Making art involves lots of processes, especially with something like printmaking. I made my own printing ink with Nori (seaweed) paste, ground mineral pigment, water and gin. But successful printmaking depends on so many different factors – the ink must be compatible with the printing block or plate and also with the paper. What makeContinue reading “Process, Process, Process.”
Tag Archives: Elvis
Seaweed And Gin
I have been experimenting with making a water-based printing ink, using a recipe from printmaker Shannon Yost published by Natural Earth Paint. There’s a comprehensive list of ingredients including Nori (seaweed) paste, powdered minerals and gin. The gin is for preserving the ink. Honest. 😀 Stage One completed. Tomorrow I’ll look at trying out differentContinue reading “Seaweed And Gin”
Mountain Memorial
Here’s another drawing I did en plein air up the Rhondda Valley last week. We stopped at a viewing place called Carn Eiddil and walked to the top of a pile of large rocks to look down the valley dropping away sharply beneath and there on the slope were loads of tiny memorials. They’re mostlyContinue reading “Mountain Memorial”
Up The Rhondda
Travelling on the A4233 up the Rhondda Valley between Maerdy and Aberdare, there are a lot of viewing stops that are great for a quick scribble. It was quick too, as we were high up and it was cold and windy as well as bright and sunny. I keep to a restricted pallette of black,Continue reading “Up The Rhondda”
Pressure And Strokes
Another quick sketch from Swansea Bay yesterday with conté crayons into my A4 brown paper sketchbook. I concentrated on capturing a sense of the atmosphere, rather than fine detail. I limit myself to three colours, white, sanguine and black, so different tones have to be achieved by varying the pressure on the conté sticks and overlayingContinue reading “Pressure And Strokes”
A Walk On The Beach
Went for a walk on the beach, Swansea Bay, earlier today. Husb took off to do a run and I sat and scribbled into my A4 brown paper sketchbook from Seawhite’s of Brighton. I used black, sanguine and white conté crayons. There isn’t a huge amount to draw on the beach and I’ve found thatContinue reading “A Walk On The Beach”
Baseball Bat And Chips
Husb and I took a road trip up some of the South Wales valleys today, calling in at the new Studio 18 gallery in Pontycymer owned by artist Kevin Sinnott, a fabulous artspace filled with gorgeous art; paintings, etchings, drawings, well worth a visit. Then over the mountain to The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir toContinue reading “Baseball Bat And Chips”
In Praise Of Rhubarb
It’s rhubarb season and I made the first rhubarb crumble of the year a few days ago. It’s Husb’s favourite crumble and didn’t last long. It’s been around in Europe since the 14th century and it’s popular in gardens and allotments as well as being grown commercially where it’s often forced, especially in the RhubarbContinue reading “In Praise Of Rhubarb”
Visitors And Welsh Cakes
Had a busy day with lots of visitors so I made a batch of Welsh cakes and served them warm off the griddle. In The Welsh language they are called “picau ar y maen”. Maen means a stone and in ancient times before iron was smelted, a bakestone would be used to cook flat breadsContinue reading “Visitors And Welsh Cakes”
Drawing In The Dark
Just back from the cinema with Husb, we went to see Their Finest, a lovey film, funny, warm and you’ll need a hankie. I had a scribble, of course, but in the dark. I could make out shapes of heads but couldn’t see the sketchbook. Frustrating.It’s good practice though, even if the result looks likeContinue reading “Drawing In The Dark”