I’m an expressionist scribbler, preferring to draw freehand as much as possible. But now and again it’s good to get some discipline into my work to refine my technique. Here’s a plotted drawing I did a while back, using a very simple rough grid to plot the main points of the body and relate themContinue reading “Discipline And Plotting”
Category Archives: life drawing
Colour, Vibration, Reality
I’ve been re-reading one of my favourite art books, Victoria Finlay’s ‘Colour: Travels Through The Paintbox‘. Most of my books on colour are dry and rather academic but this is a rare book – well researched, informative, intelligent AND beautifully written. She’s a social anthropologist turned journalist with a passion for art and that passionContinue reading “Colour, Vibration, Reality”
A Lovely Line [female nude]
I had a nice life drawing in my sketchbook and decided to take it a stage further into a fully worked-up drawing and then, eventually, into a full-colour reduction monotype. I stretched a sheet of Bockingford 250gsm and gave it a couple of coats of rabbit skin glue, then washes of acrylic paint in yellowContinue reading “A Lovely Line [female nude]”
Chalk Nude [parental guidance]
I spend a lot of time doing life drawing and studying anatomy because my practice is figurative and representational, although I take some liberties: I like Egon Schiele, Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh and the German Expressionists so taking liberties comes naturally. But now and again I take a BIG liberty and head towards the abstract. ItContinue reading “Chalk Nude [parental guidance]”
A Highly Coloured Man [parental guidance]
Just got back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop – went a bit mad with the oil pastels tonight and had a good scribble all over the sketchbook pages before I started drawing the figure. I’ve been doing it a lot recently to break up the intimidating neatness of the plain page. Blank pagesContinue reading “A Highly Coloured Man [parental guidance]”
Memento Mori
I spent some time last year working on mixed media pieces, trying out different combinations of materials and techniques. This one combined drawing, watercolour and screenprinting. I started with an A1 sheet of Somerset 250gsm and squeegeed some acrylic System 3 paint, mixed with Acrylic Medium across it, giving a randomised background colour. Then IContinue reading “Memento Mori”
Creepy Alien Children!
Here’s one of the life drawings I did last night. It was a 15 minute pose and there was a lot of tension in the body which was quite difficult to draw. I’ll definitely work on it some more; it has potential. I was pootling about on Facebook earlier and came across this example ofContinue reading “Creepy Alien Children!”
Cake And Contrapposto
My hobby is baking cakes. I don’t particularly like eating them but I love making them. I usually make one for life drawing group at Swansea Print Workshop on Thursday evenings and tonight did a classic sponge cake filled with home-made strawberry jam and vanilla buttercream. None of it made it back home – theseContinue reading “Cake And Contrapposto”
Beep Gospel And Nude
Has a very productive day in the studio and did lots of preliminary drawings for a very large piece I’m working on for an international painting competition, BEEP. The deadline is the end of next week so I’m working flat out. I’m not a painter but BEEP wants artists to challenge traditional notions of painting,Continue reading “Beep Gospel And Nude”
A Renaissance Romp
A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited onto an intensive course in Renaissance drawing, using materials and equipment typical of that era. I couldn’t say anything about it at the time, but now it’s all gone public. The drawings done by the group of artists and students are to beContinue reading “A Renaissance Romp”
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