I sometimes do some portrait practice at life drawing sessions and I had a go at Swansea Print Workshop last night. Our model, an older woman, has such a strong face and a big character which shows through in her expressions. I drew onto my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet with a free Markers app.
Just back from life drawing group at Swansea Print Workshop. This evening’s model is an older woman who has been modelling for years. I never tire of drawing her. This is a quick warm-up sketch on my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet using a free Markers app. I blocked in a black background to start with then used a fine white pen function for the quick sketch.
I just heard today that I have had 2 artworks accepted into the Swansea Open exhibition, running from December the 3rd to January the 6th. It’s returned after a gap of about 5 years, while the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery was closed and being refurbished, and it’s great to see it back. I’m chuffed to bits as Swansea is full of talented artists and the competition is stiff.
I submitted two monotypes of the Mari Lwyd, based on drawings I did in my sketchbook at the end of last year. The Mari Lwyd is an ancient Welsh tradition, where groups of revellers wander the streets and pubs accompanied by a life size puppet constructed around a decorated horse’s skull. It may hark back to the worship of the Celtic horse goddess, Epona.
Husb and I went to Santa’s Parade in Swansea’s City Centre on Sunday evening. I thought the best float and costumes were the ones with @Swansea2021, our city’s bid to be UK City of Culture in 4 years time. Lots of artists made costumes to go along with the float, which was a gigantic mirrored cube on the back of a lorry, very effective. Which is why the artists became Cubeheads.
I drew from a photograph by artist Kathryn Trussler into my A5 lined notebook, the Cat’s Meow Journal by Peter Pauper Press using a biro (ballpoint pen).
I’m doing a one-day artist residency at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir this coming Friday so if you’re in the area, or fancy that trip up the Rhondda Valley that you’ve been promising yourself, please pop in and see me. I’ll make a cake. Maybe a Victoria Sandwich.
When I did a residency in Pakistan, at the Zaira Zaka Print Studio three years ago, I travelled from Rawalpindi to Lahore across the vast expanse of the Punjab through some incredible weather conditions including the most ferocious thunderstorm I have ever experienced. In the car, I did 50 very quick impressionistic drawings of the journey into a small Khadi sketchbook, and these have inspired a series of small monotypes. I have done 10 so far and I’ll be working on some more at my residency in Ynyshir.
I edited the 50 original drawings together into a short video with a soundtrack taken from the sounds around me during my month-long stay. Here it is….
I love Nancy farmer’s drawings, and especially the cats. Well, I would, wouldn’t I?
There have been complaints from some quarters that I have not drawn enough cats lately. However I have converted what used to be my blog for mostly cat drawings (catoftheday.wordpress.com) into a site for entirely swimming drawings (waterdrawn.com). So the cats must find a new home. Here.
“Cat Basket”
Sarge never used to fill this basket, but now he’s got so big there is beginning to be overspill. He is cultivating a square bottom in order to fill the basket to maximum efficiency.
“Arthur’s Stripes”
Arthur has had a busy but partialy successful morning. At great personal effort, he has stayed still in front of a warm Rayburn for long enough for his stripes to be properly documented. The only slight cloud was that the Archivist got carried away, and went on to unnecessarily document the stripes on the blanket too, and then totally lost the plot and coloured in…
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Santa arrived in Swansea this evening and Husb and I went along to watch Santa’s parade through the city centre. I love this every year. Big cities get fancy, expensive floats sponsored by big business but the thing I like best about our annual parade is that so much of it is home-made and a little bit wobbly. The dance troupes are sometimes not as choreographed as they might be and the marching bands a little off-key and the costumes definitely on the enthusiastic amateur side, but that’s the charm and fun of it all. And it makes no difference at all to the huge family crowds who turn out to watch. The kids are besides themselves with excitement.
Of course, I had a few scribbles. Little kids are fun to draw, enormous heads, scrunched-up faces and impossibly skinny Bambi legs. I drew into my A5 lined sketchbook with a biro (ballpoint) pen. My favourite float was the huge mirrored cube that’s travelling the city to raise support for Swansea2021, our city’s bid to be the next UK City of Culture. We’re in the final four and should know the result in about 3 weeks. Fingers crossed.
Almost at the end of the life drawing session at Swansea Print Workshop and I spent the last few minutes drawing the model’s hand. There was some quite severe foreshortening and it was hard. Very hard. OOOOOFFFF!!!! No matter how many times I measured up, they still look weird.
I drew with a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet using a free Markers app. I worked onto a black ground that I put in first.
Here’s another drawing I did yesterday evening at life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop. I drew onto my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet, which is getting a bit old now, using the free Markers app. I worked onto a black background, putting layers of faded colour with my finger and a large brush and then worked in the finer lines with the stylus and a smaller pen function. I made a Dundee cake that afternoon and took it along for the tea break. Proper old school. Most of it went and it was a big cake too. It was still a bit warm so it was squidgy and buttery. mmmmmmm 😀
Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop where I drew onto my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet with a free Markers app. I did a head study to start with, filling in the background with black and working on top of it with lighter colours.
And now to bed ……
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