Tag Archives: sketchbooks

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”

Manure Mountain

Today I was back tramping around the South Wales countryside, continuing with Yr Helfa, The Hunt, a series of drawings done en plein air from ancient stone monuments. It’s been going on for a year now, with filmmaker Melvyn Williams and prehistorian Dewi Bowen and in between I had a solo show of around 40Continue reading “Manure Mountain”

Sofa Surfing Scribbles

I did some more drawing on the settee this evening, taking inspiration from the series of drawings I did over the past year of neolithic stones in the South Wales landscape. I didn’t look at any of them though, I just let the mark-making flow at random. I rarely work like this, my comfort zoneContinue reading “Sofa Surfing Scribbles”

Stones, Scribbles, Settee.

I almost always draw from life but I sat on the settee last night and got down to scribbling . I didn’t think too much about it, just let it come and it’s obvious that I’m influenced at the moment by the drawings I’ve been doing of Neolithic stones over the past year. I usedContinue reading “Stones, Scribbles, Settee.”

More Than A Walk

I did another very quick sketch while walking in Penllegare Woods yesterday and worked into it some more when I came back. I think that took the emphasis off doing something detailed and instead allowed me to explore something more expressive through the mark making. I started with something rooted in reality but then tookContinue reading “More Than A Walk”

A Walk In The Woods

I went for a walk in the beautiful Penllegare Woods this morning. I was brilliant sunshine but also only just above freezing point, the low Winter sun threw deep shadows across the leaf-strewn paths. The sketch was quick, just a couple of minutes with conté crayons in black, sanguine and white. The speediness forced meContinue reading “A Walk In The Woods”

Strolling

Sometimes I have a quick scribble when I’m out strolling. Just a minute or so, hardly breaking my walk, using my white, sanguine and black conté crayons into an A4 brown paper sketchbook. This is a footpath under an old railway bridge near the seafront.     I am putting my series of drawings ofContinue reading “Strolling”

Random Heads

I’ll scribble anytime, anywhere, me. I only had a lined notebook with me but what the heck! It’s good practice to draw quickly, you can’t expect random people to stay still and pose. It forces you to identify the basic features of your subject and reject anything above and beyond that.   I am puttingContinue reading “Random Heads”

Drawing The Artist

Husb and I went to an artist talk at The Mission Gallery in Swansea earlier today. I like to scribble away in my sketchbook when I go to events like this. The artist, ceramicist Anne Gibbs was in conversation with Cath Roche, talking about her new exhibition, “Still“.  I find that if I draw, ratherContinue reading “Drawing The Artist”