Working from photographs can be controversial for many artists and causes a lot of lively discussion in our local Life Drawing group. I take a pragmatic view – I do whatever needs to be done to get the image I want and that sometimes means using a photograph as my starting point. This inkContinue reading “The Pavement People”
Tag Archives: drawing
Scribbling Kitties
Sometimes it’s nice just to scribble. I normally have a very structured approach to drawing; very analytical and finished. Now and again it’s good to loosen up and have a scribble. One day I was sitting an exhibition at elysium gallery and I started scribbling randomly in a tiny sketchbook. The scribbles built upContinue reading “Scribbling Kitties”
In Praise Of The Older Man
I deplore the ageism that seems endemic in British culture and I address this in my art by using elder models in a lot of my work. We have two brilliant elder models in our life drawing group in Swansea, one male, one female, who are both retired professionals and art lovers. They’ve been modellingContinue reading “In Praise Of The Older Man”
On The Other Hand….
I draw everyday. It underpins my professional practice. Sometimes I go on courses to be shaken out of my complacency because it’s too easy to stay in your comfort zone and not take any risks. This means that you don’t develop. I’ve been working with a very good drawing teacher at a local college andContinue reading “On The Other Hand….”
Shadow Of A Skeleton
The sun came streaming through my studio window yesterday and cast this shadow of Felicity the skeleton onto the door. There’s a work in progress on the easel, a scaled up drawing from a life study in one of my sketchbooks. It’s in charcoal and pastels onto Somerset paper that has been previously coloured withContinue reading “Shadow Of A Skeleton”
Sometimes Less Is More
One of the hardest things in creating a work of art is knowing when to stop. It’s too easy to keep on going and overwork something which then loses its spontaneity and liveliness. I find it useful to do formal drawing exercises to try and overcome this; things like speed sketching, drawing with aContinue reading “Sometimes Less Is More”
The Alien in My Right Foot
Today I saw the chiropodist about the verrucae in my right foot and was transfixed for half an hour by his scientific lecture on the phenomenon of veruccae and viral infections. Turned out he did his dissertation on verrucae, luckily for me. I’ve had two on my right foot for some weeks now and myContinue reading “The Alien in My Right Foot”
A Watercolour Gorefest!
I don’t usually paint, preferring pen and ink, charcoal and chalk. Now and again I bring out the watercolours in life drawing sessions and have a bash. The received wisdom is that watercolour is a gentle, refined medium where you build up layers of pale delicate glazes. Some of the artists in theContinue reading “A Watercolour Gorefest!”
Apple Pulp Cake and Eggbound to Gilgit
It’s been a great year for apples and apart from the glut on our own tiny trees, people have been generous and given us loads, mostly cooking apples. I’ve been trying to find different uses and recipes for them and yesterday Melvyn juiced half a carrier bag full and made us some sensational fresh appleContinue reading “Apple Pulp Cake and Eggbound to Gilgit”
Small Boy, Big Icecream, A Bee and A Flower
Today I babysat for my six-year old nephew and as we’re having a glorious Indian summer I took him out, around the local museums and galleries and then to an ice cream parlour for a rest and something to cool down with. He loves mint choc chip so he had a huge cornet, almostContinue reading “Small Boy, Big Icecream, A Bee and A Flower”
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