The First Cuts

Yesterday I posted about setting up to develop a linocut print while I was gallery-sitting at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir. After I did an interim sketch from my original sketchbook drawing of a Neolithic standing stone, I transferred it (in reverse) to a piece of vinyl with a white conté crayon. I’m using vinylContinue reading “The First Cuts”

Starting From Scratch.

I spent last Saturday at The Workers Gallery in Ynyshir, a fabulous artist-led artspace in the Rhondda Valley. The two artists who run the gallery, Chris and Gayle, are taking a well-deserved holiday and a rota of gallery artists are taking turns to keep the gallery open. I took a load of drawing and printmakingContinue reading “Starting From Scratch.”

A Bit Of Vintage

And ….. back to my experiments with home-made printing ink. After disappointing results with a lightweight Japanese Hosho paper, I tried a lovely vintage British paper, J Green & Sons sold by the Vintage Paper Co. Above, I used the ink with a rubber stamp made from a design I did of the artist KätheContinue reading “A Bit Of Vintage”

Walnuts And Gesso

This is the third drawing I did at Maen Ceti / Arthur’s Stone at Cefn Bryn on the Gower Peninsula this week. I used a piece of Fabriano paper that I had prepared with two coats of textured acrylic gesso. When it was dry, I sponged some of my home-made walnut ink over it. TheContinue reading “Walnuts And Gesso”

Stratification

  I was at Cefn Bryn on the Gower Peninsula yesterday, drawing at Arthur’s Stone – Maen Ceti in Welsh. It’s a Neolithic burial chamber surrounded by cairns, truly an ancient landscape of the dead. It’s a very popular site and I’ve drawn it many times, so it’s hard to come up with a newContinue reading “Stratification”

Arthur’s Stone

  Went hunting wild megaliths today, this time to Arthur’s Stone, Maen Ceti, a Bronze Age burial chamber on the Gower Peninsula. And now I’m tired ……….. Goodnight 😀  

Priapus And Placentas

Back on the trail of ancient megaliths with prehistorian Dewi Bowen and filmmaker Melvyn Williams, with my portable drawing board, a folder full of prepared papers and a satchel of drawing materials. We headed out to the Gower Peninsula and pitched up at this magnificent large stone near Weobley Castle. Called Samson’s Jack, or Mansel’sContinue reading “Priapus And Placentas”

A Grand Night Out

So there we were, Husb and I splashing through the torrential rain on the dark, sodden streets of Pontypridd, early evening, searching for somewhere to get some hot food fairly quickly because we were on our way to somewhere else. The only half decent place we could find was a chippy, so we sat inContinue reading “A Grand Night Out”

Preparation And Plein Air

Here’s another view of Maen Bradwen, or Carreg Bica on Mynydd Drummau Mountain in Neath Port Talbot. It’s a massive stone and local legend has it that it bathes in the River Neath on Easter morning. I drew this fairly quickly with Daler Rowney soft pastels onto Fabriano paper that had been prepared with twoContinue reading “Preparation And Plein Air”

Best Quality

I did three drawings of Maen Bredwan this week, drawing directly onto prepared Fabriano paper that had been coated with gesso and then covered randomly with my own home-made walnut ink. I quickly sketched the basic details with a white conté crayon and then worked into it with Daler Rowney soft pastels (artist quality). It’sContinue reading “Best Quality”