Gone A Bit Grosz At The Hospital

I’m using some of the time I’m doing hospital and nursing home visits to catch  up with some sketching. It’s been stressful seeing people I care about so frail and ill, but there’s usually an upside to every situation if you look for it. One good thing is that it gives me a chance toContinue reading “Gone A Bit Grosz At The Hospital”

Watching From Waterstone’s.

  It’s been a funny old week, all the routines disrupted by the holiday and fitting in daily visits to elderly relatives in hospital and nursing home so today I fancied a bit of peace and quiet. My quiet place is Waterstone’s cafe in the bookshop in the old cinema in the city centre. IContinue reading “Watching From Waterstone’s.”

In The Life Drawing Studio #3

Another one of my life drawings where I set the life model within the wider studio and record some of the artists who come to the life drawing group. We have a good range of models of both genders and all ages and shapes, but that also applies to the artists as well. They areContinue reading “In The Life Drawing Studio #3”

Xmas Day At The High Dependency Unit

An elderly relative went into hospital for heart surgery a few days ago and after a night in Intensive Care, he was transferred to the High Dependency Unit for intensive nursing. He’s doing well and will hopefully be transferred to a general ward in a couple of days but we’ve been back and fro visitingContinue reading “Xmas Day At The High Dependency Unit”

Wherever I Lay My Hat

  I try to sketch every day – don’t always succeed unfortunately but carrying a sketchbook and a packet of drawing pens in my bag helps to motivate me. I think it’s important to just get on with it and not worry too much about what it is you’re drawing. It may not be theContinue reading “Wherever I Lay My Hat”

A Load Of Mangy Scribblings.

When I was in Art College, back in the days of the dinosaurs 😉 we were told to keep a sketchbook and to put something in it everyday. What fascinated me at the time was the diversity of sketchbook styles and approaches amongst my fellow students. Some put as much effort into their sketchbook asContinue reading “A Load Of Mangy Scribblings.”

Sheep Staring At Me!

  Someone asked me today what ‘continuous line drawing’ is. I use the technique a lot. What you do is draw with a good quality pen or pencil, one that gives a nice flowing line, and you try not to: a) lift your pen off the surface of the paper and b) look at yourContinue reading “Sheep Staring At Me!”

In The Life Drawing Studio [2]

One of the things I love about being an artist is that it’s a life-long pursuit. I know little tiny budding artists only a few years old and I work with veteran artists in their seventies and eighties and all ages in between. I remember Bill Turnbull interviewing Howard Hodgkinson on BBC Breakfast a coupleContinue reading “In The Life Drawing Studio [2]”

Central Heating Broke! But The Cats Are Alright!

Disaster. Central heating malfunction. In the middle of winter. At the weekend. Freezing cold, pouring with rain. Had to go out to buy food, got soaked, couldn’t dry anything when we came home. We’ve battened down the hatches, drawn the heavy curtains, huddled in one room with an electric heater and filled some antique stonewareContinue reading “Central Heating Broke! But The Cats Are Alright!”

Hugo, Steampunk and a Warrior with a Mohican.

  Went to see a fantastic film earlier – Martin Scorcese’s ‘Hugo’. Brilliant, moving, exquisitely filmed. It’s very atmospheric and a bit Steampunky. Amazing visually. The drawing has nothing to do with the film but it’s also quite atmospheric and stylistically it reminds me a bit of some of Whistler’s drypoint etchings, not that I’mContinue reading “Hugo, Steampunk and a Warrior with a Mohican.”