For this exercise I was instructed to work  towards creating an image in a single colour. 

I was really inspired by the fish on the plate drawing in the handbook. Created by an OCA student of a mackerel and a blue patterned plate. 

I loved the shimmer of the mackerel and it’s beautiful pattern and fine detail. 

I decided to take a trip to Sainsburys and buy my own fish. 

I put my fish on a plate, considered my viewpoint and started sketching my composition a3 size using my blue biro. I enjoyed using a biro as it gave a permanent line. It allowed me no room for mistakes and certainly no room to get hung up rubbing out mistakes over and over again. 

Before I applied more tones of colour I decided to practice a range of blue tones so I was prepared. I used watercolour as it is a medium I haven’t used so far in this course. I also thought it may work quite well with the biro. 

As I began to add paint and build the colour up, I tried to focus on looking at the way the light catches on the fish and against the plate. I tried to capture some of the small detail of the fish scales and I tried to do this by showing the contrast between the very plain plate against the very detailed fish. 
I tried to show the texture of the fish through mark making with my biro and through building up colour with my paint. 

I found using monochrome quite difficult. Especially as I was working from still life. I kept wanting to work into the flesh of the fish using flesh tones of pinks and browns. Also looking at my finished piece it is clear I have been somewhat hesitant on the application of colour and I could have built up my colours tones further in order for it to be a more effective drawing? 

In my drawing I think I have managed to capture the pattern and shimmer and tone of the fish effectively. However what hasn’t worked so well is it’s contrast against the plain white plate. In hindsight I think this would have been a more effective piece of work if I had of used a more detailed and more exciting patterned plate.