ASSIGNMENT TWO

For the second assignment, I chose a composition that I had actually considered for the drawing in paint exercise, but as it consisted of two nail polish bottles, I thought that glass would be a little complex for the very first painting exercise. With this in mind, I combined the nail polishes with a chunky book and a string of pearls as well as a silk scarf to contribute to the backdrop of the painting. As I didn’t think that there were many combinations for compositions, I drew a couple of simple sketches and then produced a simple tonal study.

With this piece I wanted to use gouache as I had recently found a new favourite medium, and knew that it would give a more delicate effect, which was what I wanted to create with the feminine objects I had chosen. I knew that I still wanted to create tone and depth, but just a more subtle and gentle effect too.

For this piece, I decided to square size an A2 sized mixed media card that I have always enjoyed using, due to the tooth on the surface and grip that it seems to have on the medium.

This still life was one that I wanted to convey a sense of what it means for me to be a woman. For myself, I want to feel delicate, pretty and educated, and so all of these objects mean something to me. Nail polish makes me feel touched up, books give me hope, and my pearls and my scarf are the last things I put one before leaving the house.  As for the colours, they represent my preferences as I love pale or rich bruised colours, and the colours connected with Spring and Autumn. Sometimes a story can be told within a painting, and this is one of mine. With the background, the day I painted this composition, the sum was shining directly into the room and so everywhere was lit bright apart from the composition shielded by the scarf, and so that is why the background is quite vague and the shadow from the book on the table so harsh. I do believe that this piece is well executed with accuracy, and perhaps it may need more detail but I believe you need to leave a piece for a while and then return to it, and that is where a person’s judgement is at its best.

After speaking with my tutor and reading my written report, we agreed that the gouache was not really the best medium for this piece as the cloth in the background appeared harsh and crisp, and the nail polish tops looked hard and jarring, and so I decided to correct these problems with acrylic, using a gel retarder in order to create smoother folds in the cloth and create more gentle lids on the bottles. With a more simple approach, the control of the paint was much better for me and after having corrected these two areas of the painting, I lifted the pearls from the book, adding shape and shading with a coloured pencil once the acrylic had dried. Having used these techniques I believe this piece now shows a better handling of the paint and a control that I could not achieve with the gouache which is shown below.