The Old Quarry

I’ve been looking at the photos I took yesterday up on the Black Mountain, selecting some for sketches. I’m using a white conte crayon, which is quite chunky, into a Daler Rowney ‘Ebony’ spiral bound A4 sketchbook. Here’s Husb and Number One Niece walking around the site of the old lime kilns and quarry. QuarryingContinue reading “The Old Quarry”

Misty Mountain

Husb and I joined one of our nieces for a walk today on part of the Black Mountain north of Brynaman. Between the holidays (lots of pyjama days) and the awful torrential rain and storms, we’ve been going a bit stir crazy so despite the dire weather forecast, we thought we’d head on up theContinue reading “Misty Mountain”

My Mitts

I just finished knitting my new fingerless mitts. I blogged about them about a week ago, when I was still working on the first and now they’re done, purpose made for cold outdoor sketching sessions in the 2016. Sparta Puss did her best to ‘help’ me and took it as a personal affront when IContinue reading “My Mitts”

The Beautiful Machine

A while back, I had a small rubber stamp made up from a silkscreen print I did based on the fabulous Frida Kahlo, an artist I admire very much. I printed it onto small leftover pieces of a beautiful Japanese Shiohara paper that I had been using for another print job. I had been wonderingContinue reading “The Beautiful Machine”

Thank you, Diolch x

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog. Thank you, all you people who have subscribed and who read my blog. I really appreciate it and also the comments and feedback I get. Knowing that you are reading it keeps me going. Have a lovely New Year. Blwyddyn newydd HapusContinue reading “Thank you, Diolch x”

Out Of The Gloom

I’m ploughing on with atmospheric sketches based on digital photos from the old church in Swansea that I visited a few weeks ago. I’m trying to keep it as minimal as possible, with more black than white, emphasising the chiaroscuro. I’m using conte crayon into an A4 ‘Ebony’ sketchbook by Daler Rowney. I took theContinue reading “Out Of The Gloom”

Chiaroscuro In A Doorway

After a bit of a break for Xmas and too much good food and gallivanting, it’s head down for a bit more serious work. I’m carrying on with my series of small drawings from photos taken in the old church recently, using the simplest of materials, white conte crayon into an A4 Daler Rowney ‘Ebony’Continue reading “Chiaroscuro In A Doorway”

Nothing Fancy

Another vista from the old church, a spooky corridor beyond a heavy door. It was a dark and rainy day when I took the photos, no artificial light and precious little natural light which added to the atmospherics of the place. I decided not to use a flash because I wanted the deep shadows andContinue reading “Nothing Fancy”

And A Cranny

Yesterday I drew a nook in the old church and today I drew a cranny. I was lucky enough to be able to take some photographs in an early 20th century church a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been drawing from them using white conte crayon into my Daler Rowney Ebony sketchbook. It’s pullingContinue reading “And A Cranny”