Using Photoshop I moved the bed closer to the plant to fill the rectangle more effectively. Note how this also uses the rule of thirds to strengthen the design:
I like the way this places the right edge of each window frame on a third, and how the plant, while mainly in the middle, sticks its nose into the left third, and the bed, while mostly in the right third, dips its toe into the middle third.Finally, a painting by English artist Lucian Freud that your drawing brought to mind (good company to be in):
The mystery and stories associated with this Queen of the Night plant capture what it feels like to be at home with my family, surrounded by Indian heritage. The tangled plant, with its peculiar, mystical leaves holds a special place in my heart. Also, this room has been my bedroom for my entire life, but this Spring, after a rather ill-lit semester and a half in Maine, I have a new-found appreciation for the bright, warm sunsets, view of our garden, birds and occasional deer watching I can experience all from the comfort of my room. My drawing failed to capture the brightness and depth of the windows. I really enjoyed drawing the quilted blanket though!
ABOUT THE PLANT: The plant sandwiched between the windows is a Queen of the Night plant. It’s a South American cacti family plant that blossoms once a year in late summer early fall. Its flowers bloom only for a couple of hours on a single night, their sweet aroma fills the house on this night. My family, along with many other Indians have mistaken this plant for a Bhrama Kamal, a species of flowers native to the Himalaya which also have white flowers and supposedly bring good luck and fortune where they bloom, since they rarely bloom. Last summer, the plant bloomed. After debating the plants origins with my family I contacted a Botanist from the University of Cincinnati and found out that I was correct, this plant was not a Bhrama Kamal. Nonetheless, my family along with many other Indian families believe that this South American beauty is bringing them good luck.
It took me a long time to get started on this drawing! Also, I spent only a couple hours on it whereas on campus drawings took me at least 6 hours. Nevertheless, I enjoyed creating this drawing because I was not trying to draw perfectly.
I’m very impressed with your drawing Aadhya, and, after reading your description of the work, I can really appreciate the center focus that is the Queen of the Night plant. Compositionally, as well as in terms of line quality, I think you did exceptionally well. I’m not a professional artist but from what we have learned in class, the composition seems to be very balanced, drawing us in towards the plant. The soft lines that make up the quilt as well as the stronger lines that emphasize the position of the plant make this drawing pleasing to the eye. The only suggestion I can make would be something that you mentioned, that is the depth and detail of the windows. However after attempting some drawings similar to yours, I realized that capturing the full depth is extremely difficult.
Hi Aadhya! I love this drawing! I am especially impressed by the line movement and quality on the plant. It seems very organic and alive to me. I also like how you used lines for shading on the cart and pot. It conveys a lot of information without overwhelming the picture.I also like the light shading of the comforter, it really conveys the fabric texture and does not distract from the plant. Similarly, the lightness of the trees outside the window effectively show the detail of the scene and the depth at the same time. Finally, I like the placement of the plant, following the 2/3 rule well! I don’t have much to critique, I really love this drawing. Maybe add something for eyes to follow on the blank piece of wall above the bed, it is a little unbalanced there. Nice job!
Great work on this drawing, Aadhya, as well as your self-assessment, and good comments from Ryan and Hannah.
I love and commend the attention you gave the plant, but equally the quilt. If you hadn’t the plant could have easily stolen the show. I think the lighter line weight for the drawings on the wall and the view out the window were also a smart move. You mention wanting more depth out the window but any more attention to those areas would likely compete and distract from the plant. And in terms of light, that would require more attention to value, for the sake of contrast. That would be a different drawing but not a better one.
The quilt is also a great example of cross-contour drawing, using the quilting to trace the volume of the bed. Excellent job using line quality to distinguish the stitching from the texture and volume of the cloth.
The foliage out the window might have been drawn more deliberately, however–just as light a touch and just as few strokes, but not quite as hurried. A few well observed moments would have given you more of the depth you’re after without competing with the plant.
I agree with Hannah about the space between the left and right side of the drawing. Note my illustrations and notes above. I’m not suggesting you should have done the drawing this way–I’m sure you were drawing what you saw as it was–but just a lesson in composition; and artists do in fact condense and expand spaces in their work for the sake of a stronger design.
Finally, as soon as I saw this I couldn’t help but think of the painting by English artist Lucian Freud (1922-2011)–and yes, grandson of the famous psychologist. Not the figure, of course, but the conjunction of the large plant and the window.
Great job–
PS / Be sure on the Add Media page, in Blackboard, after your image appears in the queue, to scroll down on the right until you come to “Attachment Display Settings,” and activate the “Media File.” This will enable us to click on the image and make it larger, for a better look.