Stoat in undergrowth. Pencil 14½” x 19½”. (In the possession of Mr & Mrs H Joly).
Taken from the April 1979 issue of Leisure Painter, Brian Gallagher instructs in, and enthuses about, the pencil as a medium in its own right. His drawings serve to prove that the pencil can be used to produce finished works.
I am one of a privileged group of persons. I refer, of course, to those who see with an artist’s eye and as readers of this magazine we have the opportunity to share with each other how we have sought to set down the subjects before us.
Draw what you see
Raptor’s prey. Pencil 9¼” x 10¼”; (In the possession of Mr & Mrs D Thomas)
Before I begin a subject I must really see what I am looking at, not what I think I am looking at.
I always have with me my binoculars, Jenoptem 10 x 50, excellent for viewing wildlife, although ladies may find them a little heavy for prolonged viewing.
I find these glasses invaluable when working in the field, as many of my subjects are wildlife in details of landscape; I can now see in detail the behaviour and flight pattern of the Kestrel, how beautifully marked the male bird is; watch at close quarters, stretched full length in cover, as a thousand or so Pinkfeet geese feed in a field of stubble with sentinels posted on the outer fringes of the flock, now feeding, now heads raised, alert, ever watchful for the predator.
These experiences I want to put down; and I seek to capture the atmosphere of the moment. If I have not observed correctly, then I cannot hope to produce a piece of work that is convincing and carries the mark of authenticity.
I draw because I love drawing and at the present time I am working with lead pencils. For me, pencil work has a unique beauty and stands as a medium in its own right, certainly able to evoke from the onlooker all the emotions and expressions one experiences when viewing work in the other accepted media.
Young magpie. Pencil 13¼x 7¼; by Brian Gallagher
Finding subject matter
Great Crested Grebe. Pencil 10½ x 14½. (In the possession of Mr & Mrs T S Franklin)
I am an avid watcher of bird and animal life and the sightings I make of the creatures in their natural habitat I use as my subject matter, often as I view them.
For example, it was early one April morning, around six-thirty with the promise of a warm spring day. I made my way to the lake side and followed the track that skirts the lake’s perimeter.
Keeping warm
When working in the field I have learned always to be as warm as possible, particularly feet and legs. I use heavy walking boots that protect the ankles and long woollen socks that will cover the knees. It is quite extraordinary how cold my knees become when sitting for long periods! I find corduroy trousers very warm with a long sleeved roll neck jumper, an old corduroy jacket and a waterproof Parka jacket with hood, plus a woollen scarf.
Plein air kit
Thus attired, with my binoculars slung around my neck, I carried a light folding aluminium chair in one hand, and in the other a couple of pieces of hardboard, 20” x 16”, to which were stretched and taped a good quality paper – Saunders 200lb weight.
The delights of the countryside were before me.
I had travelled maybe half a mile when I came across a tree uprooted by the storm earlier in the week. It lay partially submerged, its uppermost branches extending into the lake, and attached to one of them – but rising and falling with the movement of the water – was the nest of a Great Crested Grebe made from all manner of shore vegetation, but mainly of huge lily leaves. The female was sitting, I was later to learn, on four eggs. There was no sign of the male at the moment although he would not be far away.
Here then was my subject sitting some 30 feet from the bank. I shed my load and selected the best position, both for comfort for myself and for a good field of vision. For I had decided to sit this one through the incubation period and hopefully see the young chicks safely hatched; and at the end of that time through many hours of drawing, produce a reasonable piece of work.
What a reward I must reap, for I could record in detail the construction of the nest and how each leaf and twig and reed had been placed; how the nest displaced the water and how it sat in the water; the way the lily leaves showed beneath the water surface; and the passive beauty of that bird, its elegance of neck and crested head.
Composition
I watched her through the binoculars. My composition for this drawing would be the Grebe in the nest, and the parts of the nest I could see beneath the surface, omitting the tangle of fallen branches that sheltered it.
The finished drawing size would be 10” x 14” with a 2½” mount surround. Always, without, exception, my first consideration has to be the size of the paper I am using – whether to use it in the vertical or horizontal plane; how and where the subject will be composed within the confines of the paper. A fundamental observation you might say. Yes, I will agree, but one that cannot be overlooked, for one is laying the foundation for the work. We look for balance, we seek to create impact.
Pencils
On this occasion I have with me six pencils, ranging in grade from 2B to HB. Depending on “the mark” they make I will probably use four – the same four pencils throughout the drawing. Before I begin I sharpen all the pencils I will use with a conventional sharpener. This process I will repeat many times while working as and when I find I am losing the freshness of the mark.
Drawing process
Removing my wrist watch, as I like my hands and arms to feel free, with the hardboard resting on my knees, I work from the comfort of the chair, the brilliance of the white paper diffused by the shadows cast from the many trees that fringe the water’s edge. The glare thrown up by the paper makes it quite impossible to work in bright sunlight.
Using an HB pencil I suggest the distant water-line that merges with the morning haze. The Grebe and nest will be sighted just right of centre on the paper and now I follow the contour of the nest that shows above the water –line, my left hand moving slowly as I visually relate sizes of nest to bird, individual pieces of the nest to bird, a continuing concentrated study made possible in this instance by constant use of my binoculars.
Now to sit her in the nest, I am drawing life and my prime consideration is to express that life; although she is in repose there is a continuing movement of head and neck. Still using the HB I follow the profile of her body (she is facing me) working upwards from where her underside is hidden by the lily leaves; all the while I am searching the anatomy of the bird in this position.
She favours me with prolonged views of her head in right profiles. At this time I am concerned with drawing the outline of the Grebe and getting it proportionally correct. Each creature has its own characteristics, postures, and attitudes. As I pick up the head position, I talk myself through this area, saying to myself, “attitude of head and neck,” all the time feeling the shape with the pencil.
I now feel the basis of the drawing has been established. I must now stretch my legs and have a general look at what is about on the water. My concentration broken for the moment, I wander along the lake side, my eyes rested by the tranquil shades of green that now begin to dress the trees and hedgerow with new life.
A basic I constantly apply is to work a short while, step back and appraise what I have done, a continuing process through each stage of the work from beginning to end. I know from my own experience, and from conversation with other artists, the importance of breaks between the application of paint, pastel or pencil.
Here, in my view, is the time when one works hardest. Is the perspective right? Are the proportions correct? Is the composition working? What about my tonal values? Am I creating the right atmosphere? If not, why not? By this self-analysis I am building on the foundation I mentioned earlier.
My thoughts and wandering have brought me back to the site and I view my efforts with a fresh eye.
Reasonably pleased with what I see, I pack my gear, slipping the drawing into a plastic sleeve for protection and make for the car, excited by the expectation of returning the next day.
READ BRIAN'S ARTICLE ON DRAWING ELEMENTS OF THE LANDSCAPE
This article by Brian Gallagher is taken from the April 1979 issue of Leisure Painter
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