Abstract - Chalk and charcoal in the style of Guy Denning

 Inspired by the abstract works of Jenny Saville, I have decided to develop this idea further by trying to loosen up my own drawings. So far my drawings have been very tight. I have created 'perfect' pictures and have not practiced the use of line and depth of line. I have therefore been inspired by the artist, Guy Denning who draws people using only chalk and charcoal. This is a medium I am familiar with and confident with since using it in my unit 3 coursework. Therefore I have practiced using in in my child portraiture.

Denning is a contemporary artist and painter based in France. His work is characterised by powerful, expressive brushstrokes in mainly abstract paintings. Recently he has combined these earlier influences with a figurative style of painting. The human figure features strongly in his latest work where he uses the figures to convey powerful emotions. Denning mainly works in black and white however in some of his paintings he chooses to add spontaneous amounts of colour. He draws from observation as well as from photographic reference. Denning's works are incredibly intense. this is achieved by the direct contrast between black and white and often the scratching and collage of text which he adds into his wok.

I have taken inspiration from his intensity and inspiration from his medium of chalk and charcoal. I want to add in some expressive drawings into my portfolio in order to show a confidence with my use of line.

Denning works on a range of surfaces including cardboard, newspaper and off-white paper. Since the emphasis on the technique of these drawings is on light and dark I would need to work on a surface that is not white. The only colours I shall use will be white and black and I will concentrate on the movement of line rather than concentrating on where my lines should join to create a perfect form.

In response to the artist, I have chosen to draw a rather intense picture of my nephew Dylan. this was drawn from photographic reference which I took whilst observing him playing. If you look closely at the photography which can be found in my portfolio, you will notice the concentration on his face as he plays with a leather strap. I felt that this would be a suitable drawing to do in the style of Guy Denning because I could portray this intense expression using only black and white. In my response I have merely outlines the main features of the child's face, including his eyes, nose and the top half of his clothing. I have chosen to drawn him in almost a right angled triangle as I want the viewer to focus on the main features of his face. I have then scratched into the surface using only white chalk which has been blended in some places such as the eyes in order to create depth. Notice in the photograph that his cheeks are very light. I have tried to emphasise this by crosshatching the white chalk in multiple directions.

This is a very expressive technique inspired by Guy denning. However, I have taken inspiration from this technique and it has helped me to feel more confident about leaving a picture to look 'unfinished' and not perfect. this is because a greater impact is achieved.