Exercise 4.0: Fill it up – FAST!

This exercise explored how techniques to fill a page can help overcome being too precious when drawing observationally. I was tasked with filling up an entire sketchbook within a pre-set time frame, which I was allowed to choose. I had to draw multiple images on each page, overlapping and collaging them, using a variety of drawing tools and approaches. It was suggested that I draw a wide range of content, from people to textures and patterns, and to add text where appropriate. On the centre page, I was asked to complete a larger drawing of a scene covering both pages, spending a little longer on it.

The exercise required me to go out into a public space once again to complete it. It suggested indoor spaces such as museums, theatres, or indoor markets. After some consideration and frustration as I didn’t want to be drawing the inside of my house yet again, I settled on using Pinterest as a resource. The home page of Pinterest constantly refreshes, showing 100s of new images. This would provide a range of interesting content to draw and would feel similar to being in a busy public location. I decided to stick to the suggested 2.5 hours of drawing time and then turned my attention to what sketchbook I would use.

I went back and forth a bit on whether to use my current sketchbook – as it is my favourite from all I have tried thus far, and I am keen to fill it up – or whether to make one for the exercise. I am feeling pretty antsy about getting through the exercises that require me to go outside as they cause so much turmoil mentally for me. The idea of stitching a whole book just for this was very unappealing as it’s pretty time-consuming. I considered punching a hole through 10 or so pages in my sketchbook and tying a piece of string through, marking off a section just for this exercise, but eventually, I settled on making a small book using the method in Part One of the unit guide.

I knew I wouldn’t be using wet media for this exercise, so I chose a simple drawing paper that I ordinarily would use to draft my digital pieces. I cut the paper so that the book’s pages would be A6, as this just felt like the right size. I then decided to make a cover for the book using a sturdier mixed media paper. I painted it using metallic acrylics and then used the mindless drawing technique I learned in Part Three to cover it in a pattern. I then cut it down to size and stapled the book together. It’s a little wonky, but that’s part of the charm! Making this reminded me why I love bookmaking so much. It’s so satisfying to complete each project!

I then sat at my desk and opened Pinterest. I decided to set 30-minute timers rather than a timer for the whole 150 minutes, as they would help me keep track of how far I was and hopefully encourage me to speed up a little with my sketching. Then, I started drawing. On my first page, I drew a tracker for the timers and a brief introduction to the exercise. Then I started slowly getting into trying to fill each page. You can see a huge difference between my first spread and my second – and generally, as the book progresses, I get better at filling as much of the page as possible. I struggled at first with choosing content and knowing what to draw, but as I let go of the idea of ‘achieving the exercise’, it got a lot easier. I ended up really enjoying just playfully drawing with no goal other than to fill the page.

I also found it incredibly difficult at the start from an inaccessibility perspective. There is always a part of me that is aware I’m missing out on some core aspects of these exercises. It’s also very boring to be continually drawing the same or similar things. I wrote on one page, ‘would anyone be inspired by the same room?’. It feels very heavy at times because, no, I don’t think anyone would. Trying to enjoy the exercise even though I felt so miserable about the inaccessible aspects was tough. I took a break for lunch after an hour, and when I came back, it was much easier to let go of that.

The book has 24 pages in total, which ended up being overambitious. Because it’s A6, I thought that I would speed through each page and that 24 full pages was reasonable to expect in 150 minutes. I managed to fill 15 pages, and I probably could have done another two if I wasn’t caught up in my head at the start. I had a lot of fun in this exercise, though and absolutely love the outcome of it. Whilst I was giving some thought to composition, it wasn’t my main focus, and the way the pages are built and how the layers interact looks fantastic. I would like to go back sometime and finish the remaining pages of this book using the same technique so that it can be a ‘complete’ project. I’d also like to attempt this again, but maybe in a different way. Having a small sketchbook with a dedicated purpose is really nice.

Above I have included a video flip-through of this book. I do regret that I couldn’t finish it, but I have a better idea of how much is reasonable to fill in such a small time period. The unit guide asked me to finish this exercise by listing as many points as possible about what I’ll take forward from this task and incorporate into my observational drawing. Looking back at this video is helpful to pick out what techniques I enjoyed most. I want to take forward:

• The way I have used a range of drawing mediums, specifically how I have used coloured pencils and pens to layer over each other
• Using pattern and colour to fill space
• Jotting down whatever thoughts I’m having in the moment, even if they don’t really relate to the sketch
• Working carelessly and freely
• Distorting size so that the size of the object isn’t necessarily to scale in relation to the rest of the page
• Making smaller sketchbooks for individual projects completed over a shorter period of time

I gained a lot from this exercise, both in practical techniques I can take forward to future work, and in simply enjoying the process. I’m impressed, as I was feeling very disgruntled towards the inaccessibility of yet another exercise. I feel like this little book is one of my favourite creations of the unit so far, and I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned.