Here is a showcase of a rose(?) and a spider. I found these during my walk through the park one day. I thought the spider was a good subject to draw because its shape is very peculiar in nature. a lot of people are scared of them but once you get to know them and observe them (much like a place) then they can seem completely different.

I drew a transition from a budding flower to a flower in full bloom from a side profile in order to reflect the burst of life I experienced during summer where I associate freedom as it is a time for where I don’t have any deadlines to meet.

During my time as a student I have never really known summer to be anything else but freedom to some degree so that is why I chose these subjects.

Here is some mad made objects within the park. This is a clubhouse for the members of a bowls club.

The clubhouse is situated in a patch of grass with is well maintained by human influence. It does seem very out of place because of its location but I never really thought too much about it since I have seen it so often.

It does not seem very negative to be honest. It is a place where the elderly mostly convene and have a calm relaxing game with their friends surrounded by nature. So I think it is actually a positive addition to the park.

I’d just like to draw some attention to the blue flower I had sketched because it is probably the only flower I liked drawing. This is a biased opinion of mine because I like the colour blue and it got me thinking that I have the power to depict this place however I want. I made the effort to spend more time on the flower than I normally would on the other sketches so is my non-objective point of view good? Even without any ill intentions, there are those who could decode this in a way I would not think is positive.

Here are some more sketches in colour of the flower garden in the park. I have grown a little bit more confident in using the pencils and throughout the time of this project, I feel like I have grown as an artist in utilising my coloured pencils.

I have decided to write some haikus which are Japanese poems which follow a 5 7 5 syllable structure. I am very interested in the culture of Japan and liked the idea of including some of that interest in my placebook which not only reflects my interpretations of my experiences in a place but my influences as well.

 

 

The first signs of spring, many plants and flowers have bloomed and I decided to try out sketching something different this time.

I sketched a plume of yellow flowers as it highly contrasts with the colour scheme of winter. The bright yellow and bunched formations of the plant could be compared to nature giving birth once again.

This notion could be further emphasised by the abundance of animals (mostly birds) around the park. Life here seems to be teeming. There is a lot of movement, again making more connections with life cycles and birth.

This is the beginning of the season of spring and the end of the winter. I still used the sketch pencils in order to keep in theme with winter in the bleakness but I would like to attempt to use coloured pencils in spring.

I could see that some of the trees had started to sprout some leafs and this confirms the circle of life or lifestyle of the seasons reflected through nature and specifically through trees.

Although a lot of winter is still apparent, there are signs of life starting up once again and could be a signifies of hope, it’s very poetic actually.

 

 

Another one of my favourite sketches. This depicts a snow covered tree located on the hill of the park. It looks like a Christmas tree and produces a festive vibe which is one of the positives to come from winter in the west.

This particular tree stood out to me because it seemed to not be phased by the weather at all and just did its own thing. While the world turned and time passed by, it didn’t complain, it didn’t give up. It just stood its ground and even though it was covered in snow or was rained or hailed on it kept being itself.

I really liked that because it could serve as a reminder to others to be themselves and stay grounded.

 

One of my favourite sketches, I made a connection with the exposed trunk and branches with negative connotations which is a shame because these once beautiful trees which were once so full of colour and life have been reduced to a shadow of its former self.

I get a very sinister feeling whilst sketching this because the atmosphere was very inhospitable. It was cold and foggy, I was uncomfortable and the wind was harsh so I did not stay long.

The branches seem to grasp out and it is no wonder that in the past, people would mistake the silhouettes of these trees for monsters. A very clear juxtaposition from autumn.

 

I found that the transition to winter was a bit depressing. I viewed it in a way of the trees losing their leafs was akin to entering old age and starting to wrinkle and eventually die. I made a connection with the trees because I realised that they in some way reflect humanity in a way that they are born, enter their prime, start to grow old and then die. But they are seemingly infinite because they will repeat this process year after year.

Again, the black and white sketches reflect the absence of  joy during the transition to winter, as we enter the twilight of the year.

 

 

Here is a depiction of a man made structure at the official entrance of the park. It is obviously man made because although it looks coincidental, the rock is very out of place with any other rock shape in the park, also the plaque embedded into the rock is a memorial which are man made.

Another attempt at using brown colours was made. as the last signs of autumn fade into winter. I think these images came out better because I was more patient with them and the drawings where less ambitious, safe and I managed to apply softer touches.

I see this as me becoming more in tuned to the place in the sense that I am taking care of representations of my place.

Here are a few more incomplete drawings of the autumn trees which I find one of the best in the placebook. I found that my style of drawing really shys away from the colours because they did not produce the results I liked. In a way this could reflect of me as a person and my connection with my place in that I may see it in black a white? Am I actually attached to this place?

 

Another attempt at using colour during autumn and another one I was not pleased with as I just cannot get the colour combinations right. Perhaps I need a closer more serious look at my place.