Critique Reflection
Overall, one of the largest challenges for me in this assignment was the process of working with ink and trying to get a diverse range of value just by using ink. As I began to develop my drawing more, I started thinking more about the actual mark making to help provide a wider range of value instead of simply trying to dilute the ink at different levels and add it in different concentrations on the page. In several of the artworks I saw how people used different marks such as hatching to suggest shading without making that area too dark. I also really liked how people had more to their backgrounds than I did. I believe that having a more defined and clear background would improve the overall appearance of the items in my still life.
In response to my drawing, one of the most helpful comments suggested to add more contrast to the background and some of the back pieces to make them stand out more instead of just blending in. I think that would be really helpful because some of the items in my still life looked like they were fading into the background.
Looking back, I wish I would have started with a white background at first. Instead of leaving the background white, I tried to make an even coat of ink which made it a lot harder to properly adjust the values in my still life. Going forward, I would like to redo this drawing with charcoal or pencil to try to achieve a more correct value to make the contrast in my still life better.
Great reflection Amy! How did it feel to draw this again with charcoal? I think what you said about defining the background later is smart. Unfortunately, you can’t erase ink, so it is a very different process than working with charcoal.
I think your compositional choices were very interesting here! The black line (bag strap?) really brings things together. Some of your objects were difficult to decipher in your ink drawing, but the detailed textures, especially of the knitted object, are really excellent.