Welsh Art - People

Clwyd Fine Art Trust and Joint Area Museum Education Services (JAMES)

Contents Discussion Drawing Sculpture

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Images courtesy of Clwyd Fine Art Trust and Joint Area Museum Education Service

1. Discussion There are many ways to capture images of people. An artist can choose to show character, emotion, activity, to record a scene or to comment on lifestyle.

We see here, in Hill Farmers by Sir Kyffin Williams, farmers at work.

By choosing to show them on a mountainside after a snowfall, the artist has produced a feeling of coldness to emphasise the hardship of the work.

Sir Kyffin Williams Hill Farmers

Through using similar colours to represent the earth, as well as the man, the artist succeeds in reflecting how important the work is to him.

This use of colour also suggests that the gardener grows with his work, like a tree growing from the ground.

Will Roberts The Gardener

This work by Will Roberts depicts a man hard at work in his garden.

This portrait of Hywel Williams by Tom Rathmel has been created in the traditional style. We see that the sitter is placed in the centre of the composition and is looking straight at us.

By studying the image closer we can tell more about Hywel Williams . He has chosen to sit in a suit and tie which gives him an air of dignity, yet the background shows a very simple environment which suggests that there is no arrogance in his dignity. Tom Rathmel Williams, Dolgellau

Look at and compare the work of Roy Ostle and Peter Edwards.

Think of words to describe the paintings:

light, dark, happy, thoughtful, colourful, miserable etc.

Peter Edwards Woman on Bridge in Llangollen

Roy Ostle Tunnellers

Where do you think the artist made this work?

Do you think the artist made sketches before making this work? Why do you think this?

Do you think the artist works quickly or slowly? How can you tell this?

Where do you think the artist made this work?

Do you think the artist made sketches before making this work? Why do you think this?

Do you think the artist works quickly or slowly? How can you tell this?

What is similar about the works?

What is different?

What do think the paintings tell us about the people in them?

How do the pictures make you feel?

2. Drawing Materials needed:Sketch book or paper and drawing boards, charcoal, pencils, coloured oil pastels

In pairs sit opposite each other, look very carefully at each other's faces.

Look at where the eyes are on the face (about ½ way down)

nose (about ½ way between the eyes and chin)

mouth (½ way between nose and chin)

ears (top level with eyes, bottom level with mouth)

the hair line is half way between the eyes and the top of the head.

These are general guidelines, but the details of your model’s features need to be added.

Are the eyes round, wide small etc?

Is the nose straight, small, wide etc?

The mouth full, narrow, wide, small etc?

The hair long, short, thick, thin etc?

Try to make your drawing look as much like the model as possible. Make sure you keep looking at your model's face, don't guess what they look like.

•What colours have they used?

•Use oil pastels and charcoal to colour in your portrait.

•You can layer colours with the pastels by putting one over the other, try it out on a test sheet before hand.

•Use the charcoal to add the tones and shadows.

•Once you are happy with your drawing, look again at Roy Ostle's and Peter Edwards' paintings.

•Look at the colours they have used to paint the skin.

•Look at where the shadows are.

•How have they shown shadow on the skin?

3. Sculpture Materials needed:4 large cardboard boxes (or shoe boxes), newspaper, glue, parcel tape, paint.

•Cut the box into a 2" shallow box (or use the lid)

•Once you are happy with your drawing, you need to start scrunching up the newspaper into small balls. Stick them to your portrait with parcel tape.

•The face of the portrait needs to be raised up to form half a sphere.

•You can look at each other's faces from the side to ensure the sculpture is raised enough.

•Once you are happy with the shape, you then need to form the nose, eyes, lips, hair and cheeks with newspaper and parcel tape.

•Stick these to your portrait.

•Once this is done you need to cover the whole sculpture with small squares of newspaper and glue.

•Make sure that you put at least two layers of newspaper squares onto your portrait, with all the corners stuck down, to get the best effect.

•Once dry, you can paint your sculpture, using your drawings and the Peter Edwards and Roy Ostle paintings for reference.

Emrys Williams Brightday Study. Women on the Promenade

Peter Edwards Lord Kenyon

John Elwyn Welsh Funeral

Mildred E Eldridge Study of R.S. Thomas