade.

Make sure to apply the colors, keeping in mind the direction of light on your object, use lighter shades of color on the parts where the light is directly visible and apply comparatively darker tone on the shade part(where there is not much light) This helps to add the 3d and a realistic touch.

Lastly don't forget to add the shadows, otherwise it will look like your object is flying and has no surface.

VISUAL MEDIA-

CONCLUSION-

KEY LEARNINGS-

All mediums have their own uniqueness and different possibilities as discussed above I found it easier to add shadows using watercolors and ink, whereas soft pastels and charcoal were easier to blend and oil pastels gave a clean and neat finishing to the drawings.

I learnt that its not always important or necessary to use the best quality colors or the ones that are more expensive, you can create the best even using the most basic colors. You just have to focus on your object while you color and use mediums keeping in mind the unique properties each one of them has.
For example, we were told to use mongio's oil pastels as I suppose they were better in quality, but I saw one of my classmates using Camlin oil pastels and I found her drawings to be better than most of my classmates.
So its not about that what brand colors are you using, its about how you are using your colors, irrespective of the brand.
Also perspective is really important while drawing an object, from where are you looking at the object, the angle, lighting everything plays an important role in drawing an object.

STRENGHTS, CHALLENGES & BARRIERS-

STRENGHTS- I was successfully able to achieve my desired outcome in oil pastel medium as I used to use oil pastels a lot earlier, so I was very well aware about how to manipulate its property, blend them and add textures using them.

CHALLENGES- Using soft pastels was a bit challenging for me as I don't use them very often (because they are very messy and I don't like them in general).
I was also not able to achieve the perfect shape of my object (banana) even after drawing the 50 contour drawings. But after a lot of failed attempts during the day, I finally used to get a high five from Kishore sir for my final drawing(the last one).Its just that you have to observe your object carefully and practice as much as you can.
I will try to practice my drawings in soft pastels so that I can understand its properties and use it in future.

BARRIRES- Using watercolors was time consuming as compared to other mediums as we first had to apply one layer of paints, then wait for it to dry, then the second...third and then at the end at the details and the shadows.

FUTURE INQUIRY-

I don't think so that I will ever be to look at bananas the same old way, I have drawn more than 100 bananas in total and have observed the texture, color, shape so closely that now I think I know them very deeply and differently.

I will try to attempt all this learning with a new form, I will not make 100 of them but I will try to make 15-20 in soft pastel medium, so that I get more familiar with the medium.