Irises and Assessing Your Work
The irises have been in bloom for the last few weeks in Nebraska. Iris is one of my most favorite flowers--they are graceful, calm, and dignified in a way no other can match, I think. Here is a sketch of some irises from my neighbor's yard.
One thing I appreciate about quick watercolor sketches is that it gives you ample opportunity to assess your work. After an hour, you have a finished sketch to critique and learn from. Near the end of my time at REAL Academy, my teacher Ali Ghassan gave me a useful set of criteria for viewing my artwork and identifying key areas for improvement. They are:
1) Is the drawing accurate?
a. Are the proportions correct?
b. Is the form adequately simplified so that the essence of thing is communicated, or is it too bogged down with details? Is there a clear separation between the light and shadow side of the form? Did you work from the general to the specific?
2) Are the values (i.e., lights and darks) correct?
a. Are your values adequately arranged to show the form shadow, mid-tone, light, cast shadow, and highlight (if visible)? Does your work show that you understand the value range of different pigments?
b. Do the gradations of value accurately show the volume of the object? There should be a greater gradation for a high volume contrast and less gradation for a low volume contrast.
3) Does the work accurately show the structure of the form? Do your pencil lines or brushstrokes follow the light path, showing how the light hits the form?
4) How are the edges? Is there an interesting variety of soft, firm, and hard edges, and are they properly placed?
These are the most fundamental aspects to get right in a drawing or painting, and in this video he explains each of these points in more detail. (Of course, there are other important elements of a work to assess beyond these, such as composition, atmosphere, texture, and so on.) Now instead of looking at a sketch with a hodge-podge of possible critiques, I find myself using this as a checklist. And this is an awesome checklist because at the same time it is a clear map to the end goal of being able to convey the beauty of a small piece of the world.
The main thing that stands out to me in this sketch is it could use a greater variety of edges, especially softer edges on the leaves (as well as a bit less color and value contrast) so they do not distract from the focus of the sketch--the flowers. Here's to becoming better over time.
