Objects and observations

I generalised my sketches around rust and rusty objects and the objects I used I have created an analysis of.

Rust- it is the oxidisation of iron and it usually turns the metal a red/orange colour. It also occurs in steel but some grades such as stainless steel do not due to the addition of chromium or a zinc coating. It is a form of corrosion and it can symbolise the metal fading and returning to the earth in which it was torn out of, it beautifully shows the circle of life we come from the dirt and eventually we return to it. 

Spanner- it is a 15/16 inch/1 inch spanner made of a solid piece of mild steel most likely cast moulded they created the steel using something called the Bessemer process which involved smelting pig iron in a Bessemer converter before putting it through an open hearth furnace.

Shovel- it is a coal shovel used when most houses still had coal fires. It belongs to my Nan she has had it since it was new and it has remained in her shed since she got the fire replaced over 20 years ago so has been exposed to the elements constantly causing it to become far more rusted than it was when it was put there. It is made of mild steel and back when it was new it would cost the equivalent of approximately £10.

Chisel- it is a cold steel chisel that would’ve been used in construction most likely bathroom to get tiles off the wall. It has a green paint coating that hasn’t been reapplied since it was new so it has faded and chipped away allowing for the chisel to oxidise and rust more in some places than others.

Shears- they are made of steel most likely tool steel or mild steel they were most likely used for cutting through thick wire or tin used for garage roofs back around the 1960’s. They have vastly oxidised since they were put into my nans shed many years ago but the way they were made ensured that they are still strong enough to still be used today for their intended purpose

i did two pages worth of observations of each of these objects:

these were all done using various media, time limits and techniques

i also tried to show various interpretations by doing them from different viewpoints to show the object in a different way

i feel that they were a success as they portray the object and my viewpoint on it accurately and through doing this process i have improved my skills learning what works well and what doesn't and then refining my sketches to make them more effective 

these studies are just using various grades of soft graphite i feel they look effective because they accurately portray the object they are studies of  some more than others i also feel that this is one technique i would use again as it plays nicely with the texture of rust