Drawing... a review of Sickert

I decided for Drawing from Observation I would look at Walter Sickert as I liked the way the form was executed onto the page and how it has a strong shadow and light presence on all the forms. Looking at some of the drawings he done throughout his career,i was quite shocked that he produced these rapidly and spontaneously, as they looked so detailed, but when you look right up close there isn't as much detail as you think and the rapidness becomes more apparent to you. I noticed through out his career his marks on the page are quite straight and looks more like hatching than seriously shading in, so i thought i would have a go. I decided to look at this image a i liked the way that all the lumps and bumps were produced and how there weren't really outlines n the form just around it, and the hatching made up the shadows and showed movement of the skin. I really like the 'through the keyhole' appearance you gather from the images he produces, like they don't even know they are getting drawn which is appealing to me as it has more naturalness to it and not to set up, making the barriers between the subject in the image and the audience merge and less definite. I decided to use crayon as I couldn't find the media he used at the time of doing these and that's what I thought it looked like.

This is how i started the number of drawings following Sickert, by lightly sketching down the outline of the figure, so i can get a jist of how the body is positioned and the composition and form in which will be portrayed.

I then started hatching away in the shaded areas, to get the definition of the form more complete and 3D.

Then added on the final layer of the darker outlines and some darker shaded to highlight the forms  on the figure. leaving parts of all layers visible and create abit if depth in the drawing.

A close up of the drawing to show the marks made with crayon.

1. This one isn't that great, looks as if she's got one massively muscled arm for no reason. Hopefully this arm will go down in size! I like the effect of the hatching, think i've done right by following the form in the hatching or it would of looked to boxey and unrealistic, as his drawings have this reality in them. I feel though i need to work on the back and top of the bottom as well as the arm,as i feel it doesn't look light.

2. I misjudged how much space it would take up, so that's why the arms been chopped off. misjudgement. need to work on  the size and relation on paper thing, think this is a problem with most of my drawings. the stomach here just looks wrong, need to look closer to try and make it merge more and not be as sticking out, like an add on or something. Don't think the back has improved here, hopefully this will get better with doing all these quick tries of the style.

3.I feel this one has worked out better the back has more definition and form i feel, the arm isn't as muscley as well but abit  sharp. Also the stomach hasn't worked out any better!, I tried here to make it less bulky and darker to look more like a shadow. Its still abit bulged and exaggerated though just now.
4. This was me misjudging again trying to fit it in onto the peice of paper. In generaly dont like this drawing . think the top of the back and middle of the back is probarly the best, but its just not worked out. Need to WORK ON POSITION ON PAPER and form size and shape!

Okay this one has slanted. I think i know the reason though as i  was drawing from a different angle as i went away for lunch then came back to continue. I feel the detail is getting better (as i am noticing more) and THE ARM IS LESS BULKY! :) woo.  Need to make sure i don't go slanted again though WATCH OUT FOR THIS ANNIE! The stomach has also went in abit not as obviously sticking out.

This one has ended up abit thin and the stomach is sticking out again just abit  rubbish this one. 

This ones better! , thing the definition on the lower back, legs, arms has gone well,  and i feel i've naturaly just decreased the size of the arm to look more feminine, i think you can tell i'm startiung to see more from the initial image as well. only problem with this one is the top of the back and bottom of the neck feel this has maybe went abit lighter than i should be.

Dont like the middle of the back lines here, but everything else seems to have worked out all right. NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT I DON'T HARSHLY PUT IN THE LINES AND MAKE THEM MORE LIKE LITTLE HATCHINGS, kind of looks like an odd tatoo here.

I'm gaining speed as well producing all of these, think this one has greatly improved, maybe the shoulder to the left arm could of been placed abit more at the right place though seems abit flat at the shoulder... maybe that's the angle though at which the drawings been done at.

this is my final image and here i tried to incorporate more into it. I think I've  improved since my first try. and feel i have more of an incline to Sickert's style and technique. I feel the hatching technique is great way to shade object and get the sense of form when done right and not 2 dimensionality. Obviously there is more to learn and I'm never going to be as good as he is, but its a sneaky peek at his way of working which i like doing. I think his style of trying to create personal and intimate drawings is something i would like to take on and also his spontaneous need to jot down an image in his sketchbook is a great way into learning my own style.

Thanks for looking.
Annie x