blind contour

We spent a few sessions working on blind contour. We drew from collections of natural objects that could be held and explored through touch. We also drew each other - beginning with the eyes.

We set up a drawing round robin in which a person draws the person across from them. Everyone draws at the same time to alleviate the discomfort of being the model. The black pens record the details of the eye - often overlapping them on the picture plane. We then looked for closed lines and filled them in with colored pencils.

studio work

garry oaks

batik

pastel resist

Sketching on the Francis Barkley

plankton lab

tide pool study

We walked in to Brady's Beach at low tide. After exploring the intertidal profile, we settled down to directed obsrevations.

Our discoveries required patience and stillness as the drama of the tide pool unfolded.

There was a particularly agressive and hungry sculpin that we watched for a long time. Any morsel that floated down was gobbled up immediately to the resignation of its fellows.

Back in the studio, we used these sketches as ideas for larger works or continued to add to them from memory.

alberni inlet - going to Bamfield

Each year, the Grade 5 class goes to Bamfield Marine Science Centre (BMSC) for a three day field trip. This year, they took their sketchbooks and their artist in residence! (Yipee!)



We bused to Port Alberni then boarded the Frances Barkley to take us down the inlet. It was cold and misty. We were still new with each other. I pulled out some pastels and tempra blocks. Some joined in. Recording experiences and exploring materials.

experiences in the field

The Garry Oaks Preserve is an easy walk from the school. From the beginning of May many classes spent time making observations there.

We were not the only ones. A couple of biologists were also working in the field, flagging and mapping rare flowers that enjoy this particular ecosystem. We met them a few times. They showed us their field books and we shared ours.

Since the pen is water soluable, we used small brushes to manipulate the ink and create tonal washes. Sketches capture the sensory information and save it for further reflection. They become the raw material for studio explorations.