A View Of Kilvey / Cilfai.

I posted a few days ago about Kilvey Hill / Bryn Cilfai, the iconic landscape that looms over the city from wherever you look. When I was a kid, it was a bare, desolate industrial wasteland. In my lifetime it has been reclaimed by nature, with help from Swansea University and thousands of local adults and children. And now our local council wants to destroy a large chunk of it to build a tourist attraction. Many Swansea people are opposing this development, please check out this link to find out more. Here’s a sketch I did from the park in Waun Wen, also on a hill, but a much smaller one than Cilfai.

More Little Quick Ones ….

Here are a few more speedy scribbles I did at the rugby match on Saturday. It was nice there, I was invited to share a box, which was warm and dry so I could sketch in comfort. That’s the way to do it.

Lots Of Little Quick Ones …

Yesterday I went to the Rugby, at the Swansea.Com Stadium to watch The Ospreys play the Emirates Lions from South Africa. Of course I had to have a scribble! There were a lot of people hanging out on the touchline watching the match, so I sketched them quickly. Good drawing practice. Ospreys won 36 v 21. Result!

I put this detail through a Spectrum Gradient Map in Adobe Photoshop.

And today, I made a big rhubarb crumble. It’s not the first of the season, I’ve been picking it for a few weeks now.

#Caturday “Look Into My Eyes”.

It’s #Caturday Saturday again and here’s Sparta Puss, digitally photographed and pushed through a Cutout filter in Adobe Photoshop.

Cutting Ideas …

While I was developing ideas for my recent prints about the Miner’s Wives in the Miner’s Strike (1984-1985) I drew sections of my ink and wash sketches onto small pieces of lino, to practice cutting different textures and effects. I haven’t tried doing such complex images into lino before, I usually work with very stark black and white images, so I have to develop a new visual language with my cutting tools. Here’s the start of this little piece, from a drawing based on a contemporary press photograph.

One From The Archives: In The Quarry.

A sunny day before Covid 19 in Rosehill Quarry, drawing the labyrinth.

One From The Archives: Drawing On The Window.

Here’s a very large, almost life size, drawing I did 8 years ago of my young great-nephew. I stuck a roll of drafting paper to the inside of a large window at the front of Volcano on Swansea’s High Street and perched my nephew on a stool with my Smartphone to keep him occupied while I drew him. Passers-by could see the drawing developing from the pavement.

He was a little boy then, he turned 20 recently! The years have flown by in no time at all.

One From The Archives: Beautiful Head.

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I’ve been thumbing through my portfolios again (there are stacks of them!) and came across this portrait sketch from 2016, I remember really enjoying drawing this model.

A Blast From The Past …

For many years, life drawing has underpinned my drawing practice. When I was in Swansea Art College, I was lucky enough to have been taught by the wonderful artist Glenys Cour. She imparted a love of life drawing that has lasted many decades. I’ve also been lucky enough to have worked with many wonderful models. This is Natie.

A Walk Up The Hill ….

Nephew and I went for a walk up Swansea’s Kilvey Hill / Bryn Cilfai Abertawe this afternoon to lend our support to the campaign to save this lovely nature reserve from insensitive commercial development (more information here). Around 300 people and quite a few dogs and horses made the trek to the summit where there were songs, speeches, poetry, photos and filming, focusing attention on the proposed environmental vandalism. Of course I had to have a few scribbles – here’s one. It’s drawn in graphite and Inktense blocks into a Khadi hand-made paper sketchbook.