Husb and I have been out this picking elderflowers to make cordial. It’s an annual ritual and makes the house smell lovely. It’s been a fine evening and a lovely way to spend a few hours. I did this sketch a couple of days ago in the Belvedere Gallery in Vienna. It already seems like an age has passed since we were there.
I stopped for some time in front of this self portrait by Egon Shiele at The Leopold Museum in Vienna. I have seen it many times in books but was fascinated when I came face to face with it. The brushwork is so fluid and he creates light and dark and the flow of the material on the clothes by simply using brushstrokes. I made a lot of notes around the quick sketch.
Viennese architecture is spectacular and it was a joy just strolling around the city. We hung out a while at Café Museum, where Shiele and Klimt used to eat.
Husb and I just got back from our few days in Vienna in time for the last episode of Game of Thrones Season 4. Ooooof!
Yesterday we went to the Upper Belvedere Gallery in Vienna to take in the permanent collection of Secession, Expressionist and Impressionist art. Marvellous. I drew this sculpture of a panther by Franz Barwig the Elder. It’s a large piece and completely black and shiny. Very hard to draw just using pen, without ink wash or charcoal to get all the tones. Good practice though.
Then we went to the Secession building to see The Beethoven Frieze. I was overwhelmed by Vienna. I’ve read about these artists and places connected with them for years and it’s been such a privilege to be able to go there.
Yesterday in Vienna Husb and I spent most of the day in The Leopold Museum wallowing in Egon Shiele’s art. And other Secession and Expressionist artists. It was an amazing experience.
Husb and I are the sort of people who upset the gallery staff by standing as close as possible to artworks to try and work out how the artist did it. I got told off! I studied this hand, Schiele has drawn in pencil and overlaid with translucent oil glazes. The drawing is clearly visible and enables far more detail than possible with a brush.
Afterwards I did a bit of scribbling at the tram stop; people are too busy with their smartphones to notice me.
Husb and I are having a few days in Vienna. It’s so easy to get to most of Europe and it’s wonderful to be able to see places that I’ve read about. First off though, I had a scribble at Heathrow, a big boned bloke sitting opposite, absorbed in his Tablet so he didn’t notice me scribbling into my little A6 sketchbook with a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen size S.
Getting from the airport to the hotel was a bit confusing but the public transport is great and we got on a tram and went for a walk around part of the Ringstrasse down to the Secession building and Nachmarkt where I spotted this other big boned bloke with an enormous kitteh.
You can just see the Secession building in the background. Today it’s Egon Shiele at The Leopold. I’m so lucky.
Husb and I visited Holly the boxer and her trained monkeys this evening. She’s rather elderly and full of character and I thought she’d make a good model. She had other ideas. Every time I started sketching her, she turned her back on me as soon as she realised what I was doing. I managed a few speed sketches but she was very uncooperative. I used my Samsung Galaxy Tablet Note 8 using the free Markers app.
I’m carrying on with working dark on dark. I prepared lots of pages in my handmade Khadi sketchbook with an Indian ink wash and I’m working on top with random marks using different drawing materials such as carbon, graphite block, black pastels, black oil bar, compressed and willow charcoal.
I admire artists who work from their imagination; it’s something I find very hard. I have always preferred to work from what’s around me. I’m actively trying to break through the blocks that are stopping me by doing these drawings.
I’m having a bit of a practice doing atmospheric drawings straight into my Khadi sketchbook that I’d prepared with an Indian ink wash. I used willow charcoal, carbon and graphite and focused on mark making to make different effects on the surface of the paper.
Drawing at night isn’t too bad in the city centre, because of illumination from street and shop lighting. But on the beach, Swansea Bay, unless there’s a clear moon, there’s very little light and no clear landmarks. So drawing a deserted night scene is about interpreting the different elements of the darkness with varied materials and marks.
I used white compressed charcoal, willow charcoal and carbon into a Khadi sketchbook that I’d prepared with an Indian ink wash.
A description of 1980s denim fashion and also my way of preparing some of my little Khadi handmade paper sketchbooks (15cms square) with random ink washes using dilute Indian ink applied with a small piece of natural sponge. It’s a good base for night sketches. All you need is a bit of white compressed charcoal (Seawhite’s of Brighton) and carbon (Daler Rowney) and Bob’s your uncle. It also helps to live by the beach.
scribblah 