Assignment 1:
Landscape Sketch
2 Tasks, 1 Template, 1 Worksheet Sketch the landscape elements
Progress: Task 1
Before even starting, I made sure to familiarise myself with the assignment brief made made a mental note on the requirements. The briefing also highlighted on the importance of proportion and I exposed myself to landscape sketches which I have never done before
Trial #1 Pt. 1
I first used pencil to draw the master plan. I took quite a long time to make sure I got the proportions rights. I found the stone pavements the most difficult part because I wanted to make them as equal as possible. After the pencil sketch, I used my felt-tip pen to outline the master plan.
Trial #1 Pt. 2
I then used alcohol markers to put in the colours into the sketch. I was very new with using alcohol markers and did not know any techniques to make lighter and darker shades. I also used the wrong colours for the ground (warm grey instead of light brown) and also for some evergreen trees.
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Trial #1 Pt. 3
I then labelled the soft scapes and hardscapes I could find before showing it to my tutor during tutorial. My tutor mentioned that my master plan was slanted. My shadows were also not dark enough and my shrubs were not neatly drawn. I was told to redo, just as how the whole class was.
Trial #2 Pt. 1
This was the second time I drew the master plan. This time, my sketch looks much for refined and it looks more confident. I also took a shorter time since which I was happy about because that means I had improvement. I also was extra careful not to make the same mistakes as I did before: a slanted master plan. After the pencil sketch, I outlined it with my ISO precision acrylic pen to make sure my line weight was consistent
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Drawing
I started to transfer the Canva designs into paper manually. I used pencil to draw it out first and then used felt-tip pens to outline and render the drawings. Drawing 15 pages worth of sketches almost killed me when I did it alone and in silence. So, I decided to watch movies while drawing to tackle both the problem of uncomfortable silence and sacrificed leisure time.
I also took the time to catch up with my best friend who studies in another college. She was also in the same boat as me where we had a bunch of assignments to catch up on and plus, we were both night owls. This made the dreadful task of completing 15 pages worth of drawings much more enjoyable as I was able to do it while chit-chatting and catching up with my best friend.
Trial #2 Pt. 1
This was the second time I drew the master plan. This time, my sketch looks much for refined and it looks more confident. I also took a shorter time since which I was happy about because that means I had improvement. I also was extra careful not to make the same mistakes as I did before: a slanted master plan. After the pencil sketch, I outlined it with my ISO precision acrylic pen to make sure my line weight was consistent
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Trial #2 Pt. 2
The next step was once again filling in the colours. I did not want to repeat the same mistake of using the wrong colours again. So this time, I used both alcohol markers and watercolour, using watercolour only when the alcohol markers did not have the colours I needed. I also learned the technique to make light and dark shades using alcohol markers, which gave my plan a more realistic appearance. Although my plan was straight, I realised my table was slanted. (I do have a thing with slanted lines don't I)
Progress: Task B
I was given this worksheet/template to draw in elements. We had to draw 5 softscape and 4 hardscape elements, each in plan view and elevation/perspective view. I had already searched for the softscape elements while doing task A so I was able to start with them right away
Re-doing
I had to redo about 5 times to draw a tree that was satisfactory to my tutor. Each time I redid, I learned something new about either water-colouring techniques or about shadows and highlights. As see in the picture, I was extremely frustrated because I would take a long time to draw and paint a softscape, but had to redo it in the end. I was also overwhelmed by other assignments. However, I soon drew a tree that was satisfactory and felt very proud of that
Task B Trial #2
I then proceeded to draw the plan view as well as the shrubs. Although I have shown great improvement, my tutor commented that it looks very lacking in terms of depth. I had no shadows nor highlights and my drawing looks very stiff. She did also mention that she liked the pen rendering in the elevation view of the shrub. I did not really understand what she meant by depth, thus I went to do research and searched for more good examples online.
Watching rendering tutorials
I came across this video in Pinterest when I was looking for hardscapes to draw. I proceeded to watch the full video on Youtube and it was one of the best decision I've ever made. This video not only taught me how to simply draw or colour, it showed me the several techniques of alcohol marker rendering. It also taught me how to determine shadows and highlights and showed me the significance of white spaces.
I watched more, as much as I could find because I found that they helped me a lot. This was the tutorial I followed in drawing the tree. I realised that most tutorials rarely use the pointed tip. Instead, the flat tip was used. This was my biggest lesson learnt. the highlighting tip leaves room for texture which was ideal for drawing natural elements.
Outcome
Reflection
Lifelong Learning
I learned to be learn independently, locate, extract, synthesise and utilise information effectively from the video that i watched as well as be intellectually engaged with my lecturer and tutor of the project
Discipline Specific Knowledge
I learned to put theories into practice, read, analyse and summarise information in context of the assignment as well as be aware the fragile nature around us
Digital Literacy
I learned to be effective in using a digital design app, Canva.
Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills
I learned to think critically and creatively to come up with infographics, as well as define and analyse the environmental issues nature is facing and arrive at effective solutions.
Global Perspective
I learned to be aware of and form opinions from the natural elements around us. Also, I've come to understand the value of nature and the civic responsibility we have to protect it.
Intrapersonal Skills
I learned to manage oneself and be self-reliant when doing this individual assignment, and to reflect on my learning journey