During my critique the background was something that I found I needed to improve on. There was a lot going on with the actual items, but my background was static, and it seemed to be a separate from the actual drawing. Because a lot of my critiques involved adding things, I decided to no completely recreate my drawing but to add more to it instead. It was brought up often that the background needed to be incorporated into the work and become almost an object in itself. I had a lot of trouble with this, especially the sheet. I had a very hard time drawing the curves and folds of the sheet to make them look realistic. When adding to the work I tried to make it darker and be more confidant with the ink I was putting down. I’m not sure if this payed off or not, and I’m not sure if the difference is very noticeable. I feel I need to be more purposeful with my marks and make my lines more confident in the future. When going back and I think Emily did this very well and it made her work appear more grounded and compact. There was never a question of where her work began and where it ended. This was something I strived to do when adding to my work. I tried to make the background more interesting to look at and make it a clear piece of the work. I used paper towels a lot when making my work, so this is was I used again to simulate carpet. I think this added some much-needed texture to the foreground. It was very boring before and now I think the even dappled marks simulate my apartments carpet well. I also attempted to add more dimension to the candle and the blanket as well with a cue-tip. I attempted to darken those colors and create more of a contrast between the shadows and the bright spots. I think the blanket looks more discernible from the background wall now and it’s easier to see the lines that mark where one ends and one begins. I think that what I did was not very time consuming or complicated, but it added a lot to the drawing and made it feel more like a finished project that I like more.
Thanks for your reflection Caitlynn, and I am glad you found your critique helpful and learned something from looking closely at other student’s work! I think these additions you made really add to your drawing, while subtle. “Finishing” a drawing can often be the hardest part of the work and is almost like a puzzle. There are many solutions, but only a few provide the final balance to the composition you are seeking. I do think there is value in remaking a drawing because you can draw the same thing 1,000 times and always learn something new. It also helps us get over the preciousness of the page! I don’t know if you did preparatory sketches for this drawing, but that is another strategy in the future. You can then try out a couple of different avenues with the sketches and then approach your final drawing already having tackled challenges you would find doing it for the first time.