Lifeless

    This drawing was observational of an old leaf i picked up on a walk when i was little. This leaf interested my friend and i as it was really big and i kept it for memories. I drew it with an old twig i picked up from outside, on this piece of floral fabric. The pattern and colours of the fabric make me think of the patterns usually seen in elderly houses that have aged over time. With the dead leaf and twig it made me think of lifeless objects, used, faded and gone but still preserved. Like how people pass away but their ideas live on and inspire others. They leave their mark on the world.
   Using a fineliner i drew on the paper and fabric to see how it worked on the different texture. It was quite smooth but needed more pressure for the ink to appear completely on the fabric. I tried different techniques of drawing with the twig, lines and dots, but i still need to practice those techniques for it to look effective. I don't think i have the patience with constantly using the dotting technique carefully and rushing it doesn't seem to work well.for effectiveness. However, i enjoy using the scribbling technique so used this for the leaf. I like the loose but rigid shape of the leaf i have created by building up the lines around the edges and the leaf veins. I did continuous lines which i think worked well in creating this shape. I also like the fewer lines around the edges coming out of the leaf as it appears quite messy and natural.
   To improve this i would change the composition of the leaf and stick. I would take them outside and put them in a natural setting, by dropping them near other twigs and leaves, then look at it from different angles to see which is most interesting. I would also draw the stick and other surrounding in the same scribble technique to create a setting as it would look interesting on the fabric and paper. I could add other different patterned fabrics, layering them on top of each other but sticking to an earth colour palette to keep it natural. This creates an autumn feel which works with things being lifeless as thats when plants begin to die and it gets darker.