Land Of Ice And Fire

Husb and I visited Iceland (the country, not the shop) three winters ago and we managed to get a really cheap package deal to go again in a couple of weeks. It’s a fabulous place for an artist, although hard to draw outside in winter temperatures. I tried out different preparations for the papers IContinue reading “Land Of Ice And Fire”

Watching The Match

The rugby World Cup has been thrilling so far and after Saturday’s epic woodcut session at Swansea Print Workshop, a few of us decamped to local hostelry, The Brunswick, to watch the match between Wales and Australia. It was a tough game, we lost but we’re still going through to the next round. Exciting stuff.Continue reading “Watching The Match”

Big John

Went up to the farm a few days ago to collect a load of manure for the allotment. I stopped to have a look at the pigs, feeding in a big field. Most were quite dainty sows but there was one boar, Big John, with enormous tusks, a Mohican hairdo and a massive personality. OutContinue reading “Big John”

Some Days You Can’t

I try to blog every day but now and again, not often, I’m just too shattered to do a drawing and write up a blog. Yesterday was one of those days. I’m a bit gutted because I haven’t had a day off blogging since the middle of December, but last night I just couldn’t getContinue reading “Some Days You Can’t”

Dis-Comfort Zone

I’m trying to get away from digital drawing on my Samsung Galaxy Note for a while because I think it’s become my new comfort zone, taking over from my Faber Castell Pitt drawing pens. I soaked a piece of natural sponge in some dilute Indian ink and scrubbed it over quite a few of theContinue reading “Dis-Comfort Zone”

The One Show And Me

  Back in the summer last year, I took part in a public ‘draw-in’ in St. David’s on the west coast of Wales. A dozen artists based in Goat Street gallery were filmed drawing or painting locals and holidaymakers who queued up the road and round the corner for a chance to have their portraitContinue reading “The One Show And Me”

Another Night, Another Cat

Another quick scribble at the end of the day: another cat. It’s just so easy when I’m slumped on a chair, panicking because I haven’t done a drawing for my blog yet. She’s slumped on the chair too. I get annoyed with myself because I haven’t produced a great masterpiece, or misstresspiece, but the importantContinue reading “Another Night, Another Cat”

On The Hoof

Did some speedy sketching out and about. I put some basic lines down very quickly in pale grey graphite then worked over it when I got home with dark graphite in my A5 Tate Gallery sketchbook. It’s difficult to do much detail when you’re sketching on the hoof, so I find it useful to justContinue reading “On The Hoof”

Tube Heads

Husb and I went to London on Saturday to take in some art and I always take the opportunity to do some sketching on the Tube. It’s not easy because the trains shake around a lot and they’re packed, especially at the weekend, but I managed a couple of decent heads. The first is usingContinue reading “Tube Heads”

Puddings Together

It’s been horrible weather today. Winter has finally arrived; cold, wet, blowing a gale. Just the weather for making a steamed Golden Syrup sponge pudding with lashings of custard. It’s a pretty good survival strategy for a British November. Settled down for a bit of TV after the pud and the kittehs, Ming The MercilessContinue reading “Puddings Together”