Cool Places

I haven’t blogged for a few days because I’ve been adventuring in Berlin, just a short break with family. Cool place, had a great time and I even did some drawings. I just got back, about an hour ago and it’s 10pm so I’ll just post a quick drawing I did a couple of weeksContinue reading “Cool Places”

Stuffed

I can only manage to get to life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop for the second half on Thursday nights so the sessions are already well under way. Tonight, I wandered in and saw that our model was flanked by two stuffed birds, an owl and a jay. It was tough drawing two different creaturesContinue reading “Stuffed”

Ruinous

A warm but foggy morning wasn’t ideal for megalith hunting but off I went anyway, with prehistorian Dewi Bowen and filmmaker Melvyn Williams to visit the Neolithic Sweyne’s Howes burial site at Rhossili. This is the ruinous southern Howse. I enjoyed drawing in the thick mist, so atmospheric, although it was a challenge to drawContinue reading “Ruinous”

Neolithic Metropolis

From the burial chamber near the magnificent beach at Three Cliffs, we headed inland to Parc le Breos to visit another Cotswold Severn tomb. It’s much more complex than most of the tombs we’ve visited, it’s quite big really, almost a metropolis and it was difficult to work out where to start my sketch. SoContinue reading “Neolithic Metropolis”

The Other Side

I often draw things several times from different angles and this is around the other side of the Cotswold Severn tomb I scribbled the other day. It was also an excuse to sit down on fresh springtime grass peppered with bluebells. For over a year now, I’ve been going out with prehistorian Dewi Bowen andContinue reading “The Other Side”

On A Roll

We’re on a roll with the weather, getting out weekly to hunt down and draw megaliths in the South Wales landscape. For over a year now, we – prehistorian Dewi Bowen, filmmaker Melvyn Williams and me – have been on our quest to find Neolithic and Bronze Age stone monuments linked to the tale ofContinue reading “On A Roll”

The Place Of The Castle

This is the third of the three drawings I did en plein air  at Penlle’r Castell (The Place Of The Castle) up on Mynydd Y Gwair this week, in the wind, the cold and the looming rain. I prepared Fabriano Accademico paper with white gesso and my home made walnut ink which suited the multi-layered, stratified landscapeContinue reading “The Place Of The Castle”

Stratified With Walnuts

I managed to do three drawings en plein air up on Mynydd Y Gwair this week, in the wind, the cold and the looming rain. It was hard work! The Fabriano paper, prepared with white gesso and my home made walnut ink, dribbled and sponged, suited the multi-layered, stratified landscape and I worked very quickly, indicating theContinue reading “Stratified With Walnuts”

Murky Mountain

Up a mountain once again, Mynydd Y Gwair this week, with filmmaker Melvyn Williams and pre-historian Dewi Bowen, visiting Penlle’s Castell. Although it looks reasonably fine, it was shockingly windy and the rain clouds loomed murkily in the distance and I struggled to draw. It was very hard work, staying upright and drawing but one ofContinue reading “Murky Mountain”

Preparation And Plein Air

Here’s another view of Maen Bradwen, or Carreg Bica on Mynydd Drummau Mountain in Neath Port Talbot. It’s a massive stone and local legend has it that it bathes in the River Neath on Easter morning. I drew this fairly quickly with Daler Rowney soft pastels onto Fabriano paper that had been prepared with twoContinue reading “Preparation And Plein Air”