I’m planning a new silkscreen print from an original life drawing I did a while back. I want to include chine collé so I thought I’d have a bit of a play on Adobe Photoshop to try out some geometric shapes in different areas of the drawing. It’s a useful tool for doing a quick bit of design. Basically it means that I can do it on my laptop while I’m sitting on the settee with the TV on.
So when I go to a gig, I go to listen and enjoy and maybe have a bit of a dance (although a lot of people don’t think that headbanging is dancing) and I assume that other people are there for the same reason, so it really narks me when you get some airhead who thinks it’s okay to stand near the stage and talk, loudly and incessantly, through the set. It happened the other week when I was in Cardiff for the launch of Rufus Mufasa’s album , “Fur Coats From The Lion’s Den” and this airhead stood right in front of me and gabbled her way through a load of performances. Which isn’t just annoying but also really disrespectful to the performers who had put so much effort into their acts. Why couldn’t she go to the back? Or go to the toilets? Or just go? I thought about whacking her with my sketchbook but then I’D be the bad guy. I wasn’t going to draw her because that would be giving her some credibility so here’s an empty page dedicated to the empty airhead in the spotted knitted coat.
Please do check out Rufus Mufasa’s music on the video, she’s brilliant.
I was at the launch of Rufus Mufasa’s album in Cardiff and having a scribble when I found that I was making marks to the rapping. I often listen to rock music when I’m working but I’ve never noticed my drawing being affected. Mind you, there’s a bit of a difference between rap and prog rock!
Please check out Rufus’ album, she’s really something and if you like what you hear, please buy it. It’s hard to make a living as a creative.
Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop. I haven’t been for a while as life has been getting in the way so I made a pineapple upside down cake for our tea break.
I drew with my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet with a free Markers app, working with white pens over a back background. The tablet’s getting on a bit now, it’s about 5 years old, almost obsolete but it’s still chugging along and it’s a useful tool for drawing and blogging. It’s late now so time for bed. Goodnight 🙂
I know I’ve been banging on about Nawr Yr Arwr / Now The Hero, but it’s a big deal for me and I was beside myself when I went to the official launch last week. There I was , a scruffy urchin from a council estate, hobnobbing with the great and the good in the arts and it was a bit overwhelming, to be honest. One of the many highlights of the day was sitting opposite the wonderful Welsh actor, Eddie Ladd. It turns out that she and I have been Twitter chums for some time, but we use different names so I didn’t realise until the day of the launch. Of course, I couldn’t resist having a scribble. I didn’t have much time and it’s not the best likeness, but practice makes perfect, eh? Eddie has an extraordinary face and I hope to draw her again, but with a bit more time.
Here’s a brief film of the commissioned work I have done for Nawr Yr Arwr / Now The Hero.
I went to the launch of ‘Nawr Yr Arwr / Now The Hero’ last Friday. I was besides myself with excitement! But I still had a scribble. I usually do. This young actor, Mathew Prichard, in World War 1 uniform stood to attention throughout the launch. I drew him in my A4 brown paper sketchbook from Seawhites of Brighton using black and white conté crayons. It was tough getting the hat right, hats are hard! But I’m pleased with the result, I worked very quickly, capturing the basic details of the face, the essential elements.
The launch event featured a short film about me and my model, David, by filmmaker George Morris, here it is below…..
“Nawr Yr Awr \ Now The Hero is an immersive theatrical experience that will take the audience on an extraordinary journey through three intertwining narratives of war; from Celtic history, the First World War, and today’s conflicts.
Drawing on an epic poem, some rejected paintings, and an intimate portrait of a Swansea soldier serving today, Marc Rees’ bold production brings the stories of war to life, but counterpoints the tragic telling with hope.”
I work a lot with a three-colour monotype technique that produces a full colour unique artwork on a sheet of paper (BFK Rives 250gsm). Then I put a second sheet of paper onto the plate and put it through the press again to take a second print with the ink (Caligo Safe Wash) that’s left to give a fainter ‘ghost’ monotype. Apparently the artists Degas and Monet used to work over their ghost monotypes with oil pastels, but I generally leave mine as they are because I like the way the oil-based inks break up in a very Impressionistic way. I also like the contrast with the full colour first proof.
This is the ghost of “The Darkness”, a work commissioned as part of Nawr Yr Arwr / Now The Hero….
“…. an immersive theatrical experience that will take the audience on an extraordinary journey through three intertwining narratives of war; from Celtic history, the First World War, and today’s conflicts.
Drawing on an epic poem, some rejected paintings, and an intimate portrait of a Swansea soldier serving today, Marc Rees’ bold production brings the stories of war to life, but counterpoints the tragic telling with hope.”
Nawr Yr Arwr / Now The Hero was launched last week and will culminate at the end of September in Swansea with a festival weekend in and around the historic Brangwyn Hall.
The gestation of this work is the subject of this short film by George Morris and it shows the process from initial drawing to finished monotype via the fascinating vintage printing presses at Swansea Print Workshop.
I am so fortunate to have worked with the artist Marc Rees, filmmaker George Morris and my long-term life model, David Williams, to create a unique monotype for the “Now The Hero / Nawr Yr Arwr” art happening / event / extravaganza that will climax at the end of September. I worked from one of the drawings I did in the Brangwyn Hall (see yesterday’s post) using one of the fabulous antique presses at Swansea Print Workshop.
I used a monotype process similar to that used by Impressionist artists Monet and Degas. If you want to find out more, check out the process in my “Techie Stuff” section here. It’s called the three colour reduction monotype technique and it’s a complex process. The final monotype took a full day’s work at the print workshop. A long day, too.
You can see the process and the inside of the print workshop in George’s film below. It’s a very honest reflection of the relationship between an artist and model, where inspiration comes from and also the technical processes we use.
“Nawr Yr Awr \ Now The Hero is an immersive theatrical experience that will take the audience on an extraordinary journey through three intertwining narratives of war; from Celtic history, the First World War, and today’s conflicts.
Drawing on an epic poem, some rejected paintings, and an intimate portrait of a Swansea soldier serving today, Marc Rees’ bold production brings the stories of war to life, but counterpoints the tragic telling with hope.”
Six months ago I had the privilege of working with my model, David who I’ve been working with for 10 years, the artist Marc Rees and filmmaker George Morris. On the first day I drew David in The Brangwyn Hall, which is an amazing place, built in the 1930s for the magnificent Brangwyn panels. On the first day I drew David, who was nude – we had screens around us as The Brangwyn Hall is a public space. I used newspaper and brown packing paper with chalks, charcoal and conté crayons and did about half a dozen drawings. This is where it all starts. I used newspaper and brown paper because these are working drawings, not finished pieces and if I’d used expensive, hand-made paper I would have been inhibited. At the end of the day I chose this drawing to turn into a monotype over the next couple of days.
George has produced a short film of our experience. I’m gobsmacked at how he’s edited such a cool film from three days of footage. Please check it out here….
“Nawr Yr Awr \ Now The Hero is an immersive theatrical experience that will take the audience on an extraordinary journey through three intertwining narratives of war; from Celtic history, the First World War, and today’s conflicts.
Drawing on an epic poem, some rejected paintings, and an intimate portrait of a Swansea soldier serving today, Marc Rees’ bold production brings the stories of war to life, but counterpoints the tragic telling with hope.”
It’s been an exciting day. I shook hands with a lord, hung out with a Celtic warrior, sipped tea and ate a Welsh cake in an art deco temple in Swansea, and watched a film about my model and me. Here it is….
I’ve been involved in this expansive art project, Nawr Yr Arwr / Now The Hero for some time but couldn’t say anything until the official launch today. I’ll be working mostly on this body of work for the next 9 months …….
I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow……..
“Nawr Yr Awr \ Now The Hero is an immersive theatrical experience that will take the audience on an extraordinary journey through three intertwining narratives of war; from Celtic history, the First World War, and today’s conflicts.
Drawing on an epic poem, some rejected paintings, and an intimate portrait of a Swansea soldier serving today, Marc Rees’ bold production brings the stories of war to life, but counterpoints the tragic telling with hope.”
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