My Geographic Palette #2 – Bideford Black

  So, day 2 of drawing from my geographic palette. This is Bideford Black, an unique oily carbon-based pigment from North Devon, where is sits in the ground next to anthracite coal. It was mined for about 200 years up until the late 1960s but lost out to cheaper competitors and the mines closed. IContinue reading “My Geographic Palette #2 – Bideford Black”

My Geographic Palette #1 – Charcoal

  This is my first tryout with my geographic palette, a drawing based on a sketch I did en plein air on a field trip with colleagues from Swansea University’s FIRE Lab a couple of months ago when we went off exploring culverts up in the Brecon Beacons.   The charcoal I bought a fewContinue reading “My Geographic Palette #1 – Charcoal”

My Geographic Palette

I’m thinking about how to develop from the sketches I’ve done on a couple of field trips with colleagues in the FIRE Lab team and, as the research project is about ecosystems and environment, I thought I’d try as much as possible to use natural earths, plants and minerals in my artworks, so I’m puttingContinue reading “My Geographic Palette”

Filthy Paws

I always was a mucky kid, climbing trees, making dens, digging the garden with my fingers. I haven’t changed. One good thing about being an artist is that I can be just as mucky as I was back then. Today I prepared a huge piece of paper for manier noir drawing.   I was intendingContinue reading “Filthy Paws”

A Tight Fit (Male Nude- parental guidance suggested)

Went to life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop yesterday evening and sketched a male model who goes under the name of Ben D’Busse. I started with some very quick drawings and fell into the usual trap of not fitting the figure to the page. I nearly always run over the edges.   Ben is aContinue reading “A Tight Fit (Male Nude- parental guidance suggested)”

Quickies

At the start of our life drawing sessions at Swansea Print Workshop we have a few quick warm-up poses, typically no longer than 5 minutes each. They’re useful, especially if I’ve had a break and I’m a bit rusty. The first one is often awful; this one looks like Mr. Blobby, awkward, ugly and completelyContinue reading “Quickies”

First Nude Of The Year

Back to life drawing sessions at Swansea Print Workshop last night, the first of the year but I only stayed for the first hour because I went off to see The Good, The Bad And The Ugly at Swansea’s newest cinema, Cinema & Co – I’d forgotten what a brilliant film it is. Anyway, IContinue reading “First Nude Of The Year”

The Spiral Stair

Here’s another drawing from my visit to the old church yesterday. It’s one of those rambling churches in the Victorian tradition, although it was actually built around World War 1. The fabric of the building is pretty sound, but there is a some deterioration to parts of the interior. There is a consortium of differentContinue reading “The Spiral Stair”

Digital Nausea

  Here’s another study from last night’s life drawing session at Swansea Print Workshop. I have spent a lot of time using my Galaxy Samsung Note 8 tablet with a free Markers app at life drawing. It’s been my main drawing tool for a couple of years, but recently I got sick of it. IContinue reading “Digital Nausea”

Feeling It

Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop. I started with a piece of charcoal but I wasn’t in a charcoal mood tonight and it didn’t feel right on the paper (Daler Rowney A3 sketch pad). So I switched to a lump of graphite and scribbled away. If felt better, it just felt rightContinue reading “Feeling It”