Creating fine art with the humble pencil
www.janineflynn.com
What do you think is the most important influence in your art?
The two major influences in my works are the watercolours of John Middleton that demonstrate to me the ideas of tonality that Whistler spoke of.
Where do you do your work?
My studio is a Durox building block, a large sheet of 5-ply board and a cushion to sit on in a semi lotus position – works for me. Add elbow room plus 2 adjustable strip lamps for night working. Music and coffee are optional extras.
What is more important to you; content or technique?
Probably content on balance.
Do you work from life, from photographs or from imagination?
I use a digital camera as a sketchbook, trying the composition out from slightly different angles to find what strikes me as the strongest for the effect that’s attracted me to the subject, which is frequently some light effect that my lack of skill as a photographer spectacularly fails to capture adequately. Though having said that, the overall composition has to be strong too, not necessarily conventional, some potential material is discarded because the composition is too weak.
Who is your favourite artist?
How long have you got?
I have favourites for particular aspects.
How important is the subject matter to your artwork?
I won’t begin a piece unless there is some element of the composition that I feel is worth devoting my attention to it. The images I’ve chosen to draw have often appealed for the exciting challenge, for instance the Port Isaac drawing appealed as much for the challenge of capturing the qualities of the cliff and it was that mysterious, misty atmosphere in the Gull Rock drawing. The only type of rock I usually see has Greatt Yarmouth written down the middle – so the Cornish rocks were a welcome change.
But the real subject in my drawings is the fleeting effects of natural light and the actions of seeing and looking. Water holds a particular fascination as a compositional element because of the reflective quality that bounces the light around, that’s what I was trying to capture in Venice Rio and in Lady Pamela.
What is your favourite period in art history?
Now, because we have a wealth of heritage to draw on.
Which is more important to you, the subject of your painting, or the way it is executed?
I’d say they were interdependent because I don’t start until I’m happy that the subject has potential to stand as a finished piece. Once the decision is made though, it becomes a process of translating what the eye sees into a series of marks on the paper that supports the way I want it to look as best I can, while retaining the resemblance to forms in the real world. An analogy can be made to speech in that language without modulation of tone and pitch sounds flat and monotonous so that a variety and range of marks adds the pitch and tone to a drawing surface. I’m learning new variations and combinations all the time.
Closely related to technique are the series of conscious adjustments made to tones and balance during the technical part. My inadequacies as a photographer actually become a benefit in that when I view the shots on screen, it’s that process of criticism pointing out this is the ‘thing’ I want to show, that needs bringing up, that needs pushing back. Most of the finished idea is complete before printing out the reference material so that the technical part of putting marks on paper can become quite tedious in practice.
Once the drawing is begun with this ‘plan’ waiting to come into the world, it then becomes a process of translation. The qualities of the marks become a separate compositional element. For instance passages in Lost and Found and in Venice Rio with strong shadows falling over the textures, I wanted to separate the two elements, which I did simply by drawing in the tones of the underlying textures and placing the shadow over these by using a different type of mark but still maintaining the underlying forms. I feel this gives the shadows an almost tangible form and physical presence that I like – it also keeps the surface interesting.
Do you work certain hours each day or only when you are inspired to work?
Unfortunately, there is more to doing this than just drawing!
Increasingly, it’s becoming something that gets done when the other stuff is out of the way – not quite what I anticipated.
What is the role of art in society and do you think that role is changing with the advances of technology?
Art can be a very effective vehicle to communicate concepts that are difficult to express in language. It is true that a picture can be worth a thousand words. I think that the greatest and unrivalled strength in pictorial art is still the ability for that ‘stand and stare’ moment that captures something of the sublime, the glory or the awe of the sheer wonder of our world and communicates that wordlessly in a moment – I don’t think technology can change that, although I think it is vulnerable to exploitation and manipulation.
Do you prefer a perfect smooth technique or a more energetic expressive technique and why?
I would say that I combine both – but others may hold a different view about that
What is your favourite painting/piece of art and why?
The greatest piece of art I’ve ever stood in front of was Ecce Homo by Titian, owned by the Dublin Gallery. I don’t know why – I was looking at the painting, the way he had painted it and I was overwhelmed by tears that I had to turn away to control them.
What technique do you use?
I use cross hatching predominantly to build up areas of tonality that don’t necessarily correspond to the physical structures of the subject. I start at the top left hand corner and work my way towards the bottom right hand corner. I rarely lay down a base drawing - Lady Pamela was an exception because of the strong perspective of the boat shed but that was no more than guidelines. Watching a drawing develop is similar to a clean stripe across a mirror thick with dust that reveals the image beneath.
My preference is for very sharp pencil points, I sometimes use the side of the point for a few effects. The bulk of the picture will use HB or B; F is perfect for some water effects and 3H is very useful for the finest detail. The stronger darks are probably a 2B if they are detailed, progressively softer leads for less detail. Each large drawing will take at least one pencil of each grade, apart from the 3H, which seems to be almost immortal - I’ve been using that one since Dayboats.
I do use putty rubbers to lift out secondary highlights, again using a variety of marks and sometimes to ‘blot’ an area for an undertone (sorry, I know exactly what this looks like but I can’t describe it). The main highlight is the paper and everything is relative to the surface; keeping that surface brings a sparkle to the whole image. I never smudge or blend as this obliterates the surface, losing the sparkle and I never scratch out highlights, though I will use a sharp 3H point to lightly indent the surface before cross hatching over it.
Have you held any exhibitions?
I’ve shown with the Norfolk Contemporary Art Society and will be submitting to the annual Society Graphic Fine Art show in October.
Do you use any online services like ‘imagekind’, ‘redbubble’ or ‘cafepress’?
I looked into using Redbubble; the deciding factor against it for me was the lack of quality control of the prints but there were other issues I felt were inappropriate for my requirements.
What advice would you give to anyone who wanted to take up painting or drawing?
Don’t burn any bridges; give it a go – think of it like singing or dancing, everyone enjoys them without thinking they need to be Pavarotti or Nureyev; buy and experiment with the best quality paper and pigments you can afford – these are a delight to use and will support your efforts; cheaper materials will make you work harder to achieve the same results. I don’t use brushes often but I still buy the best quality I can afford – go to a decent art shop with staff that know their products and ask their advice. I recommend Hahnemuelhe paper, specifically their Britannia in the heaviest weight for what I do but see what suits the way you want to work.
What are your favourite materials to work with?
Hahnemuele Britannia rag paper, pencils
Is there anything else you would like to add?
No – my head hurts
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