A Full Day

Shattered after a full day on a photopolymer course at Swansea Print Workshop. Today, we focussed on experimenting with mark-making on Truegrain, then constructing a drawing on Truegrain, doing a testplate and then exposing a final plate ready for inking and printing next week. Here’s the test plate and the first proof. It’s a complicatedContinue reading “A Full Day”

Photo Polymer Man

Our local print workshop has an artist-in-residence, Ros Ford, who is running  the first part of a masterclass in photo polymer printmaking tomorrow and I have a place on it :D. I’m really excited [what a geek, eh?]. So I spent today at my studio trying out some different drawing ideas to take with meContinue reading “Photo Polymer Man”

Drawn To Print

Just got back from an excellent talk by the new artist-in-residence at Swansea Print Workshop as part of the year-long ‘Drawn To Print’ project. Her name is Ros Ford and she’s primarily an etcher, working on huge copperplate etchings of urban industrial landscapes. I did a quick scribble during her talk, which doesn’t do herContinue reading “Drawn To Print”

Memento Mori

I spent some time last year working on mixed media pieces, trying out different combinations of materials and techniques. This one combined drawing, watercolour and screenprinting. I started with an A1 sheet of Somerset 250gsm and squeegeed some acrylic System 3 paint, mixed with Acrylic Medium across it, giving a randomised background colour. Then IContinue reading “Memento Mori”

Cake And Contrapposto

My hobby is baking cakes. I don’t particularly like eating them but I love making them. I usually make one for life drawing group at Swansea Print Workshop on Thursday evenings and tonight did a classic sponge cake filled with home-made strawberry jam and vanilla buttercream. None of it made it back home – theseContinue reading “Cake And Contrapposto”

Head Hands and Feet

Went to my weekly life drawing group at Swansea Print Workshop last night and had a really good session with three drawings that I think I might be able to work up eventually into large monotypes. Towards the end I sat back and just had a bit of a practice with the head, hands andContinue reading “Head Hands and Feet”

Getting Physical.

Getting this studio, almost a year ago now, has transformed my life. I’ve been so productive, my output has increased dramatically, my work is going in directions I’d never imagined and I’m making enough art to get into exhibitions all over the place. In the past, working from home and fitting my art in aroundContinue reading “Getting Physical.”

Soaking, Stretching and Dead Bunnies.

I spent a few days soaking, stretching and preparing some sheets of paper, Fabriano and Somerset, coating them with several layers of rabbit skin glue [smelly] and then applying random washes of thinned acrylic paint in yellow ochre, permanent rose and pthalo blue respectively, making sure they were translucent enough to create randomised colour combinations.Continue reading “Soaking, Stretching and Dead Bunnies.”

Posh And Tat In Tenby

Had a day off today and went to Tenby which is such a gorgeous little place. I love the way it’s a bonkers mix of complete tat and very posh. You can tell it’s posh because the pound shop is a one-pound-twenty shop ;). Right in the middle is the old section surrounded by theContinue reading “Posh And Tat In Tenby”

A Brand New Life Drawing

Just got back from life-drawing group at Swansea Print Workshop. We had a very experienced model this evening who also models at our local university. She has one of those Dutch ‘peasant’ faces that Van Gogh used to paint, like in the Potato Eaters. I mean this in the nicest way – very interesting features.Continue reading “A Brand New Life Drawing”