3.4 Interpretation and  communication; suppose we make it different? 


Scamper: 

  • Substitute - Change one aspect of the drawing for another
  • Combine - Combine different pages from your sketchbooks of add in other images to the mix from other sources, photographs you have taken, words, other drawings. 
  • Adapt.
  • Modify.
  • Put to another use.
  • Eliminate.
  • Reverse. 
I started this process by revisiting my sketchbooks and identifying moments and pages that I feel empathy with, I hope this will offer a way into this exercise. 

I select these pages: 

These pages are blind contour drawings in a felt tip line. 

I enjoyed this way of drawing because it felt new, free, challenging and rewarding. It was scary territory, setting to work on a page and not knowing where or how the pen would end up. Amazingly, figures did start to appear on the pages. I never thought they would, but they did, out of know where. 

The felt tip pen offered an easy way of creating these line drawings. it was smooth on the page and offered no resistance. It would be great to push the limits of my imagination and try this method again. "Creativity is intelligence having fun" Einstein. 






These sketches are illustrative drawings. They felt like a really creative way in changing up everyday objects, using emotive words as inspiration. They feel like a good way to help me with creating a narrative for this exercise. 


The watercolour is bright and offers a rather enchanted appearance on the page. These sketches were also a good start to exploring colour, the angle of objects and their composition and how changes these elements can create an entirely different version of reality. 


The post box in the wall. This style of sketching appears dynamic. A thicker black line with blocks of vibrant colour. 


And the photograph references that I collected on my route. Reality is always a useful tool to have to hand and will make good reference detail. 


The drawings can be fun, dramatic, descriptive,, informative. How do I combine the sketches that I have selected together in some way? 

Inspired aslo by 'Visual Research Task 3.5' suppose I use a similar narrative as Linda Newberry and and Pam Smy when creating 'Lob'. A figment of nature and connections. The character of 'Lob' is starts to emerge in the sketches as he isn't a solid figure or even present on the page, he is within the environment of the gardens. He's in the bushes, he's in the trees, he's behind the wheelbarrow. His spirit is emerging here, even if his figure is not yet outlined. The spirit of the soul of  'Lob' . The allotments are a place where many go to think, to grieve, to cry  and to heal. They are where many find solace and peace. Nature is where the secret bond between 'Lob' and his loved ones are. Smy uses the allotments to follow this bond back to him 'For the man who walks the roads...'. 

Suppose my contour line drawings became real characters within the everyday things I found on my route. Could I emerge the contour drawings within these items, so they are not only disguised by nature but also connected within it, just as 'Lob'. 

I started by creating 5 minute blind contour line drawings of people. Quick sketches using a felt tip pen. I then took the essence of these figures and blended them with the route ideas I had collected in my sketchbook. 

1. Crouched figure in the park. 5 minute blind contour sketch. 


Merged with the door I sketched on my route, reimagined here with the word 'enchanted'.


Scamper approach - (C) Combine two drawings with a new narrative of a figure within the door itself, the blue wreath growing from the disguised figure of nature within the door. (A) Adapt - The changing form of the wreath whilst exploring colour, staying true to the blue of the wreath but (P) putting it to another use of hair falling from the figure of nature within the door. 



2. Crouched figure at the park. Blind contour drawing with felt tip. 


Merged with the red post box I sketched on route, reimagined with the word 'Big'. 


And the lavender pot reimagined with the word 'Romantic'. 



Scamper approach - (C) Combine the lavender pot, the post box and the blind contour line figure together to give the narrative of a girl sitting amongst the flowers. (R) Reverse the narrative of the post box, I sketched the post box as 'Big'. big in its importance, big in colour, a big feature within the village. In this drawings I've reversed this and added it as a small box. This also adds distanced. (M) Modify the lavender so it appears as growth around the figure so she sits within, as part of nature. 


3.  Blind contour line drawing of a male figure reclining with felt tip pen. 


Merged with the outside door from my route, reimagined with the word 'Inviting'. 







Scamper approach (C) Combine the door and the line drawing of the figure to create one thing, the doorway within the brick wall. (P) Put to another use, the figure becomes the wall itself, a figure of the wall, perhaps adding to the narrative of inviting people to go through the gate, using the key positioned in the key hole.  Adding pattern to the figure systematically, so the wall continues throughout the drawing. (M) Modify the size of the figure so he appears giant like within the brick work, adding to the narrative of the figure within the wall. 


Reflections

The most imaginative way of working for me yet. I tried to push my safety boundaries here and combine drawings of different methods and technique to combine them as redrafted drawings with new narratives that are also believable and endearing. 

I enjoyed allowing my mind to really let loose with creativity. My research and reading Linda Newberry's character of 'Lob' has played an integral part in retraining myself to allow for such fantasy and creativity. 'Lob has directly influenced this exercise and I believe I have gained by allowing this creative narrative to emerge. 

If I were to redraft these drawings again, I would draw them as one continuous piece and not separate as they are here. Could the figures all appear in their own settings, running alongside each other? I think this would make for a really fun narrative of the figures hidden within and might appear as a story on the page. 

Scamper has allowed an opportunity for me to conjure new ideas that I will carry forward into the assignment. 

Reference: 

Linda Newberry (2010) 'Lob' Penguin Random House Children's UK


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