Day 8: Fast Face

Been busy all day having fun with 2 little nephews having a sleepover so just managed a very quick digital sketch of a face from my Renaissance Drawing book by Hugo Chapman. Did it in about 4 minutes on my Samsung Galaxy Tablet with a free Marker app. You have to lay down a backgroundContinue reading “Day 8: Fast Face”

Some Days You Got It…..

…..and some days you don’t. And I just couldn’t get a handle on life drawing tonight at Swansea Print Workshop, so I switched from the full figure to a portrait, which worked better. This first figure was a fairly quick pose, about 10 minutes. There was a high spotlight on the model, throwing strong shadows,Continue reading “Some Days You Got It…..”

Black To White

Had a day at Swansea Print Workshop, working with a group of other artists during Open Access sessions. The organisation receives very little public funding and is mostly run by it’s member / volunteers, so I spent quite a bit of my time there today on the sort of admin tasks that are frustratingly uncreative,Continue reading “Black To White”

Recycled Head

I’ve been rummaging through the drawers in my studio and finding loads of prints, cyanotypes and drawings that didn’t make the grade, so I’m reusing them. It’s a pity to waste the paper because it’s good quality. This is a piece of Bockingford, around A3 size, with a cyanotype that didn’t work out. I didContinue reading “Recycled Head”

Recycled Head

At the print workshop we work with some beautiful papers and always use the best quality for the courses we run. It’s surprising how many people never collect their work afterwards. Even if they don’t like the image, there’s a lovely – and expensive – piece of paper that can be used again. I’m alwaysContinue reading “Recycled Head”

Renaissance Head

Just got back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop. Filthy night, really cold, pouring rain and blowing a gale……and today’s the first day of Spring. Joke! Anyway, our model is great to draw, he has a very Renaissance head and excellent muscle and bone definition. I previously used up some offcuts of mount (matte)Continue reading “Renaissance Head”

A Baby Boomer With Red Stripes

  I like to prepare paper to draw on because white paper can be very inhibiting and slapping some bits of paper over it sort of ‘breaks the duck’ and kickstarts the creative process. Sometimes the altered surface leads me in a completely different direction with my drawing. My comfort zone is Faber Castell PittContinue reading “A Baby Boomer With Red Stripes”

Things to Do With a Four Inch Screw

Instead of lino or wood for making block prints, I use offcuts of ‘Foamex’ signwriters’ foam board, which local firms throw out, so it’s free AND recycled. It isn’t easy to cut with conventional cutting tools as the blades need frequent sharpening, which I do with a leather Slip Strop, but it’s very easy toContinue reading “Things to Do With a Four Inch Screw”

Archaic Blue Photography [very artgeek stuff]

I don’t always work from drawings although 90% of my work, or more, is based on sketches. Sometimes I have a bit of a play with photographic imagery and translate it into various forms of printmaking – monotype, block, screen, photogravure and cyanotype.   Cyan is the colour blue and also the first four lettersContinue reading “Archaic Blue Photography [very artgeek stuff]”

Total Artgeek – Soft Pastels: Portrait of an Elder Man

  I don’t often do portraits, preferring nudes and cats, but I’ve been trying harder to get a likeness over the past year because it’s good discipline and forces me to be not only very observant but also very accurate, which feeds into my professional development. This is John, a life model I often workContinue reading “Total Artgeek – Soft Pastels: Portrait of an Elder Man”