The Model With The Dragon Kimono

Here’s a sketch I did quite a while ago in one of the weekly life drawing sessions at Swansea Print Workshop. The model is a retired biology teacher and very colourful character who has beautiful and unusual clothes and jewellery. She came to this session with a magnificent embroidered kimono with dragons all over it. We asked her to pose with it on as it was so lovely and it’s also nice to get a chance to draw the models clothed occasionally. The technique I used is mostly continuous line, constantly checking the figure against what’s going on in the background. I used Faber Castell Pitt pens and drew into an A3 spiral bound Cotman watercolour sketchbook. There was a special offer at our local arts and crafts store and I bought up a load very cheaply. I still have a couple of tiny ones left – they’ve lasted me about 4 years. I really like the boots the artist in the background is wearing.