In the afternoon session, we asked the students to experiment with using a variety of media in their still life drawings. We’re always amazed and a bit saddened to find out how many students embarking on an Art & Design course arrive with no experience of working with any art materials outside of horrible gritty supermarket own-brand HB pencils. So we throw a load of proper drawing pencils, charcoal, pastels, pen’n’ink, etc at them and we invite them to try their hand with as many as possible.

Safely in my Comfort Zone

One of our animation mannekins, sketched using my favourite old standby, the 3B lead holder. Run of the mill boring drawing. Nothing to see here. Move along please.

Out of Comfort Zone

Yer man again, this time scribbled in charcoal, which is definitely not one of my favourite mediums. It’s not that I don’t like charcoal, I just don’t think I’m very good with it. I’m far too scruffy a person to be trusted with a material that smudges all over the show, as soon as you look at it.

…​And Again

Another charcoal sketch. This time trying to keep it a bit looser, a bit scribblier, less soft’n’smudgy and more in keeping with my preferred style of pencil drawing. Not entirely successful. The ellipses are all over the show, but I think it’s more identifiable as being ‘one of mine’.