Forest of Dean drawings

These are the drawings I got done on the Forest Adventure, all done in the hostel or the pub due to the weather. I thought it would be worth analysing them in the context of my ongoing development of observational and reportage drawing. 

I think this drawing works well with its unusual perspective and playful characterisation. I wasn't so bothered about capturing the James' features more than conveying a sense of companionship. I gave James Baily small wiggly arms which makes him look somewhat like an overgrown child - he was at the time struggling with his horrible burger and feeling fairly helpless. I enjoyed drawing the plate of burger that was giving him trouble.

I am trying in general to think more about how to treat objects in drawings that are principally about people - how to observe them appropriately in relation to the people in the pictures.

I used my Lamy safari pen for many of these drawings which skates quite well over the smooth moleskine paper allowing for rapid drawing. The ink also collects in tiny dots which create quite an interesting effect.

I like the table tennis drawings above and below as I've gone more for a lively approach rather than aim for characterisation above all else. One obviously has to choose a pose for the tennis players as the movement is too fast and (in the case of these amateur, undisciplined players!) rarely repeated. I tried to get a sense of how the style of play sheds light on character - Matt Amos jutting forward and prone to rash shots, Jacob laid back and languid. 

I am pleased with this drawing which is unusually composed. I hope it captures Jon and Jess quite well. Jess was always a werewolf in the games (of werewolf) we played and had an extremely poor poker face which betrayed her every time. Jon is wearing his usual expression of impish amusement; I am pleased with his bendy leg which somehow sheds light on his sense of humour. I went for a gently comic effect here without hopefully any malice. In this drawing I actually drew the whole window and much background detail in the common room and had a fair amount of time to do so as I was generally killed in the game fairly early.

Putting the window in reminded me slightly of David Hockney's drawings, which often feature characters against the backdrop of a window. I associate Hockney with producing many drawings of friends, although he tends to draw in sittings as opposed to observing daily activities. In particular Hockney's naturalistic drawings done in the 1970s, where his attention to detail and likeness comes to the fore.

Briefly: Hockney's sparse use of line (Picasso?) in observing still life: 

A drawing of the artist's father - sensitive characterisation and positioning the figure within a sparsely detailed context:

I think there must be something in the process of drawing friends and those familiar that changes the experience of drawing and the focus slightly. One can be less precious with those that one does not know. However, there is a certain sensitivity that comes through in drawings of people we like and are familiar with.