Autumn Term 2024

Focus: Learning from a professional artist; Tim Fowler.

I missed the studio visit, but a short documentary video is available on his website timjfowler.co.uk

Tim’s success has really accelerated since he explored and created paintings using his heritage countries plants.

Session1

Create an A4 black and white drawing of a plant that is significant to your heritage. Use any material; ink pen, graphite, charcoal or biro. It need not be a botanical illustration, but one which captures the energy and vitality of the plant.

Heritage plants - are not necessarily native, but could have become culturally significant after their introduction hundreds of years ago. I chose the wild teasel because I thought it was a native plant, plus its link to woollen fabric. In medieval times teasels were used to raise the nap on woollen cloth. Apparently the teasel used for that job has a different shape and is called Dipascus Sativus whereas the wild teasel is called Dipacus Fullonum.

I used Derwent soluble graphite to draw the background teasels to create a soft focus effect. I found them easy to use. To make the foreground teasels more dominant I drew them hard edged in ink pen.

Feedback -  as the teasel is such an architectural plant, I could make more of it by drawing it larger. Perhaps I could do that in the next assignment?

My intention was use Derwent soluble graphite to push the plant into the background, then use ink to bring the larger drawing of the plant forward.