Warming Up At The Gig.

Husb and I were at a gig at Elysium last night, an evening of pagan folk, rock and metal. Lovely. I had a scribble of course. I usually start by doing some quick sketches of the audience to warm up.

Sketchbook Archives: 15

August 2012 was a very good year for my sketches en plein air, it must have been good weather because I was out and about a lot. The first four drawings were at the Balloon Festival at Ashton Court in Bristol and the last one was on Swansea beach with Mumbles in the background.

Trying Too Hard…

Sometimes I just try too hard and I end up with a drawing that is over-worked and without much life. This was a very striking woman in the audience at one of the music events at the recent Swansea Fringe, but because she was quite still, I worked too slowly and lost the spontaneity of my usual scribbles.

The Quick Scribbles: 1

When I go into a venue to draw at a gig, I usually start off by scribbling a few quick sketches. It wakes up my muscle memory and I can check if I feel comfortable drawing in that position – is there enough space or am I being jostled? Is there somewhere to rest my pens, brushes, drink?

Drawn with a ballpoint pen at the recent Swansea Fringe.

The Happy Imbiber.

Here’s a very happy chap at one of the Swansea Fringe gigs at Hangar 18, He was dancing very energetically but never spilled his pint! Kudos.

#Caturday (a bit late again).

It was #Caturday Saturday yesterday not today, Sunday. But what’s 24 hours between friends? I cut this silhouette of Bill (aka William Chat-Noir aka Phoebe) our little rescue cat, earlier this year. I found it while I was sorting through my plans chest today (desperately trying to declutter) and I realised I hadn’t even begun to explore the potential of this cat-shaped hole.

I also found a piece of cardboard that I had experimented on with acrylic paint, applied with a small foam roller. I put them together. I like it! I’ll try to find more things to put this cat-shaped hole on.

Three Heads, Three Hats.

Here are some heads and hats I scribbled while I was drawing at gigs during Swansea Fringe recently. The hat in the middle was particularly hard to draw.

Behind The Scenes.

Here’s another scribble from the recent Swansea Fringe, of a roadie setting up. The equipment doesn’t get itself on stage, the sound of the band relies upon those who work hard behind the scenes.

Setting Up.

When I’m sketching at gigs, I don’t just draw the performers, although they probably take up most of my time. I’ll also scribble the audience, and those unsung heroes of the live music scene, the roadies who rush on between acts to set up the equipment. Here’s one at Elysium during the Swansea Fringe.

Two Of The Same.

Here’s two sketches of the same musician from the recent Swansea Fringe. He’s playing with the band Sigiriya. It’s good practice to repeat sketching the same subject, it refines what you do.