This task is essentially one of demonstrating a grasp of linear perspective which is where two parallel lines converge on a distant vanishing point, like railway tracks disappearing into the distance. Obviously, in a house the vanishing point is likely to be somewhere outside the room but the principle is the same. My house is full of these; a bungalow with add-ons added to add-ons, it’s like a three storey house laid on its side. I tackled one direction through the kitchen or Drawing 1 so this time I looked out the other way.

The first drawing was, as directed, in a drawing medium and I used a red watercolour pencil which I knew would leak into the paint when I applied it and add a warm undertone to the colour. I chose a limited palette of two colours – naples yellow and cobalt blue – with titanium white and payne’s grey to mix. I couldn’t resist an accent of cadmium orange though, where a spot of sunlight caught a wooden wind chime.

[unusually, I forgot to take photographs of the early stages so these are the final two].

I applied paint in a very dilute form at first, building gradually to a less transparent appearance. I hadn’t really done that much until the still life exercises and it’s been a revelation. I like the delicacy that I hadn’t realised acrylics could deliver, alongside their capacity to sit solidly as textures in their own right.

After letting this dry a little, I went back to add tiny details along the side of the fridge and the microwave, for instance, the lights along the top windows, and a white wash over the foliage outside the window at the back to fade it into the distance.

My personal evaluation of this is that I’ve surprised myself because I find perspectives difficult to reproduce. I can only think that the exercises in the Drawing module have paid off and given me a head start on this task because I struggled far less this time. I also worked quickly focusing on the whole rather than the individual elements and I think that paid off too. I found the cupboard doors tricky and had trouble placing the knobs and door edges which still look somewhat out of line, but I see the edge of the sink unit on the left as a major achievement, and the floor boards (actually vinyl) almost convincing.

After the rather underwhelming sketches, I had wondered if this was going to be a disaster and because it isn’t, I’m maybe less critical than I should be of it. It’s not perfect but it pleases me, and that will do for now.

Time taken, including sketches – 3.75 hours.

Learning outcomes 1, 2, and 4. This was an early perspective challenge which needed careful drawing, and the use of dilute acrylics showed me how delicate they could be. My habit is to use the log as a contemporaneous account of the process and my thinking.