Rosie Scribblah

Frozen Trolls And Black Sand

Now that I’ve had a bit of sleep, I’ve been looking through the drawings I did in Iceland. I prefer to draw when I’m travelling because the memories are more vivid than when I’ve just taken photos. Olaf The Guide and Otto The Driver (on a sabbatical from Springfield, obviously) took us to aContinue reading “Frozen Trolls And Black Sand”

Volcanos, Glaciers and Freezing Fingers

I’ve been to Iceland! That’s the country, not the shop! It was amazing. I took sketchbooks, paper and card with me and loads of different drawing materials because I wasn’t sure what would work in that climate – my fingers as it turned out. It was freezing – 3 days of torrential snow taughtContinue reading “Volcanos, Glaciers and Freezing Fingers”

I’m No Twitcher

Just a quickie as I was walking past a lampost this morning and I saw this crow thingy on top. He wanted to fly down and eat some discarded food on the road but I was too close. He made his views known by making squawking noises at me and moving his body andContinue reading “I’m No Twitcher”

Getting Butch

Sometimes I draw in white ink into a rather lovely black sketchbook by Paperchase. But it ain’t half difficult! Funny thing is, if I draw onto paper that I’ve coloured with a wash, I really enjoy it. Maybe it’s because the commercial one is so evenly coated and perfect, it’s like drawing straight ontoContinue reading “Getting Butch”

The Proofing Dilemma

Here’s a dilemma. I’ve done enough hacking on my new woodcut to try a first proof. But I really like the piece as it is, with the colour of the natural wood contrasting with the creamy whiteness of the carved areas and the grey/black of the bits I’ve coloured with ink and wash; doneContinue reading “The Proofing Dilemma”

A Work Of Sadness

I don’t normally draw landscapes but I always take a sketchbook with me when I’m travelling. Here’s a sketch I made from the window of my bedroom at the hostel in Bisham, Pakistan. It was my first sight of the Karakoram mountain range – spectacular. More people should think about holidaying in Pakistan –Continue reading “A Work Of Sadness”

Block Block Block

Someone asked me about the difference in the final prints made by blocks in different materials so here are three I did earlier :). This top one is hacked from a piece of plywood. It’s very rough and choppy because the wood splinters when you attack it with the cutting tools and it alsoContinue reading “Block Block Block”

Strop!!!

I’m carrying on with woodcuts for a while, hacking away at lumps of plywood all day at the studio. It’s important to keep my cutting tools sharp; if I keep hacking when they get blunt, it hurts my wrist. I use a leather slipstrop and a bar of waxy abrasive to keep them sharp.Continue reading “Strop!!!”

Shady Lady

Just got back from life drawing at the most excellent Swansea Print Workshop and I’m cream-crackered. Here’s my shady lady, our retired biology teacher who also happens to be heavily tattooed with flies, spiders, lizards and carnivorous plants. I love drawing older models, so much character in their bodies. I drew with a dipContinue reading “Shady Lady”

First Proof

Been hacking away at a lump of old plywood for a couple of days and took a first proof of it today. I used Daler Rowney block printing medium mixed with Daler Rowney lamp black Georgian oil paint and took the print using a Japanese baren onto Fabriano Accademica 120 gsm paper. I can’tContinue reading “First Proof”