Category Archives: out and about

Waiting For Mam

I spent a happy hour puppy sitting the adorable gallery puppies at Galerie Simpson this afternoon. They are two sweet black Patterdale Terriers and when their Mam popped out, they patiently waited for her – before falling asleep. So cute. And very scribblable! I never miss an opportunity for a scribble. It’s interesting drawing differentContinue reading “Waiting For Mam”

Eadweard’s Horses

I rarely work from photographs but I took a series of photos on the beach yesterday and I’m going to use them for sketching for a few days. Drawing directly from life is energising, forces me to focus only on what’s absolutely important in the subject and is good practice but doesn’t give me theContinue reading “Eadweard’s Horses”

A Bit Of Columbian

I was down at Swansea Print Workshop earlier and took some time to scribble the lovely old Columbian printing press. Dating from quite early in Queen Victoria’s reign (1855) this beauty is still in use, even though it’s a little bit wobbly and idiosyncratic. It’s quite complex and I’m right out of my comfort zone,Continue reading “A Bit Of Columbian”

The Red Castle

Husb and I celebrated St. David’s Day today with a quick trip up the Valleys to visit Castell Coch, which is Welsh for the Red Castle. It was packed to the rafters with visitors so I didn’t have much time to draw, just a quick sketch of some of the extraordinary carvings above one ofContinue reading “The Red Castle”

Way Too Cute!

I took my teenage niece with me to do a spot of puppy-sitting yesterday and I also took a drawing board, some beautiful vintage paper – Saunders from the Wooky Hole paper mill in Somerset – and charcoal, compressed and willow. I intended to do some portrait drawing of my niece, but I reckoned withoutContinue reading “Way Too Cute!”

Crowd Control

Standing in a queue is a good opportunity to do some crowd sketching. I like to draw individuals because, to be honest, it’s easier. But I shouldn’t stay in my comfort zone so I did these two crowd sketches when I was standing in a queue yesterday. Drawing in a crowd forces you to bringContinue reading “Crowd Control”

Dark Expressions

There have been some very high tides for the last couple of days so Husb and I went down to the beach earlier this evening for a look. I took my little hand made Khadi paper sketchbook that I’d prepared with an Indian ink wash, rubbed on with a small natural sponge. I sat inContinue reading “Dark Expressions”

I Scream Ice Cream

Just a quick one at the end of the evening, a speedy sketch I did at the local ice cream parlour, Joe’s, a landmark for generations of Swansea Jacks, one of the widespread Italian cafés that grew across Wales in the early 20th century. The ice cream is sublime, possibly the best vanilla in theContinue reading “I Scream Ice Cream”