Dribbling Bideford Black.

I had a little bit left of the Bideford Black paint I made recently. It wasn’t a lot so I tried thinning it down with water and took a fairly wide, flat brush to make stripes across one of the sheets of paper I’d prepared with gesso and walnut ink. The Bideford Black wash broke up on the surfaceContinue reading “Dribbling Bideford Black.”

Surrealist Swirls.

I used the Bideford Black paint I made yesterday. I didn’t have any idea what to do. I’m trying to get away from always working representationally and letting my imagination take over. It’s way out of my comfort zone! I took a fairly wide, flat brush and made swirls over one of the sheets ofContinue reading “Surrealist Swirls.”

Bashing Bideford Black.

After coating some sheets of paper with my home-made walnut ink yesterday, I decided to stay with natural pigments and make paint with some lumps of Bideford Black I’ve had lurking in a box for years. I’d made paint with it before, using water (here). This time I mixed it with Nori paste and vodka.Continue reading “Bashing Bideford Black.”

The Last Of The Annual Cockling.

Here’s the final tiny quick sketches I did in my little leather-bound sketchbook on Sunday. I was at Rosehill Quarry’s annual meet-up to tidy the Cretan Labyrinth. Each year the edges need to be recut, the old trampled cockle shells removed and new ones laid. The labyrinth was cut in 1987 when Swansea’s Rosehill Quarry wasContinue reading “The Last Of The Annual Cockling.”

More From The Annual Cockling.

A couple of very quick little sketches from the annual labyrinth maintenance at Rosehill Quarry. I had to work quickly because people moved fast. Very good practice though

The Annual Cockling.

Back in 1987 a Labyrinth was cut into the turf in Swansea’s Rosehill Quarry, a unique urban wildlife park. It was installed by Bob Shaw and local author and pre-historian Dewi Bowen. It’s based on an ancient Cretan design and the incised path is filled with crushed cockle shells that are a by-product of the localContinue reading “The Annual Cockling.”

Just Back …..

Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop. It’s late and I’m off to bed soon. Here’s a 10 minute pose from our brilliant model. I drew with sanguine and black conte crayons onto vintage paper. Nos Da, Good Night

From Sketch To Drawing

I have sketchbooks stuffed full of drawings stuffed into cupboards but I rarely work from them, once they’re done they tend to be forgotten. So I’ve decided to go back to them and try and develop something using different materials. This is a recent sketch in ballpoint pen done in a local quarry. It’s linearContinue reading “From Sketch To Drawing”

Finally Finished Vincent’s Bedroom

I finally finished faffing with van Gogh’s painting of his bedroom in Arles. I started it a few weeks ago on one of painter Ed Sumner’s Zoom tutorials. It’s a lot more complex than it looks. Vincent’s brushwork is multi-layered and his composition, although it looks simple, has some difficult distorted perspective. Of course IContinue reading “Finally Finished Vincent’s Bedroom”

Copper Crucibles Part 2: The Raku Firing

I went along to a raku firing this evening, headed up by local ceramicist Esther Ley at the National Waterfront Museum. I’d made some little clay crucibles a while back – part of the Swansea University Copperworks Project – and today was the decorating and firing session. They had already been fired once, the bisqueContinue reading “Copper Crucibles Part 2: The Raku Firing”