Drawing A Small Scruffy Cat.

Ming The Merciless is a rescued cat. She was liberated from someone who neglected her so badly that she nearly died of starvation and untreated infections. She was about 10 months old when we rescued her and we had a terrible four days and nights where she was touch and go at the vets, butContinue reading “Drawing A Small Scruffy Cat.”

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”

Carew, an Ancient Place of Celts, Castle, Carvings and an Amazing Tidal Mill

  I don’t often draw landscapes, I prefer people or occasionally cityscapes as my subject but as we live in such a beautiful part of the world we often stop for a long walk while we’re out driving and find new places to explore and draw.  We found Carew on one of our impromptu drivesContinue reading “Carew, an Ancient Place of Celts, Castle, Carvings and an Amazing Tidal Mill”

Scribbling USA: the Haves and the Have-nots.

I’ll scribble anywhere and platforms on the tube are great because you can often get crowd scenes and people tend to stay reasonably still. When I went to New York City I sketched on the subway – loads of homeless people sleep down there and you could find them tucked away at all hours andContinue reading “Scribbling USA: the Haves and the Have-nots.”

Scribbling skeletons at random

  Sometimes it’s good to just have a scribble  and see what happens. It becomes an automatic thing, undirected and not linked to what’s in front of your eyes. It’s a chance to feel the drawing medium under your fingers and feel how it moves across the paper. Yesterday was a bit manic; studio firstContinue reading “Scribbling skeletons at random”

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”

Ming the Merciless and Melvyn catching some zzzzzzzzzzeds

  Cats are not easy to draw when they’re awake because they move around so much, so most of my cat drawings are of sleeping kitties, which can get a bit boring, so I jump at the chance of getting a different angle. Ming has always adored Melvyn and he her and she often usesContinue reading “Ming the Merciless and Melvyn catching some zzzzzzzzzzeds”

Calico cat’s comfort zone

Sparta is our youngest of two tortoiseshell [calico] cats and typically loves her creature comforts. I’ve noticed over the decades of sharing my home and life with cats that there’s a hint of the ‘Princess and the Pea’ about them. They won’t settle for sleeping on a soft settee or bed if there’s a newspaper,Continue reading “Calico cat’s comfort zone”

Guns, Castrati and my Best British Accent at the Met, NYC

Day two at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. We didn’t cover everything on Day one so we went back and by mid-afternoon we were both shattered. I sat on a bench and asked Melvyn to pose while I drew him. He promptly fell asleep but I carried on drawing. Then aContinue reading “Guns, Castrati and my Best British Accent at the Met, NYC”