I did a rough yesterday in monochrome washes of a new thing I’m working on which will eventually be a lino cut based on sketches of some of the Mari Lwyd / Hen Galan celebrations I’ve been to over the past few winters. I like the overall composition but it’s very rough, so I’m startingContinue reading “Ribbons And Bells: 1”
Tag Archives: drawing pens
Something Of Myself
I have always done a lot of teaching with adults and I think that an important part of my technique is demonstration. I always work alongside the people I teach, going through the same processes as them, and facing the same highs and lows. I was running a weekend course at the Glynn VivianContinue reading “Something Of Myself”
Four Inch Screw And Some Masking Tape
Today was the first day of a course I’m teaching at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, linked to the excellent Käthe Kollwitz exhibition. We spent some time drawing from her work before going back into the studio to develop drypoint plates and woodblocks inspired by her prints. I drew directly onto a paper drypoint plateContinue reading “Four Inch Screw And Some Masking Tape”
A Slice Of Time
This screenprint represents a very specific slice of time. Some years ago, there was a Woolworths store opposite the Waterstones bookshop in Swansea. I used to sit in the window of the bookshop cafe up on the first floor, with a pot of tea, and scribble the pigeons that sat on the Woolworths signage opposite.Continue reading “A Slice Of Time”
Random Faces In Random Places
It isn’t glamorous, being an artist. It’s a constant slog. Underpinning my art practice is a daily routine of just that, practice. And at the heart of that practice is simple drawing, usually in sketchbooks. I draw anybody, anywhere, at every opportunity. Random faces in random places. I have a new piece of artContinue reading “Random Faces In Random Places”
Recycled Sketchbook
I’ve had this handmade leather Steampunk style sketchbook for ages and used up all the paper a while ago. Its simple design meant that I could remove its innards and replace them with new (old) paper. I have loads of bits of paper left over from drawing or printmaking projects, some plain, some covered withContinue reading “Recycled Sketchbook”
Heads In Transit 1
I spent long hours at airports on my way to and from my recent artist residency in Boise, Idaho and I scribbled the time away. It’s a good place for studying heads. Here are two of them. They are drawn into my tiny, leather-bound steampunky sketchbook, using a Faber Castell Pitt drawing pen, size SX.Continue reading “Heads In Transit 1”
Sketching My Way Round NYC #1…the disabled man in Grand Central.
I’ve been to New York City a few times and it’s a great place for drawing people. One of my favourite places is Grand Central Station. There’s a large Dining Concourse with a beautifully painted ceiling and little stalls around the edge selling all sorts of food – Middle Eastern, Jewish, Italian, Chinese, Indian,Continue reading “Sketching My Way Round NYC #1…the disabled man in Grand Central.”
Self Portrait? I Don’t Think So!
I admire professional artists’ models because they put up with a level of scrutiny that would terrify most people and that includes me. I rarely do a self-portrait because when I look into a mirror I see what I want to see, someone younger and thinner! Subjecting myself to the same level of objectiveContinue reading “Self Portrait? I Don’t Think So!”
Cooking Celtic Cakes
We have a glut of cooking apples this year and they’re a type that doesn’t store very well so I’m trying out as many apple recipes as I can find time to. Today I made Tinker’s Cakes, which are a variation on Welsh Cakes, a traditional Celtic dish, using apples and cinnamon instead of currantsContinue reading “Cooking Celtic Cakes”