Planometry

Another name for axonometric drawing is planometric drawing. It's good for representing interior spaces populated with objects without having to fuss with complicated perspective. I find the outcomes strange, but maybe that's due to my fixation on the pyramid shape? Looking back, this pyramid-thing started during my first encounter with the method, during the foundation art course ... and re-emerged during a module of the extended drawing course.

During the break I'm revisiting the modules and their projects, and spent a happy few hours systematically making more "crystal cities" - but this time cutting the pyramids open to show cross-sections. It was intriguing to get the floor plan right and the shapes overlapping pleasantly and the spires at a range of heights, and I was able to indulge in various surface treatments - ah the joy of colouring-in, even just with graphite, and the pleasure of rubbing-out with a sharp, clean eraser.

Cross-section with "luminous" lines

Holding the drawing up to the light led to a tracing -

 A light box was helpful, and various thicknesses of felt-tip pens were used -

 The thicker ones unfortunately bled into the cartridge paper -

Thinking, in the incomplete towers, of the possible effect of lighting

Two renditions, A4 size - might have to do "something" with one or other -

 Pushing on, pyramids within pyramids -

The intention was to have light edges emerging from a dark ground, but it was really more of a vague idea than a solid, thought-through intention. One thing led to another and after a lot of erasure and a lot of darkening, we found ourselves surrounded by Suprematist triffids -

Surprisingly sinister and terribly unsatisfactory - how should the shading go? Could it be a transparency/opaqueness thing, rather than dark/light? I can see several things that might be interesting to try, but still have other projects to revisit before classes resume next week.

Another of my aims was to try using ink washes, layers starting with the lightest and gradually getting darker.

These probably aren't finished, but at the moment I can't think how to take them further. Perhaps add the "shelves" to make the shadows make sense, and try to get the black background more even...?

Being able to use materials skillfully certainly takes practice!

Addendum: seen in a shop window in Marylebone -

Stepped pyramid of phramidal photos of snowy trees, very seasonal