The next one out of my geographic palette is graphite, a slightly greasy, slightly soluble solid black pigment and mineral found in The Lake District near Keswick, which is where I bought some nice chunky sticks of it and a whole load of top-quality graphite pencils. Not far from Keswick, at Seathwaite, is an oldContinue reading “My Geographic Palette #4 – Graphite”
Category Archives: Travel drawings
My Geographic Palette #2 – Bideford Black
So, day 2 of drawing from my geographic palette. This is Bideford Black, an unique oily carbon-based pigment from North Devon, where is sits in the ground next to anthracite coal. It was mined for about 200 years up until the late 1960s but lost out to cheaper competitors and the mines closed. IContinue reading “My Geographic Palette #2 – Bideford Black”
My Geographic Palette #1 – Charcoal
This is my first tryout with my geographic palette, a drawing based on a sketch I did en plein air on a field trip with colleagues from Swansea University’s FIRE Lab a couple of months ago when we went off exploring culverts up in the Brecon Beacons. The charcoal I bought a fewContinue reading “My Geographic Palette #1 – Charcoal”
Having A Rummage
Inspiration… We find inspiration often in the oddest places. I never thought that I’d be inspired by Victorian culverts way out up in the Brecon Beacons, but here we are. I recently made a series of sketchbook drawings of culverts on a field trip with scientists Steph and James from the FIRE Lab project inContinue reading “Having A Rummage”
Splodges Of Watercolour
I went to a birthday party in a fabulous garden in Llwynhendy last weekend and of course, I had to have a scribble. I sat near the pond as dusk was falling and did a very quick sketch with ballpoint pen into my A6 hardbound sketchbook. Then I added some splodges of watercolour. I didn’tContinue reading “Splodges Of Watercolour”
Like Liquid Silk
I did some development work today, using one of the drawings I did en plein air on a recent field trip with colleagues from Swansea University’s FIRE Laboratory. I sketched some culverts up in the Brecon Beacons, near the source of the River Tawe and today I worked on a very large piece of vintageContinue reading “Like Liquid Silk”
Abstract And Graphic
I took a different viewpoint for this drawing of a culvert up in the Brecon Beacons, sketching from above, facing along the path of the stream as it trickled downhill to join the River Tawe. I was travelling along the route of the River Tawe to it’s source in the Brecon Beacons, accompanied byContinue reading “Abstract And Graphic”
Little Ecosystems
Travelling recently along the route of the River Tawe to it’s source in the Brecon Beacons, I accompanied two colleagues from the FIRE Laboratory unit at Swansea University. We turned off the A4067 just after the Tafarn y Garreg pub and took the road to Trecastle, looking at culverts that transported streams and tributariesContinue reading “Little Ecosystems”
Protected From Feral Sheep
Another drawing from my second field trip with Swansea University’s FIRE Laboratory project. We were studying culverts that carry tributaries down to the River Tawe, up near its source in the Brecon Beacons. Using compressed charcoal and chalk into an A4 brown paper sketchbook, I focussed on getting an impression, rather than detail. There wasContinue reading “Protected From Feral Sheep”
Dan Y Ffordd / Under The Road
This week I went on my second field trip with Swansea University’s FIRE Lab project. We went along the old road after turning off the A4067 at the Tafarn y Garreg Inn. My colleagues were studying the bridges and culverts that direct the numerous streams under the road on their way down to merge withContinue reading “Dan Y Ffordd / Under The Road”
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