Portrait Drawing: Week 7

It’s 7 weeks since I started back at life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop after a long break (see here) and here are the warm-up sketches. I’m aiming to improve my portrait drawing over the next year. These range between 5 and 15 minutes, using a graphite block onto a good quality but cheap cartridge paper.

Portrait Drawing: Week 6

These are the warm-up drawings for week 6 of my return to life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop after a gap of several years (see here). My goal is to improve my portrait drawing over the next year. These sketches range between 1 and 15 minutes, using a graphite block onto a good but cheap cartridge paper.

The Quiet High Street

I had a nice cuppa tea in Waterstones Café this afternoon and watched people in the street below the first floor window. Not so long ago, this street was thronging with pedestrians but now hardly anyone passes by. It’s happening in city- and town centres across the country, as more people take up Internet shopping.Continue reading “The Quiet High Street”

Faces In My Sketchbook Archives: 47

July 2014 wasn’t just a month of time spent on Swansea Beach. I also managed to scribble quite a few heads into my sketchbook. I never go back to these and use them in another way. I don’t know why not, other artists use their sketchbook drawings for new work. Maybe it’s something I shouldContinue reading “Faces In My Sketchbook Archives: 47”

Sketchbook Archives: 46 – beer bellies and budgie smugglers…

I guess that July 2014 was a hot summer month going by all the sketches I did of people on the beach. The slightest bit of sunshine and we’re off down to Swansea Bay in our swimming cozzies. There were a fair few beer bellies and unfortunately a few “Budgie Smugglers” (Speedo men’s swimming trunks)Continue reading “Sketchbook Archives: 46 – beer bellies and budgie smugglers…”

Sketchbook Archives: 45

Here are some people drawings from way back in June 2014, mostly in pen into a sketchbook but the last one is a digital scribble on my old Samsung Note 8 tablet, using a free Markers app. I did a bit of travelling that month, to London and Vienna. I used to travel a lotContinue reading “Sketchbook Archives: 45”

Sketchbook Archives: 44

Some very quick sketches here, from June 2014. One of the good things of having little relatives is that they get very busy when you take them to the beach, a great chance to do some speed sketching.

Doing My Scales…

A very quick scribble from the crowd at a recent gig at Elysium, just a minute or so, ballpoint pen into an A6 sketchbook (fits into my pocket). Working so quickly forces me to focus on the important features in front of me and not get distracted by detail. It’s good practice, like a singerContinue reading “Doing My Scales…”

Two Minute Head: 4

Christmas has been put to bed for another year and I’m chilling out after the mayhem. I hope everyone has had a nice time. I’ve been doing 2-minute sketches of heads from my scrapbook, just enough time to get the basic features nailed, but not enough time for faffing. It’s good practice.

Two Minute Head: 3

A quick, 2 minute. speed sketch from a load of heads I cut out from newspapers and stuck into a sketchbook. I don’t generally like to draw from photos, but doing it at speed makes it seem more intuitive and less like copying. Well it does to me anyway.