A Head In 6 Minutes

Sometimes it’s getting late and I haven’t done any drawing so I look around for something quick to do. I try to draw every day because that’s what underpins my practice as an artist, rather like a singer practicing their scales every day. If I’m stuck, I turn to the Internet and google images ofContinue reading “A Head In 6 Minutes”

Six Minute Head

Today is Sunday and one of the problems with being self-employed is the temptation not to take any time off. Well, today I gave myself some down time and chilled out with family, went for a long walk on the beach, nattered with friends, watched Glastonbury on the telly (Lionel Richie was AWESOME)…… So IContinue reading “Six Minute Head”

Loosening Up

I carried on working on tiny recycled fragments of beautiful papers today, Somerset, Bockingford, BFK Rives, Hahnemulle, and found myself relaxing into it. Yesterday was frustrating and difficult, as it should be, I was trying something new and there’s no reason why it should be easy. Today I was much less prissy and precious aboutContinue reading “Loosening Up”

Six Minutes

Today’s sketch is purely practice. I googled ‘elderly women heads images’, chose one and sketched it in graphite into my A5 hardbacked sketchbook with a time limit of 6 minutes. This forces me to focus on the most relevant aspects of the face, how little I need to draw to get a reasonable image andContinue reading “Six Minutes”

Different Marks

Here’s another of the thirty minute portraits I did a few days ago at Swansea Museum, part of the live art action I’m doing with other members of the 15 Hundred Lives art collective. Our museum experience ‘PROCESS’ is on at the museum until May the 17th. I did this with grey and black graphiteContinue reading “Different Marks”

Evil Foreshortening (Female Nude)

Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop. I had a choice of where to sit so, thinking aloud I said, “Shall I sit side on to draw an easier pose or shall I sit front on and do the really nasty foreshortening?” My sadistic fellow artists said, as one, “Front on! Do theContinue reading “Evil Foreshortening (Female Nude)”

Practice Makes Perfect (male nude)

Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop and it was a tough one this evening. The pose is deceptively difficult, with foreshortening of the hands and legs and the model leaning back made the head a bit odd too. I struggled, using several grades of graphite stick onto a vintage Saunders paper. IContinue reading “Practice Makes Perfect (male nude)”

Is It A Hen?

  Husb and I visited a friend at her farm today and cut some bamboo canes for our allotment. It was gorgeous, sunny and warm; thirsty work. I grabbed the chance to get some sneaky digital shots of the fidgety chickens and had a bit of a scribble into my A5 hardbacked sketchbook with aContinue reading “Is It A Hen?”

Some Days You Can’t

I try to blog every day but now and again, not often, I’m just too shattered to do a drawing and write up a blog. Yesterday was one of those days. I’m a bit gutted because I haven’t had a day off blogging since the middle of December, but last night I just couldn’t getContinue reading “Some Days You Can’t”

In Someone Else’s Zone

Husb and I went to a performance drawing event at the excellent local artspace, Creative Bubble, this evening to see artist Glan Jenkins working on a new drawing. I draw all the time so I’m used to being completely in the zone, cut off from the rest of the world as I get immersed inContinue reading “In Someone Else’s Zone”