| The experiences of a new user |
 |
| I am very familiar with this newly designed version of the Camera Lucida
because I am responsible for the photography on this website. I was there at The BBC Big Draw
Event, which took place in Trafalgar Square in the summer of 2004. So I know how enthusiastic
people become when they see an image reflected onto drawing paper and realise the potential of
the product. But I had never used it myself. |
| Roger Vaughan who is responsible for the re-design of this instrument had provided me with
my own Camera Lucida but to be honest, the only time it emerged from its box was when I needed
to obtain some product shots. |
| Roger frequently encouraged me to produce some drawings but I always told him that, frankly,
I was not in the least bit interested. "Photography's my thing," was my standard reply. I could
vividly remember my still life exam when I took my art O 'level. |
| We had to queue up to collect our plant to draw and coming towards the end of the alphabet
meant that I had very few specimens left to choose from. Complete plants had been completely
snaffled up. Try showing the examiner just how capable you are when your subject is merely a
single leaf from a spider plant placed in a paper cup. I never drew again! |
| However, when Roger asked me to produce some photographs to show that the Camera Lucida can
be used for still life, I offered to make a quick sketch of the subject myself for the sake of
convenience. |
| All I was planning to do was spend a few minutes putting a few marks on the paper to show
the outlines of different fruit in a fruit bowl. I artfully arranged my fruit and placed the
bowl on a deliberately rumpled gingham cloth. |
 |
| The idea was to attempt to show that a Camera Lucida is very good at
helping you to capture folds in fabric accurately too.
It was just another work assignment and I wanted to complete it as swiftly as possible.
|
 |
| Imagine my surprise then, when I found that I actually enjoyed using the Camera Lucida! |
 |
| Furthermore, it was deeply relaxing. The radio was switched on and I spent a truly absorbing hour or two working at my drawing.
I ended up drawing a complete bowl of fruit and quite a bit of cloth too. I then scrabbled around in the kitchen drawers and managed to assemble a reasonable selection of coloured pencils because I was keen to get more out of my drawing.
(The next day, I went out and bought some more.)
|
 |
| Adding colour to the gingham tablecloth was particularly relaxing. There was nothing
stressful about the experience at all. The only slight frustration was that I would have liked to know some
techniques to achieve more modelling on my spherical fruit. The greatest interest for me was using colour.
|
| I know there are purists out there who will say ".but you must suffer for your art . you must strain and
struggle to find the lines of the pineapple yourself." Well let them strain and struggle!
|
| I would rather produce a picture that is optically accurate and then have the sheer enjoyment of painting it.
(I have always enjoyed the accuracy of painters such as Canaletto who used optics to assist their perspective drawing.)
|
| There was more than enough scope for artistry in the selection/ positioning of my subject and the application of colour.
And if you will excuse the pun, I still had to decide where to draw the line. I had to select the details that I wanted to include.
|
 |
| You could have enormous fun enrolling in an art class to learn to paint having produced finely detailed drawings
of flowers, landscapes, people or pets. |
| If you have always wanted to take up water colour painting but have struggled with perspective drawing, you can now embark on this hobby.
(I think this is the most exciting application of the Camera Lucida 2000 - our name for Roger Vaughan's 21st century re-designed instrument.)
|
| You will find that children or grandchildren will also enjoy using it. Despite all the hullabaloo in Trafalgar Square on the day of The Big Draw,
including the presence of Rolf Harris, even very young children became engrossed in using the Camera Lucida. (Visit The Big Draw page on this site
to see what I mean.) The "magic" of the reflected image was a delight to them all.
|
| I used it the simplest way possible, flat on my kitchen table but as images placed around the site show, you can also place it on your lap or
attach it to a tripod. It doesn't need batteries and the arm of the camera lucida folds flat for storage. It just requires light falling on your subject.
The brighter the light, the stronger the image. To get it ready for use, simply fold the arm up.
|
 |
| Above all though, what my experience using the Camera Lucida taught me was that it is an extremely relaxing activity. It really
does provide a way to unwind and, in today's stressful world, that alone is surely good reason to purchase one!
|
| Jane Welland Palmer |
| We are hoping to add an on-line gallery to showcase the work you produce with your Camera Lucida 2000.
If you would like to contribute material please contact Roger Vaughan. We welcome submissions from new and established artists
along with any of your comments. Please scan your images and submit as a jpeg file at 72dpi to info@cameralucida.org.uk
|
| Remember that for over 100 years the Camera Lucida was pretty much a defunct instrument. Fox Talbot was so inspired by
the images produced by a camera lucida that he invented a way of fixing them and thus photography was born and the plate camera
was developed. |
| The Camera Lucida consequently fell out of favour and sadly an incredibly useful artist's aid was lost for a century.
(It's ironic that Fox Talbot's studio was situated in Reading, Berkshire a stone's throw from The Camera Lucida Company founded
by Roger Vaughan that is based in the same town!) |
| But now it's back - making use of modern materials and unlike its predecessor, the Camera Lucida 2000 is very, very easy to use.
So it really is going to be fun to see how people take advantage of this instrument. |
| We confidently predict that many of you will be so pleased with your work, that you will want to share it to inspire others to
join in too. Water colour painter, botanical illustrator, pet portrait creator - what will you use yours for?!
|
| The Hayward Gallery in London and the Victoria and Albert Museum have added the Camera Lucida 2000 to their collections -
which is a great vote of approval. |
| We are really looking forward to seeing where you use your Camera Lucida 2000, and with your permission, would love to post
your photographs of you and your Camera Lucida 2000 on your travels. Remember it doesn't need batteries or an electricity supply
- just light. |
| So there you are - we have thrown down a challenge. Check back to the site for the results!
|
