Alica Taytor
Pastel Drawing 1
My very first oil pastel drawing this year. Though there are several mistakes/areas that need improvements, I thought I had made a decent attempt. Curved lines and excessive whitespace produce a very dreamy, near abstract design
FEEDBACK (Mr. Pullen):
>Minimize whitespace showing
>Try using more heavily textured paper with different colours
1. IMAGINE AND GENERATE
"What if I were to make paintings for my summative project? What if I could use an easier, cleaner, alternative medium to paint that can still produce similar artistic effects and sweeping masterpieces? What if I were to try oil pastel again? I did relatively well with pastel back in F2, as I recall…"
This was, in its essence, the thought process that led me to use oil pastel for my ISP. I was quite excited at the idea, as I really did enjoy using pastel in F2 art. To be completely honest, I had other thoughts too:
"What if I’m actually really good at using pastel? I’m sure it can’t be THAT hard…"
I wanted to be a master of a specific medium, and become an expert in my own personal style. I could see myself making pastel drawings in the summer, while relaxing alone in the Muskoka forests. I never expected to feel a sense of completion by the end of my ISP. From the beginning, I knew that use of oil pastels would be a long-term endeavour, and that choosing oil pastels would allow me to explore an art medium I knew I would enjoy and continue with after the project. As it stands, I’m almost certain I’ll once again be focusing on oil pastel during my ISP next year. Thus, the works I’ve made since starting have all been experimentation, in a way. For each painting, I’ve tried to either modify my style, work with a new type of paper, or both.
Research into different types of pastel yielded several results. The thicker, oilier pastels recommended and the chalky pastels I found in the art room were certainly possibilities, but I decided to use normal, everyday oil pastels, as they were already plentiful in the art room and seemed to fit my artistic goals better.
By this point, medium and design were the two main factors that drove my planning. I was dead set on oil pastel, and I had a vague notion of using a style similar to the Group of Seven. I wanted to glorify nature, placing its most beautiful aspects on pedestal for all to see; It was only later that I discovered that this wasn’t necessarily the Group’s ideology and motivation behind painting, but nevertheless I continued to follow my own chosen theme. I wanted to make my drawings vibrant and beautiful, to the point that they became almost artificial (as I’m disappointed to say). There’s no hint of relationship between nature and humanity in my work, but only the glorification and exaggeration of nature. I briefly considered using more surreal techniques only vaguely reminiscent of the Group to produce a more hazy, dreamlike theme, and this can partially be seen in Trial 1, but ultimately decided against it in further installments.
Pastel Drawing 1
My very first oil pastel drawing this year. Though there are several mistakes/areas that need improvements, I thought I had made a decent attempt. Curved lines and excessive whitespace produce a very dreamy, near abstract design
FEEDBACK (Mr. Pullen):
>Minimize whitespace showing
>Try using more heavily textured paper with different colours
1. IMAGINE AND GENERATE
"What if I were to make paintings for my summative project? What if I could use an easier, cleaner, alternative medium to paint that can still produce similar artistic effects and sweeping masterpieces? What if I were to try oil pastel again? I did relatively well with pastel back in F2, as I recall…"
This was, in its essence, the thought process that led me to use oil pastel for my ISP. I was quite excited at the idea, as I really did enjoy using pastel in F2 art. To be completely honest, I had other thoughts too:
"What if I’m actually really good at using pastel? I’m sure it can’t be THAT hard…"
I wanted to be a master of a specific medium, and become an expert in my own personal style. I could see myself making pastel drawings in the summer, while relaxing alone in the Muskoka forests. I never expected to feel a sense of completion by the end of my ISP. From the beginning, I knew that use of oil pastels would be a long-term endeavour, and that choosing oil pastels would allow me to explore an art medium I knew I would enjoy and continue with after the project. As it stands, I’m almost certain I’ll once again be focusing on oil pastel during my ISP next year. Thus, the works I’ve made since starting have all been experimentation, in a way. For each painting, I’ve tried to either modify my style, work with a new type of paper, or both.
Research into different types of pastel yielded several results. The thicker, oilier pastels recommended and the chalky pastels I found in the art room were certainly possibilities, but I decided to use normal, everyday oil pastels, as they were already plentiful in the art room and seemed to fit my artistic goals better.
By this point, medium and design were the two main factors that drove my planning. I was dead set on oil pastel, and I had a vague notion of using a style similar to the Group of Seven. I wanted to glorify nature, placing its most beautiful aspects on pedestal for all to see; It was only later that I discovered that this wasn’t necessarily the Group’s ideology and motivation behind painting, but nevertheless I continued to follow my own chosen theme. I wanted to make my drawings vibrant and beautiful, to the point that they became almost artificial (as I’m disappointed to say). There’s no hint of relationship between nature and humanity in my work, but only the glorification and exaggeration of nature. I briefly considered using more surreal techniques only vaguely reminiscent of the Group to produce a more hazy, dreamlike theme, and this can partially be seen in Trial 1, but ultimately decided against it in further installments.