Today we worked from collected items from home, contained with matchboxes. My matchbox was for extra long matches so the box measured about 4x2 inches, and about 2cm deep. The items I included were: a USB memory stick with rubberised case, a cut-down cable tie, a clip, a spring, a screw, an AA battery, two motherboard connectors (connecting to each other), and a stereo jack. We were asked to draw literal but straightforward drawings of the contents of the box, ie: line drawings, not been too concerned with shading etc, at A5/A6 scale. I found this task extraordinarily difficult and frustrating. I had not anticipated so much difficulty in determining proportions at this scale, in fact I could safely say that it was the exact opposite to what I expected, which was that this would be a straightforward task because of the reduced scale and relative simplicity of the items. After an hour and a half of attempting several times to draw the items, in a variety of configurations within the box, we had our afternoon break. After expressing my frustrations over a cigarette with a fellow student, it became clear I was not the only person struggling, and after speaking to other people as well, I quickly felt better about the task. It had become very frustrating and stressful and because of my own perceptions about the simplicity of the task I even felt embarrassed about it, but this was unnecessary. After returning to the class I began work again, feeling a little refreshed but still struggling to a degree with the subject. I decided to alter my approach (I had previously tried a variety of techniques to overcome the problems with proportion, including negative space, measuring, and using a ruler) and take the best drawing out of the several I had attempted, which even then was not one that I was particularly satisfied with, and used copy paper to trace the image but only in a very loose manner, using only straight lines in fineliner with a ruller. This broke down the image into crudge geometric shapes. I repeated this process three times in all, on separate pieces of copy paper. Later I used pencil and masking tape to create blocks of solid shading. Finally, as a fairly spur of the moment impulse, I used masking tape to bind the class summary worksheet behind the copy paper. This came about as I had quickly searched for some white paper to put behind the copy paper, simply to provide me with a clearer backdrop to view the lines I had created better. I thought about how frustrated I had been with the brief, and considered how I might instead benefit from that experience, and link it into the process of the work. The work itself became visually complex and peculiar, and combined with the text of the worksheet behind it, describing the lessons themselves as per the lesson plans, somewhat summarised how the experience had felt for me. I intend now to create a larger piece of work, to A2 size, over the weekend and hopefully have it ready for next weeks lesson.
This has been an interesting experience, though I am going to reserve judgement as much as possible at this stage as the main piece of work hasn’t yet been started. What started as deeply frustrating may well be turned around into something positive, reminding me of this quote:
“As a rule I don't like suffering to no purpose. Suffering should be creative, should give birth to something good and lovely.” - Nigerian poet Chinua Achebe
This has been an interesting experience, though I am going to reserve judgement as much as possible at this stage as the main piece of work hasn’t yet been started. What started as deeply frustrating may well be turned around into something positive, reminding me of this quote:
“As a rule I don't like suffering to no purpose. Suffering should be creative, should give birth to something good and lovely.” - Nigerian poet Chinua Achebe
