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.

En Plein Air With A Sketchbook: 1

The cover of the sketchbook and drawing materials.
The first scribbled marks while walking and drawing.

Husb and I went for a walk up Kilvey Hill this afternoon and I took a new sketchbook, hand-made by a lovely friend. Each page has something collaged onto it and then sealed with transparent gesso. I took a block of graphite (6B), a conté crayon (black) and a white soft oil pastel (Daler Rowney). I decided to spend half an hour doing a walk-and-draw exercise, quickly scribbling impressions of what’s around me rather than trying to draw a detailed realistic landscape. This is my first sketch (on the right).

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.

Three Sketchbooks: One Ink: Naphthol Crimson

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 Naphthol Crimson. The effects are so different across the three books – the large Khadi is almost suggesting an image without anything else done to it. 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.

A Deep Clean

Swansea Print Workshop is shutting down for a couple of months for some badly-needed renovations and we’re all pulling together to get things packed and stored before the building work starts. I did a deep clean on some of the rollers (brayers) the other day. I enjoyed it. Does that make me sound like I have a sad life? 😀

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.

#Caturday Archives: 60

It’s back to January 2018 for this week’s #Caturday sketchbook archive, an ink drawing of our Little Ming, the one-eyed fluffy tortoiseshell. She’s in her favourite place, on top of the boiler in the window next to the kettle. Plenty of sources of warmth for her.

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.

Sketchbook Archives: 69

February 2017 and I’m still in the drawing-portraits-on-brown-paper phase. I used black, brown and sanguine conté crayons and graphite. I’m not sure why I stopped – I really like the effect. Maybe that’s why, maybe it was becoming too easy and I’m a glutton for punishment 🙂

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.

The Guitarist

Here’s a quick scribble at our local venue “Down By Here” (previously Elysium Bar). I can’t remember the band; I get so absorbed in sketching that I often forget to write down details like band names. I find it difficult to draw people with musical instruments as you have to deal with perspective and proportion not only of the person but also what they’re holding, while they’re moving around! It’s good practice.

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.

More Crazy Hair…

I went to a concert in the summer at Llangiwg Church and Y Pregethwr did an amazing performance in the Welsh language. He sings passages from the Book of Ecclesiastes in Cymraeg accompanied by a harmonium. He has wild hair so I sketched him.

I have a new 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.

Crazy Hair…

Sometimes I’m lucky enough to sit behind someone with fantastically crazy hair when I have a sketchbook on me. It’s so much fun to play with mark-making and different textures when I’m drawing hair like this. I used a Derwent graphite pencil – HB.

I have a new 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.