Man, Boy and Rabbit

man and boy

Walking over the hill above Bracelet Bay, Mumbles a couple of evenings ago with Husb and small Nephew, we saw lots of wild rabbits quietly munching away. Husb and Nephew stopped for a few minutes to gaze at a young bunny; the little ones don’t seem particularly afraid of people. The Boy tends to copy Husb and their stance was very similar – he’s learning to be a man. So cute. On their left is a sweep of a small tree that’s been sculpted by the wind. Drawn into my A5 cloth-bound sketchbook that I’d prepared with some ripped brown parcel paper, stuch on with Pritt stick. I used Faber Castell Pitt drawing pens in sepia and a touch of black and white conte crayons.

The Match!

06 the matchHusb and I went to a local pub to watch today’s rugby international, Australia vs The British and Irish Lions. It was a terrific atmosphere and we had lunch there too, pie and mash. They make their own pies so I indulged myself with a lamb and mint pie with shortcrust pastry and cheesy mash. mmmmmmmmm :). Top notch pub grub.

The rugby was excellent; we won by 41 points to 16. The commentary was in Italian but it didn’t matter. For readers outside rugby-playing countries, it’s a bit like American Football but without the protective clothing and probably more violent. Great stuff.

I spent a while scanning the pub to find the focal point for my drawing and settled on the elderly guy with the rather strange haircut. Once I sketched him, the rest fell into place. I used Faber Castell Pitt drawing pens in sepia, sizes S, F and M into my A5 clothbound sketchbook that I’d prepared with some ripped brown wrapping paper. I picked up on some highlights with a white conte crayon.

Boy And The Big Apple

05 mumbles

Sunshine today and a lovely evening spent with Husb and small nephew in Mumbles, splashing about on the beach and taking a stroll up to the newly renovated Big Apple to buy some Joe’s icecream. There’s a new line – sugar free Joe’s! I’ve died and gone to heaven!!!!! Nephew is all skinny arms and legs and big belly. A couple of years ago, the Big Apple was almost wrecked by a hit and run driver. It dates from the 1930’s and a number of them were set up by a fruit juice company. The one in Mumbles is probably the last left and there was a huge campaign to save it. Lovely to see it back in action, serving icecream to another generation. I did the little sketch below when it was smashed up.

05 big apple

Art Here!

I’m in a group exhibition in Bath next week (Commensalis) and we needed a banner so I painted one. Here it is. Does what it says on the tin.

04 art here

Then, I went with Husb and Maminlaw to Ikea, I love that place. Bought lots of frames and some smoked salmon. On the way back I scribbled this in the car.

04 ikea

It’s not particularly interesting but it’s important (I think) to try and draw every day, so I make use of what’s in front of me. And then I started to blog and THIS happened!

04 ming

Honestly!!!! The things I have to put up with! Now I’m going to watch Rolling Stones at Glastonbury on BBC iPlayer. Toodles 🙂

Behold the mighty giant

The latest instalment of nuttiness from this spoof of superpowers in Wales, from the bonkers imagination of Notsogreatdictator Smith

 

Behold the mighty giant.

Renaissance In Bath

Rose Davies drawing Rose Davies etching

Next week I’m exhibiting some work in Bath with an artist collective, Commensalis. I’m showing a group of drawings and photopolymer plate etchings based on the concept of Rinascere, which is an Italian word meaning ‘to be reborn’ or ‘to revive’. I chose it because I have been deliberately working with Renaissance techniques and materials for some time and the word ‘rinascere’ is the root of the word ‘renaissance’. I also identified with it’s meaning ‘to revive’ in the light of the current art trends which have moved away from traditional skills such as drawing and etching. I’m using those traditional techniques in my drawings and then adapting the drawings, done from life (as Renaissance artists did), into intaglio prints.

invite

So if you fancy a day trip to beautiful Bath next week, we’re opening with a party on Monday evening and there will be an artist-in-residence each day demonstrating our techniques. On the final Sunday, from 3-4, there’s tea with the artists with lashings of tea, scones and Victoria Sandwich. The Walcot Mortuary Chapel dates from the 1790s and it’s along Walcot Road, about 10 minutes walk from the railway station. It’s in the artisan area, with very old architecture and loads of antique shops, building salvage yards, vintage clothes and foodie places. It’s gert lush and a nice day out.

 

Three Heads

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I did these three studies a while ago. I wanted to try out different approaches with the same approach, so I did one with compressed charcoal (it’s quite choppy); two with ink and pen, one right handed and one left.  The two done with my right (normal) hand are a better likeness but there’s a liveliness to the left-handed sketch that I don’t get with my normal hand.

Commensalis, Bath, 2013.

Shameless self-promotion LOL. I’m in this exhibition too 🙂

 

Commensalis, Bath, 2013..

Zantedeschia Aethiopica

….or the Arum Lily. I have a clump of them in my little wildlife pond in the garden and as it was such a glorious afternoon, I popped out and sketched for 10 minutes or so. I don’t like being out longer becaue I’m a gingery Celt and burn in the sun.

01 arum

 

I have been pasting pieces of ripped brown wrapping paper into my sketchbook, to break up the tyrrany of the white page. I drew the outline with a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen, size F in sepia and worked up the layers of white with Winsor & Newton drawing ink and a dip pen. The background has a smudge of white conte crayon and each spadix coloured with W&N yellow drawing ink.

More Kitteh Scribbles And Food Porn

30 kitteh

Got almost to the end of the day without doing ANY art. So I grabbed the piece of kitty scribbling I started the other night and carried on with it. Sparta was mooching around on MY chair so I did a few scribbles of her and then just played with my old-fashioned dip pen and Indian ink, enjoying the scratchiness of the flexible nib across the heavily textured Bockingford paper. It’s so unpredicatable, unlike the Faber Castell Pitt drawing pens I normally use which are smooth and consistent.

30 shortbread

And here’s the food porn – freshly baked elderflower shortbread made with our home-made elderflower cordial. I used 4 ounces of plain flour, 2 ounces of white Spelt flour, 4 ounces of softened butter, 2 ounces of castor sugar and three teaspoons of elderflower cordial, all squished together and rolled into 16 little balls and squidged onto a baking tray and baked at Gas mark 3 for about 12 minutes.