The Sausage Fingered Stick Of Doom

5 Oystermouth

For most of my life I haven’t been keen on charcoal, I thought it was a bit clumsy. Husb calls it “the sausage fingered stick of doom”. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it isn’t much good if you want to do fine detail on small paper. My Khadi sketchbook isn’t big so I’m limited in what I can put into a drawing, which is challenging but in a good way. Here’s a sketch I did with Winsor & Newton willow charcoal after Husb and I did some work on the allotment earlier this evening. There’s a group of copper beech trees in a row alongside the path leading up to Oystermouth Castle and I made them the focus of the drawing. It was a chance to play around with strong diagonal scribbles.

Henry Ossawa Tanner. Part 1

This is a very interesting read about an artist I had never heard of – you never stop learning …

 

via Henry Ossawa Tanner. Part 1

Kitty Scribbles

Sparta sketches

Had one of those bitty days today. I carried on carving small lino blocks and as a bit of light relief I had a quick scribble with willow charcoal as Sparta Puss was lazing around.

sparta tools

She has a houseful of beds, comfy chairs, cushions as well as a sunny garden bench with a blanket just for her, but no, she’d rather doze on my sharp lino cutting tools.

 

Caravan Jam

1 Clyne

After a grey rainy start, the weather turned out warm and sunny so Husb and I went for a walk in the beautiful Clyne gardens. We found this caravan parked on one of the paths, serving drinks and home made cake. Of course, I had to have a scribble, with willow charcoal into my Khadi sketchbook. The little vintage van is overshadowed by spectacularly huge trees. It’s called The Touring Tea Room and is open 6 days a week on it’s patch in Clyne Gardens.

loganberry jam.jpg

Earlier, I made loganberry jam, the first of this year’s home-grown crop. It’s lush.

Baps, Blocks And Book

grow group

Had a bit of a spurt with block cutting today, I carved until my shoulder started hurting. As I age I am more and more aware of the physicality of making art and the need to keep healthy and exercise, especially my arms, hands, shoulders, neck and back. Well that’s most of me I guess 😀

baps

I did some more baking, bread dough, and made half a dozen baps and a pizza, which was a damn fine pizza even if I say so myself. It’s not really practical to go to the shop every day for bread and I’m getting right into making my own from scratch – whoever invented instant yeast deserves a medal.

Colour

And I read and made notes from one of my favourite books by Victoria Finlay, “Colour, Travels Through The Paintbox”. Husb and I are going to start a podcast, an arty one, but also one that’s not highbrow and this is what I’m hoping to base the first few on. We’re planning to go live with it sometime in the next week …. I’ll let you know 😀

 

 

Flowery Faking Friday

anemones 6

I did this painting earlier today with the Cheese and Wine Painting Club on Facebook, it’s a weekly session led by the artist Ed Sumner. I’m not a big fan of painting but I thought that I’d make an effort to improve my skills during the pandemic lockdown and I’ve done six of these so far. This week’s artwork is a copy of ‘Anemones’ by Vincent van Gogh. I used Liquitex Heavy Body acrylic paint onto a stretched and primed canvas, with Daler Rowney ‘simply…’ brushes.

I like the way that Ed Sumner takes us through the process – at high speed – only an hour and a half to finish a painting. I’m learning so much about paint application and composition and I’ve always been a fan of studying the great artists, copying their work and learning from them. Next week we’ll be copying one of Ed’s own paintings which has a massive expanse of sky – that’ll be a challenge – I don’t so sky …. Follow the link here to find out more.

 

My Cat Is A Chonky Cat

Chonk

It’s pouring down and there are floods locally, so I’m not going on my government-sanctioned lockdown walk today. Which means I won’t be going to the park to draw some dramatic trees. So I grabbed some willow charcoal and scribbled my cat instead. Looking at her objectively, I think the vet might be right, she might be a little on the chonky side. Just a little. I do my best to keep her on a diet, but she goes visiting …. and she’s a real charmer …..

Charcoal And Chips

2 Cwmdonkin

We did our government-sanctioned lockdown exercise this evening and I stopped for a quick charcoal sketch of this pair of trees in Cwmdonkin Park. It was a bit of a rush because Husb phoned the local chippy and ordered fish and chips so we had to get there in time to pick them up while they were fresh. Oh they’re gorgeous. The sketch is willow charcoal onto handmade Khadi paper.

Clean, Green And Safe

Khadi Cwmdonkin

Husb and I have gone out for a walk most days since the pandemic lockdown started. We’re not at risk so we can have a government sanctioned hour a day. It’s really made me appreciate how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful city. Swansea is so green with loads of parks, wilded areas and the beach. There was a report a few weeks ago that 1 in 8 British people don’t have access to safe, clean outdoor spaces and of course, they’re the poorest people in society.  This is something that has to be changed once the pandemic is over. Cities can be greened and made safe, there’s no excuse.

I stopped to draw earlier in Cwmdonkin Park, where the poet Dylan Thomas played as a child. There are some wonderful trees; this one might have been a sapling when Dylan played here. I used Winsor & Newton willow charcoal into a Khadi handmade paper sketchbook.

Carving Blocks And Charcoal At The Castle

Lockcook 1

Today was pretty productive. I inked, traced and transferred seven texts onto little lino blocks and cut two of them. These are part of my series of words and phrases I’ve written down through the course of the Covid19 pandemic, from the first day of lockdown. Eventually, I’ll be printing them onto home-made cotton masks.

Lockcook 2

It was really hot and dry so Husb and I waited until early evening before we went down to our allotment. I did a quick sketch before we left the site, of Oystermouth Castle and it’s grounds using Winsor & Newton willow charcoal into a Khadi sketchbook.

4 oystermouth

I like working across two pages, especially with square sketchbooks. I take a can of fixative with me when I draw with charcoal, it’s manky and the drawing would smudge badly without being fixed.