Review: The Big Icon Challenge - Episode 3

More commentary on The Big Painting Challenge - which this calendar week was inwards Oxfordshire. Episode 3 was all nearly Still Life - which I personally call back mightiness receive got been to a greater extent than accurately described every bit existence nearly perspective as well as proportion. It went from an scheme of even so life objects to icon the facade of Blenheim Palace!

You've got 29 days left to scout it on iPlayer.

The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 3 on iPlayer on my iPad Mini.

Episode 3: The Still Life Challenges

A still life is a grouping of several inanimate objects grouped together, oftentimes alongside an over-arching theme

The challenges were ane time to a greater extent than really challenging!

• a 4 threescore minutes icon inwards acrylics of a even so life scheme of objects personal to the artist
• a xxx infinitesimal Quick Draw of giant chess pieces on an exterior chess board inwards dark as well as white chalks. The aim was to capture perspective, proportion as well as tone. It was a challenge which I call back would receive got got many artists running for the hills inside that fourth dimension scale!
• a 3 threescore minutes artwork inwards the medium of their selection of the facade of Blenheim Palace! This ane would receive got many a professional person painter feeling pretty challenged. Those who felt swamped yesteryear it had yesteryear sympathies! I'm non quite sure how this ane qualified every bit a even so life. Most buildings don't motility also much - although the low-cal does!

What was interesting was that the extent of experience that the participants select to touching on the dependent area affair is reflected really clearly inwards the choices they brand inwards price of set-up, scale as well as composition - before they fifty-fifty get-go painting!

In relation to the set-up of the even so life, Lachlan emphasised 4 factors that the painters all needed to address the fundamentals of creating a potent picture

1. create potent composition
2. balance out their colours
3. suggest  illusion of natural light
4. convince us that objects receive got 3 dimensions

Working out the placement - and, yesteryear definition, the 4 lines that cash inwards one's chips circular their dependent area affair - seemed to live on something that some people lacked skills as well as confidence in. (see my spider web log postal service on this theme - Composition - the 4 most of import lines)

I was genuinely really surprised to take away heed that some of them had never done a even so life or done really picayune and/or never genuinely painted using the media they chose. I but can't imagine existence filmed for BBC1 doing something I've never done before!

I haven't been practicing alongside watercolours, although I did acquire a majority out from the Library..... I'm enjoying finding out how to do it but learning on the undertaking is perhaps non ideal inwards this situation!
Claire Parker

The fact that it was clear that people could receive got practiced their even so life - but didn't - made me wonder why they made life hard for themselves. If yous take a facial expression at Paul Bells's website yous tin run into "one he made earlier". I'm maxim that inwards the sense that the positions of objects as well as the colours inwards the shadows are different. This is his spider web log postal service nearly Episode 3

I was really comfortable alongside my painting, the hours of practise paying dividendsPaul Bell

I was also genuinely surprised to acquire that Paul Bell had previously worked every bit an architectural illustrator. I estimate that accounts for why he's way out inwards front end inwards the skills department!

Judges comments

The Judges also considered that some of the artists had made life really hard for themselves inwards price of:

• the objects they had chosen
• objects which were really shiny as well as hard to paint, 
• objects which were really different inwards size as well as shape - as well as so hard to meld together into an interesting composition
• their powerfulness to line their objects as well as accomplish the correct size as well as shape

They also observed that artists varied inwards their skills inwards putting objects together to create a potent composition.

They liked the artists who controlled tone as well as managed to depict the 3D aspects of their objects - peculiarly inwards relation to perspective as well as depth - as well as those who had clearly thought nearly what they were doing.

The conclusion

Richard Salter genuinely impressed inwards this episode. With every challenge he seemed to do amend than I was expecting based on previous performance. It was smashing to run into him innovate color inwards the final challenge.

It struck me that both Paul as well as Anthea made a genuinely smart motility inwards demonstrating their abilities inwards a novel media.  I had Anthea identified every bit perchance existence at guide a opportunity this week. However she applied herself inwards a  much to a greater extent than focused way this calendar week as well as also worked inwards pen as well as ink as well as watercolour as well as was rewarded yesteryear taking herself out of the frame.

The judges also seemed to similar those who went on a journeying as well as tried novel things (Richard as well as Claire) - as well as made a skillful endeavor at using their novel approach (colour as well as watercolour respectively)

I call back this episode provided some really clear tips for those selected for subsequent serial of this painting.

Here's what I noted downward every bit existence some of the lessons learned inwards this episode:

• make sure you've tried icon all the different types of dependent area matter
• master the basics inwards different media
• become skilled inwards observation 
• learn how to line accurately
• give yourself challenges inwards price of shape, proportion as well as tone
• develop your abilities inwards the purpose of color as well as composition 
• think hard nearly what yous desire the destination production to facial expression similar before yous start
• practice your even so life before yous get-go on site
• think nearly how yous tin demonstrate your versatility alongside different media
• don't focus on what yous don't similar - focus on what yous tin do

One could tell that Alison, Heather as well as Anne were inwards the frame exactly from the sum of fourth dimension devoted to their experience of the challenges this week. Heather inwards special seemed to live on really fed upwards yesteryear the destination of the day. However I must confess I thought Amy was going to live on ane of the 2 going dwelling solid based on some of the comments made inwards the challenges.

My prediction for the adjacent episode

Episode 4 is all nearly Human Form as well as Movement so I'd facial expression those who dislike drawing as well as icon people to receive got a problem

Paul continues to live on way out inwards front. Richard as well as Claire receive got demonstrated their powerfulness to receive got a cash inwards one's chips as well as line it off - summation they were all on the amend side of average inwards Episode 2 (Portraits). I call back they're all safe.

I don't know if I've misjudged Amy inwards price of expecting her to cash inwards one's chips this week. I for certain haven't seen everything the judges saw.  I call back it's really definitely the representative that I'm struggling every bit Amy's style of icon is non ane which I'm a fan of - as well as that's purely a enquiry of taste.

Anthea seems to cash inwards one's chips a lot to a greater extent than focused as well as seems to live on intent on pleasing the judges rather than existence flamboyant. On that the world I call back she mightiness good live on OK.  There ane time to a greater extent than there's a rather ominous segment inside the celluloid at the get-go of each episode where Daphne Todd makes a remark nearly some flamenco dancers (next week's 3rd challenge) - as well as I call back it relates to Anthea - so maybe non OK?

I'm non convinced that Daphne thinks Anne tin line or likes her style which tends towards the apartment as well as graphic - although it's really clear that Lachlan likes her purpose of colour. It's only possible she volition live on a candidate for deviation adjacent week. However she clearly demonstrates an powerfulness to psyche as well as to address issues that are raised - as well as that's something judges ever like!

James Hobbs, Anne Blankman-Hemans as well as Katherine Tyrrell
at the Mall Galleries "Meet the Author" lawsuit this week

I met Anne during the calendar week - when she came to my booksigning at the Mall Galleries - as well as bought my majority Sketching 365.

You tin run into her on the correct alongside me as well as boyfriend writer James Hobbs as well as his book.

I was really pleased to take away heed that she has been carrying a sketchbook as well as doing a lot to a greater extent than drawing since the programme.

The skillful intelligence is that, ane time the serial has finished, she has agreed to hand me an interview for this blog. I shall endeavour to let out out what it was genuinely similar to live on an amateur creative mortal icon piece existence filmed yesteryear the BBC!

My drawings from the weekend

Again - inwards the spirit of participation - I'm going to part my ain drawings from final week.

On Saturday, I spent the afternoon drawing alongside London Urban Sketchers at the Victoria as well as Albert Museum.

It was so really prissy as well as sunny that I sat inwards the courtyard inwards the Sun drawing all the other people sitting inwards the sun!

I should add together that I avoided trying to line the architecture of the edifice because I've tried that before at the V&A as well as it's very, really challenging! So I decided I'd purpose my fourth dimension to amend number as well as focused inwards on something I felt to a greater extent than comfortable doing - drawing people. They were my "still life"!

For those who've got my majority yous mightiness desire to accept a facial expression at pages 86-87 inwards which I render some tips nearly drawing large groups of people.

Any fourth dimension you're inwards a province of affairs similar this yous have, inwards effect, got gratuitous models for practising your life drawing - except they are apt to motility roughly a flake as well as do receive got a vogue to exactly acquire upwards as well as walk away.  The fact I don't know them as well as don't receive got their permission to line them agency I don't ever line faces inwards detail.

The fox is to let out ane or 2 people who cash inwards one's chips your measurement sticks for everybody else. I started alongside the chap who was sat against the exterior corner of the edifice as well as noted how he related inwards size to the cornicing.

I as well as so moved to a unmarried adult woman sat on her ain on the steps exactly to the correct as well as below him as well as drew her inwards relation to him....

...and as well as so continued across the page drawing people inwards as well as relating each to the other. That way I acquire less worried that I've lost their relative proportion. In fact I receive got got some incorrect - but they're non so incorrect that it jumps out at yous - I think!

Sunny afternoon inwards March - Courtyard of the Victoria as well as Albert Museum
pen as well as sepia ink inwards A4 Moleskine (11" x 16")

I as well as so sketched 3 London Urban Sketchers who were sketching the architecture. That's Jean Edwards on the left as well as Pavel Miller on the right.

London Urban Sketchers sketching inwards the V&A Courtyard vii March 2015
pen as well as sepia ink inwards large Moleskine

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