Why Is The Ocean Green?

Because the sea weed. [GROAN] That’s what happens when I spend a couple of days with small nephews.

beach

A traditional rainy bank holiday in Britain again. It’s been tipping down all day but cleared up a bit this evening so Husb and I headed down to the beach; he ran 7k along the promenade and I worked out on the free gym equipment.

beach drawing

The tide was fully in and just a few feet from the edge of the prom, so I wandered down and dipped my toes. And drew them. It’s hard finding marks to protray the sea, especially when you just have a fine pen, but I did my best. The sea weed sloshed over my toes. It tickled.

Drawn with a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen, size S, into my little A6 spotty sketchbook.

Drawing In The Dark

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Husb and I took two little relatives to the cinema to see the first episode of the new Doctor Who series this evening. I had a quick scribble in the darkness. I could see the faces in the light from the big screen, but couldn’t see my sketchbook. It’s a good exercise.

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Earlier we stopped for a drink in a local café and I sketched this Nana and grandson at the counter, just a couple of minutes before they sat down. I used a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen size S into my leather bound Steampunk sketchbook.

Red Hair

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Here’s the second digital drawing I made at life drawing this week at Swansea Print Workshop. I started with a very dark ground and worked over it in white and greys with touches of red in the hair and blue on the tattoos.

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I drew with my Samsung Galaxy Tablet Note 8 using the free Markers app. This model reminds me very much of the sort of models drawn by Egon Shiele.

Head And Hair

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Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop. Here’s one of the digital sketches I did with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet Note 8 using the free Markers app.

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I saved the drawing as I went along and put it into a slideshow gallery to show the development of the sketch. This model has a very distinctive face with a lot of difference between the hair on his head and beard which is interesting to draw.

Slumped In The Sand

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Husb and I have taken a few days off work for a bit of a holiday and have never been busier! We have had some little relatives staying and that’s when we realise the advantages of living near the sea. Small children love the beach, it’s free and there are plenty of people to sketch .

And after a quick scribble, I get the chance to slump in the sand, catching a bit of sunshine, although there’s already a bit of an Autumn chill in the air. This is drawn with a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen size F into my leather Steampunk sketchbook, size A5.

Small Sprogs And Petit Prints

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Husb and I are babysitting two little relatives for a couple of days. It’s completely exhausting. How do parents manage with small sprogs the whole time? We took them to West Wales, firstly to the Honey Farm and then the beach at New Quay on Cardigan Bay. We had fun!

Before we left, I received a parcel from the most excellent Wingtip Press in Idaho, USA. It was a dozen original prints from the Leftovers 5 print exchange. I am so delighted with them. It’s an annual event where printmakers across the planet produce a special edition and in return receive a surprise package of miniature, petit prints.

The Pub Quiz

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Had a very busy day, ending up at the weekly pub quiz at The Brunswick, an excellent hostelry. I did a couple of quick heads, just a few minutes each. We didn’t win 😦

Process Of A Head

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Here’s another digital study of a head, working with a professional model and using my Samsung Galaxy Tablet Note 8 with a free Markers app.

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I started with a mid grey background and built up the drawing using greys, black and white with the airbrush and translucent brushes. I saved at stages during the process and converted the images into a slideshow gallery to show the development of the drawing.

Bigguns

stage 5

 

I’ve spent the past two days at the Creative Bubble artspace in Swansea City Centre, with the 15 Hundred Lives art collective. We have the venue every month to give us the space to work together, try out new ideas and we open the doors to the public so that people can drop in and see how artists go about creating a piece of art. It doesn’t just appear fully formed on a gallery wall!

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I worked on a massive drawing, the second in a series I am planning to do over the next year or so. The first, on the right in the pictures, was completed and displayed as part of my installation at Fringe Arts Bath back in June. They are inspired by a visit to Berlin a couple of winters ago, when there was thick snow on the ground. I saw the Holocaust Memorial just after a fresh snowfall. It was beautiful and haunting. I worked with carbon and graphite blocks onto Fabriano Accademico paper, approximately 150cms by 200 cms.

Another Day, Another Head

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Here’s another digital sketch I did at life drawing this week at Swansea Print Workshop. I concentrated on drawing the head, measuring as best I could to get a reasonably accurate likeness.

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I used my Samsung Galaxy Tablet Note 8 with a free Markers app, working from a mid tone background with black and white. I saved the drawing regularly so I could present it as a slideshow, following the development of the drawing.