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Matthew Bristow - The Open College of the Arts

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Matthew Bristow

Those of you studying the Drawing 1 course will know that part two is a rather large undertaking, still quite new to studying you are continuing to find your feet. At this level the emphasis is on the acquisition of skills and you are just beginning to get to grips with research and contextualising your work, you are not really expected to have found your personal voice and particularly when only at assignment two.
Already showing signs of independence and risk taking student Matthew Bristow tried something different for his assignment 2 piece all the while and very importantly using his research to underpin the work he created.
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In his own words;
“I wanted this drawing to be something a little different from what I’d seen of other assignment 2s, and perhaps to try to move past my own preconceived ideas of what this assignment 2 drawing should be. To put it plainly – I wanted this drawing to be fairly playful, expressive and experimental.
The artwork of Colin See-Paynton had directly inspired me for this assignment piece. I set out to achieve an illustrated and etched look, but by using a range of drawing media.
I certainly didn’t want this image to be a still life, or a good technical drawing of something fairly dull. I felt a keen need to be imaginative in this piece and create something with a somewhat “unreal” edge. But I still wanted to carefully balance invention with close observation to real-life detail (in the bird and leaves).
It felt very “me” doing this. My intention was to create a drawing swirling with life and energy, and I was mindful of that as I swept along with my white hatching and mark-making. I felt that by letting the hatching fade out along the top of the drawing and in the bottom-right it would add visual interest to the drawing. A neat square composition wouldn’t have been as dynamic. I wanted the corners to be different to add a sense of movement and energy into the piece.
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The whole image is organised around the rule of thirds. With the focus point being the bird’s head, roughly sitting at an intersection. I think that the rule of thirds is a useful compositional tool, and certainly in this square drawing it has helped me create a more together and pleasing arrangement.
Some of the areas which I’m not so pleased about include some of the leaves. But the area which I struggled with the most was the feet of the starling and how they grip the branch. I also think that a few of the leaves could have benefited from a little more refinement and a little more sophistication in the final rendering.
I don’t think this drawing would have happened had it not been for my review of Colin See-Paynton. Also my viewing of Ravillious’ etchings and drawings at the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne, sharpened my appreciation of etched illustrations. Looking at these artists’ work online and in a galley, gave inspiration to the idea that I had for this drawing. I certainly see the importance and relevance of gallery visits and viewing a lot of artwork generally – it feeds the mind and inspires my own creativity.
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Overall, I’m pleased with my drawing and journey through part 2 of this course. It has been a long slog, with quite a few ups and downs. And I’m proud of my blog so far, I feel as though it is a strength; a good journal of my drawing journey. I suppose that the many drawings required in part 2 of the course is to build up observational skills and to encourage students to experiment widely in methods and media. If that is the case, part 2 has certainly achieved that with me. My assignment 1 feedback was to develop my observational skills, I feel that this is improving and overall, I hope that many of the drawings in part 2 reflect my growing confidence with more accurate observation.
I look forward to immersing myself into the challenges of part 3!”
Check out more of Matthew’s blog here
As with all risks sometimes things work sometimes they don’t, it is important to use every success and mistake as a learning experience and reflect on your making as Matthew has done.
Students wanting their work featured on WeAreOCA should email blog@oca.ac.uk
All submissions will be acknowledged and reviewed but we cannot promise all work submitted will be featured on the blog.


Posted by author: Joanne

5 thoughts on “Matthew Bristow

  • It is interesting that this drawing spoke to me straight away of printmaking.The use of coloured pencils, especially white is extremely effective and Matthew has certainly achieved the sense of movement to which he aspired.

  • Well done Mathew. Your use of mark making is impressive and certainly does create movement. I also looked at your blog and think it is very well organised. It makes me feel I must try harder.

  • The swirls in the white ‘etching’ make the drawing vibrate with a sense of buoyant air and energy – a very successful realisation. By the way I love how the starling’s beak is pecking through the composition’s margin.

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