L5/L6 Sketchbook Crit: Molly Fairhurst

Molly Fairhurst

Today we had a crit where we got to look at all the summer sketchbooks from the second and third years. We had to pick one drawing that was our favourite. I found this super hard and took a million photos, but my favourite collection of sketchbooks was from Molly. I think she's a 3rd year and I just really love her style of drawing. I picked the page above as my favourite.

Firstly, I love the way she fills her pages in a way that looks like she's just sketching and getting ideas down, yet all her sketches fit in the page so well and the page looks vivid and experimental and exciting. I also really like the sketchbook she was using, I might get some landscape sketchbooks as I think the look is really nice, especially for double page spreads.  

The use of line is my favourite part, it's so chunky and sketchy and scratchy, and I think this makes her work always look so fun. To me, there's a really strong sense of feeling in all her work. Like each hand on this page looks a bit creepy and claw-like, the faces look curious or confused, their hair is funny and floppy, etc. Today when we were discussion what makes something an illustration instead of just a drawing, I think this work definitely captures that idea as this sketchbook page contains simple line sketches yet I'd call them all illustrations. They all have a sense of emotion that can't really be captured with words, and there's a sense of authorship as they seem very personal. The little notes 'he didn't' and 'when i listen to kate bush' are fun and quick and just for her.

The sense of character and narrative in every piece, and the loose experimental feeling in her work really inspired me. For me, her work just seems like she's in love with illustration and is working really hard to keep being experimental and playful with visual language and aesthetics. Looking at the work today was really over whelming, in a good way! I found so many sketchbooks I really loved and so many pieces of work that really inspired me to draw constantly and hopefully improve. 

Study Task 1: Image, Idea, Context

Night Walk by Gillian Watson

I picked this piece because it's an art print I own and have on my wall behind my desk. I really love the use of shape, line and colour but haven't really studied it in great, or conceptual, detail before so I thought it would be interesting to. 

Context

• I found this through Gillian Watson's etsy shop, triangletrees 
• It was originally created for Wellington Brewery, as part of a series of locally designed coasters
• It was created for a client, but as part as a group of artists, which to me would suggest the artists would have freedom to create work they enjoyed and were not given a strict brief

Image

• This piece is a two layer screen print, which I think really fits the colour palette and fits the spooky, night time feel
• I like that you can tell this image is of night time, yet the background is very pale. The use of red, and the lack of a definite line between the floor and background area helps to create this idea of dark
• Also the use of red as a representation of the light in the image, as well as making the figure look heavy or the eyes look scary, is really strong
• I love the use of round, chunky lines and the use of the warped pattern on the dress, it seems very soft but deliberate

Idea

• I'm not sure if there's a specific meaning, but to me, it seems to be all about night time and being afraid of the dark
• The figure is wearing wellies, and has a flashlight and her cat, maybe as if she's just left the house in the night or is lost somewhere
• The eyes in the background are key, as well as the cats eyes facing the opposite direction as the figure, as if it's looking at something. This again adds to the spooky, tense feeing of the piece
• The eyes are quite subtle and not too garish or creepy, so while I think this piece is about being possibly anxious or lost in the dark I don't think it's especially frightening or dramatic
• The snake and pyramid, to me, hint to a possible occult or magical theme