Three Sketchbooks: One Ink: Vivid Lime Green

I’m preparing some of my sketchbooks with Liquitex ink because I fancy doing some sketching onto coloured backgrounds for a while. I have three very different sketchbooks. The hand-made one (beautifully made by a friend) prepared with clear textured gesso. The small very heavyweight Khadi one, prepared with smooth white gesso. And the large, square-format Khadi, which is a lighter weight than the small one. This time I used Vivid Lime Green. The effects are so different across the three books and I love the way the translucent ink allows the text and images to show through in the handmade book.

I have an exhibition, “Carved Heads And Other Creatures”, part of MANIFEST at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. The show runs until October 31st. Open Saturdays 10.00 – 17.00, other times by appointment. Come and have a look if you’re in the area.

Scribbling And Eccles Cakes

Husb and I love an Eccles Cake and there is no finer Eccles Cake, in my opinion, than those made by Gerrards Bakery, which has branches across North Wales and the Wirral – controversial I know! Husb and I went on a wild coach trip to Llandudno back in August and dropped into the local Gerrards for coffee and Eccles Cakes. Delicious. I had a bit of a scribble of some of the other people enjoying their baked goods.

I have an exhibition, “Carved Heads And Other Creatures”, part of MANIFEST at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. The show runs until October 31st. Open Saturdays 10.00 – 17.00, other times by appointment. Come and have a look if you’re in the area.

En Plein Air With A Sketchbook: 4

Here’s another en plein air sketch I did during a half-hour walk-and-draw exercise on Kilvey Hill. It’s a strange sight; until very recently the area was completely covered in trees but a controversial development project, The Skyline, has ripped out an enormous channel through the forest. This sketch doesn’t give a sense of the scale of the destruction, it’s huge.

I used graphite (6B), a conté crayon (black) and a white soft oil pastel (Daler Rowney) and drew quickly into a unique sketchbook made by a friend. Each page is collaged with something different and then sealed with transparent gesso. I prepared some of the pages with a coating of Liquitex acrylic ink; Deep Turquoise on this one. The graphite gives a silvery sheen, while the conté crayon shows up as a very dense black.

I have an exhibition, “Carved Heads And Other Creatures”, part of MANIFEST at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. The show runs until October 31st. Open Saturdays 10.00 – 17.00, other times by appointment. Come and have a look if you’re in the area.

Two Heads In Ballpoint Pen

I sat and listened and sketched at Urban HQ at the regular Saturday live-music session, catching two people near each other. I used a ballpoint pen into my small A6 Indigo sketchbook.

I have an exhibition, “Carved Heads And Other Creatures”, part of MANIFEST at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. The show runs until October 31st. Open Saturdays 10.00 – 17.00, other times by appointment. Come and have a look if you’re in the area.

Sitting, Listening, Scribbling

I sat and listened and sketched at Urban HQ at the regular Saturday live-music session. People tend to be still while they’re listening (unless it’s a Metal gig!) so there’s some time to catch a bit of portrait drawing, with a ballpoint pen into my small A6 Indigo sketchbook.

I have an exhibition, “Carved Heads And Other Creatures”, part of MANIFEST at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. The show runs until October 31st. Open Saturdays 10.00 – 17.00, other times by appointment. Come and have a look if you’re in the area.

Drawing In The Dark

I went along to one of the regular free talks at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery a couple of weeks ago, it was put on by the Friends Of The Glynn Vivian and it was about the artist Josef Herman by Gwenllian Beynon. The room was pretty dark because of the projector but just enough light to do some scribbling.

I have an exhibition, “Carved Heads And Other Creatures”, part of MANIFEST at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. The show runs until October 31st. Open Saturdays 10.00 – 17.00, other times by appointment. Come and have a look if you’re in the area.

Saturday Afternoon Scribbling

Fellow Swansea Artist Sophie de Marco invited me to join her at her residency in Urban HQ this afternoon, to do some sketching at the regular Saturday live-music session. This week we listened to Carly Tucker and I did a continuous-line drawing into my small A6 Indigo sketchbook. It’s a technique I find useful when there’s a lot going on – a figure in action; musical instrument; seating; foreground furniture; technical equipment. Keeping the pencil on the paper helps with perspective and proportion.

I have an exhibition, “Carved Heads And Other Creatures”, part of MANIFEST at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. The show runs until October 31st. Open Saturdays 10.00 – 17.00, other times by appointment. Come and have a look if you’re in the area.

En Plein Air With A Sketchbook: 3

Here’s another en plein air sketch I did during a half-hour walk-and-draw exercise on Kilvey Hill. I used graphite (6B), a conté crayon (black) and a white soft oil pastel (Daler Rowney) and drew quickly into a unique sketchbook made by a friend. Each page is collaged with something different and then sealed with transparent gesso. I prepared some of the pages with a coating of Liquitex acrylic ink; Deep Turquoise on this one. The graphite gives a silvery sheen, while the conté crayon shows up as a very dense black.

I have an exhibition, “Carved Heads And Other Creatures”, part of MANIFEST at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. The show runs until October 31st. Open Saturdays 10.00 – 17.00, other times by appointment. Come and have a look if you’re in the area.

Prepping Paper

I’m off to Life Drawing later and I prepared some recycled paper for drawing. I’m using the backs of discarded prints – the paper is good quality so it’s a pity to waste it. On the left I’ve put a line of acrylic screenprinting ink (also recycled – leftovers from a course) and I’ll use the squeegee to pull a thin layer across the surface of the paper. The middle picture shows some of the sheets drying in my garden. The one on the right is a snap of some of my plants throwing a shadow across the paper as it dries.

I have an exhibition, “Carved Heads And Other Creatures”, part of MANIFEST at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. The show runs until October 31st. Open Saturdays 10.00 – 17.00, other times by appointment. Come and have a look if you’re in the area.

En Plein Air With A Sketchbook: 2

Here’s another en plein air sketch I did during a half-hour walk-and-draw exercise on Kilvey Hill. I used graphite (6B), a conté crayon (black) and a white soft oil pastel (Daler Rowney) and drew quickly into a unique sketchbook made by a friend. Each page is collaged with something different and then sealed with transparent gesso. I’m focusing on tone and mark-making, moving slowly and scribbling quickly.

I have an exhibition, “Carved Heads And Other Creatures”, part of MANIFEST at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. The show runs until October 31st. Open Saturdays 10.00 – 17.00, other times by appointment. Come and have a look if you’re in the area.