Sketchbook Explorations, Part 3

I continue to follow the activities in the downloaded course I have purchased from Jane Davies, which I first posted about here. Lesson 2 of the program has us working with circles.

The first activity is to make circles in as many ways as possible. We are not to consider "composition", just go for variety: using as many techniques as possible to make circles and ovals. I chose to limit myself to black and white.

Here are some of the techniques I used:

• stamping with rubber stamps
• stamping with bottom of paint bottle
• collage with painted deli paper
• fat marker, donuts
• thin and medium markers, pebbles
• graphite crayon, scribbled and smudged
• watercolour crayon, wetted
• stencilling pattern 
• smudged charcoal
• circles with interrupted line
• smudging into circle using a stencil
• smudging outside mask
• circle cut from rectilinear paper, collaged
• circles scribbled with marker

Here are some of the aspects I observed:

• solid circles vs. donuts vs. outlined circles
• circles extending beyond edge of paper
• circles-in-circles
• circles touching circles
• overlapping circles
• circles in a grid
• circles in a line
• variety of size

Following up in this next part of Lesson 2, we are asked to fill a page with circles, then go back in with a second medium to augment the first layer.

The solid circles, in a grid layout, were made with
paint markers, then decorated with silver paint.

These circles touch each other. They were made
with a white china marker, and then a dilute wash
of acrylic paint was applied. Collaged deli paper
fills in some of the larger shapes.

More circles that touch each other.They were made
with water-soluble crayon, wetted, and then
 scribbled circles were added with a white paint marker.

Overlapping circles were made with acrylic paint.
Then a black marker filled in lines in the background,
including the circular holes.

The last part of the lesson was to use circles to suggest something spare and airy...

then something claustrophobic...

then something that combined open and airy with claustrophobic....

Finally, the assignment asked us to use circles to create a sense of direction...

then a sense of rhythm...

then a sense of "narrative".

For sure, we are being put through our paces. I'm happy to be following this course with two friends, so we can share ideas and observations.