Susan Askew

Many students at first can be a bit tentative about using mixed media. Lack of confidence, a fear of the unknown perhaps or else they are just not sure how it will all turn out. They worry about how one medium will react with another, they are scared they will mess it up and then there is the perennial question – should I draw it first in pencil?
Susan Askew, a student on the Drawing 1 course, has no such doubts and instead has dived straight in, fearlessly combining collage with various drawing and painting media. Her favourite drawing tool is the Uniball ballpoint pen well liked by many artists because you just can’t rub it out. When there is no chance to correct your drawing you have to put spontaneity first, hope for the best and more often than not this high wire approach produces favourable results.
Then there is the problem of writing up your learning log. Just what exactly do you say and what style do you use. Are you being judged on your spelling, your prose and is your syntax really good enough. And what about the dreaded assessment criteria. How will I be judged and who is this Barthes character anyway?
 

So I will allow Susan the opportunity to speak in her own voice –
‘As before in the tonal drawing of natural objects, I’ve started with a photograph, sanded it, giving a thin coat of white gouache and another of clear gesso. I sketched in very quickly with blue Uniball pen. Then I’ve used pastel pencils. I chickened out of using pink and red ~ (thinking ‘ lemons’), and instead mean to keep my colour palette to shades of blue, yellow and rust, but the yellow is looking fairly green and then I added too much green to the front bag. Hmmm. I’m wondering if I should have painted with even thinner white gouache – not sure if the cogs are going to show through enough. On the other hand I like the colours against some of the lilac showing in the background, I think I have a sense of depth, some of the objects, e.g. the egg on the carton in the middle, have a good sense of 3 dimensionality and being grounded. Generally I’m getting to appreciate pastels – which are difficult to use because they ‘fly off’ the page, but on the other hand have a lovely luminosity. Of course they can be worked over. I don’t see why, as I’m using quite a bit of fixative, if they get to a stage where they don’t stick – I couldn’t go over with another coat of clear gesso. I think I’ll experiment with that. Also, brilliantly the fixative doesn’t make the Uniball pens run – they are waterproof! Unlike the black biro I used last time I tried this. Excellent possibilities for mixed media!
REALLY WEIRDLY – I just discovered the Christmas lights on Regents Street feature COGS! Serendipity or what! I will go down there to take some pics… ‘

Well, what a joy to read. It informative, it’s critical, it’s self-reflective and it’s funny and it is as spontaneous and fluid and as creative as her use of mixed media. Needless to say her sketchbooks reveal the same positive and fearless approach to the course. I can’t wait to read her next assignment.



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