I’ve had a long day behind a computer and Husb and I spent a lovely evening visiting a friend so I only had time to do a very quick sketch for my blog this evening. Here’s Sparta the cat, caught just as she woke up. Don’t think she’s too pleased. Drawn with my Samsung Galaxy Tablet Note 8 using the free Markers app.
A fantastic blog about life drawing an life models
For anybody suffering from a poor body image the idea of standing naked in front of a classroom full of artists would be something only experienced in nightmares.
But for some people life modelling has proved to be not only a confidence booster but also a way to make an honest living. It takes a lot of nerve, reliability, physical stamina and assertiveness (you have to be able to say no to some poses).
I did it for years when I first came to Swansea so I appreciate good models. A couple of years ago some Parisian models did a naked strike in the snow when the government threatened to disallow tipping (over there they pass a ‘cornet’ or collection cone around at the end of a session in addition to their fees, something we should do here as their wages haven’t increased for 10 years). So you see they…
View original post 36 more words
A fantastic blog about life drawing an life models
For anybody suffering from a poor body image the idea of standing naked in front of a classroom full of artists would be something only experienced in nightmares.
But for some people life modelling has proved to be not only a confidence booster but also a way to make an honest living. It takes a lot of nerve, reliability, physical stamina and assertiveness (you have to be able to say no to some poses).
I did it for years when I first came to Swansea so I appreciate good models. A couple of years ago some Parisian models did a naked strike in the snow when the government threatened to disallow tipping (over there they pass a ‘cornet’ or collection cone around at the end of a session in addition to their fees, something we should do here as their wages haven’t increased for 10 years). So you see they…
View original post 36 more words
I did a quick scribble of Teenage Niece this evening. It had to be a quick scribble because she can’t sit still for long. It’s an interesting phase of development. Her face isn’t the scrunched up alien physique of a child but she still has a child-like roundness to her features. I used Faber Castell Pitt drawing pens, sizes S and M into my A5 Tate Gallery sketchbook.
Back at Folly Farm yesterday, I was in the right place at the right time, standing under a fodder bucket in the Giraffe enclosure during feeding time. Rhian the giraffe was eating her scran just a couple of feet above my head! Well, I had to scribble her, didn’t I? Then she turned her attention to acacia branches hanging from the roof, so I sketched her from behind, rather a vast behind. Giraffe are HUGE! Her eye was about the size of my hand. What a magnificent animal. Drawn with a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen, size F into my A5 Tate Gallery sketchbook.
Especially if they’re lions!
Husb and I spent a happy day at Folly Farm near Tenby celebrating a little relative’s birthday. I have mixed feelings about zoos, but this is a nice one with lots of space for the animals and they run a number of conservation programmes. With our species standing at over 6 billion and rising, it’s a sad fact that breeding rare species in captivity might be the only way to save them for the foreseeable future until we can reduce our own demands on the planet and learn to share it without endangering other species. I stopped for a couple of scribbles in my A5 Tate Gallery sketchbook, using Faber Castell Pitt drawing pens.
The lion was fast asleep, my favourite kind of model. Typical kitty behaviour. The beautiful lioness was pacing around keeping an eye on their 4 cubs. Harder to draw and my first attempt made her look a bit like a teddy bear. They are magnificent animals. Their size shocked me, I had never been up close to a lion/ess before. Their power and physique are incredible. It is horrifying that our species hunts them for fun or fur. Appalling!
It’s hard, drawing black. Very hard. Sparta Puss is tortoiseshell so there are a few lighter bits on her. It was even harder to draw my late, great kitteh, Bola, who was as black as a panther. It’s all down to the marks you make, varying them to delineate the different areas of the subject.
I used a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen size S into my A5 Tate Gallery sketchbook. The model is my small cat, Sparta.
Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop where I did some experimenting with my new natural media, walnut sepia ink (I made this a few weeks ago) and Bideford Black, kindly sent to me by artists in North Devon. I was focussed on trying out these media to see what they can do. It was a nice surprise to find out that the Bideford Black is semi-soluble in water but more soluble in the walnut ink, possibly because the ink contains 20% alcohol (surgical spirit) so maybe it’s acting as a solvent? I used Fabriano Accademica paper and applied the ink with a sable brush.
Husb and I are off to the cinema now in a minute so I did a really quick sketch for my drawing blog tonight. I used my Samsung Galaxy Tablet Note 8 with the free Markers app. We’re going to see the James Brown film. The music should be fab!
Husb and I spent the evening at a very useful ‘Make And Market’ event at the new Galerie Simpson on Swansea’s High Street. We had 4 very interesting speakers, two visual artists and two creative IT people, and networking over fabulous nibbles afterwards.
The gallery has only been open a couple of months but has already brought new artists, ideas and events into the artscene. Of course, I had to scribble. It’s like scratching an itch, I can’t help myself!
It’s not easy drawing people who are moving and talking. All I can do is get an approximation of a likeness, just a general type, but it’s good practice and makes a change from working with professional models who hold a pose for as long as you like.
Drawn into my A5 Tate Gallery sketchbook with a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen size F.
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