Sketchbook selection for a market-after-closing composition
Three-day sketchbook assignment ending in an A2 graphite composition. Theme: market after closing. Requirements: at least three figures, clear foreground, middle-ground and background overlap, one dominant diagonal and a single light source. The candidate's sketchbook has 14 small thumbnails made in 10 minutes each, all framed from the same eye-level viewpoint; two are heavily shaded and one is a near-copy of a photograph. The final A2 sheet has been started with a full-value rendering of the left corner, but the composition's centre is empty and the diagonal is weak. Two days remain, with about 4 hours of studio time. The candidate asks whether to keep developing the rendering or restart. The exam rewards evidence of selection and directed experimentation, not finish at all costs.
1. Recommend whether to restart, keep developing, or do something in between, and justify the decision.
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Keep the A2 but stop rendering the left corner. The problem is compositional, not tonal: 14 thumbnails from one eye level are variations of the same view, and the near-copy of a photograph is not observational research. The empty centre and weak diagonal mean the final has no armature. Restarting entirely would waste the useful value study in the left corner; instead, preserve that passage as a tested fragment and rebuild the whole sheet around a new armature. Two days and four hours are enough for two notan studies, one revised thumbnail, a transfer and a block-in, provided the candidate limits finish.
2. Propose a sketchbook sequence for the remaining time that produces evidence of directed experimentation.
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First, 30 minutes: make six 5 × 8 cm notans from different viewpoints-eye level, low, high, close crop, doorway frame and a view with a strong foreground figure. Select two with the clearest diagonal and three-figure grouping; test figure placement with simple ovals and a three-value plan. Choose one, transfer to A2 with a light grid or sighting lines, and establish foreground, middle-ground and background overlap before any detail. Block in the single light source and keep the centre active with a figure or stall edge. Spend the last hour on focal contrast, not on the left corner.
3. How should process be documented so that the examiner sees judgement rather than volume?
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Annotate the sketchbook with dates and one-sentence rationales, for example: low viewpoint increased the diagonal but lost the figures. Keep the selected notan beside the final. The exam rewards directed experimentation-changing one variable at a time, such as viewpoint, crop, figure count or value structure-not the number of pages. A contact sheet of six thumbnails with two circled and a short rationale is stronger evidence than 14 unrelated drawings. In the final, leave construction lines and revision marks visible where they explain decisions; do not overwork them into a fake finish.