Drizzly Dog

Sometimes I work from photographs because I find it’s useful to be able to do a more detailed analysis of the image than I’d normally be able to do when I’m drawing directly from life. It gives me the chance to concentrate on things like perspective, proportion, foreshortening, reflections and composition. When I’m working withContinue reading “Drizzly Dog”

The F. C. B.

For people from outside Britain, an F. C. B. stands for a Full Cooked Breakfast. In England, it’s a gigantic platter of sausage, bacon and eggs, supplemented by a variety of delicacies like fried potatoes, fried tomatoes, baked beans and black pudding (made with blood). The addition of cockles (like clams) and laverbread (seaweed) turnsContinue reading “The F. C. B.”

Stick People

Husb and I spent the last day of our short Belgian break having a wander around Brussels in the unseasonal heat. We stopped under the shade of a tree in a park for a while and watched while a group of young men kicked a ball around. I scribbled them, they moved fast and wereContinue reading “Stick People”

Changeable

I did this sketch from a digital photo I took a couple of weeks ago on Swansea Beach. The weather has changed radically since then, today’s walk was in brilliant sunshine, not like the wind and drizzle these poor tourists were putting up with. It’s a useful exercise to draw from photos occasionally, to analyseContinue reading “Changeable”

Beach Life

The sun was out today and, typically British, crowds flocked to the beach, sunbathing in vests and shorts, even bikinis and a brave few took a dunk in the oh-so-cold sea. Not me! I stayed well covered, but that’s because I burn in the sun. It probably wasn’t more than 20 degrees Celsius, maybe notContinue reading “Beach Life”

A Life Of Its Own

Three years ago I visited Berlin, the temperature was around minus 20 degrees C and there was a couple of feet of snow everywhere. I went to the Holocaust Memorial, thousands of black stelae in a grid across the landscape and the deep snow threw ethereal shadows between the columns. I took a lot ofContinue reading “A Life Of Its Own”

From The Back

Just back from life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop. I drew the back view of the model reflected in the large wall mirror. I used my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 with a free Markers app. I made a pineapple upside down cake for the tea break. It was still warm and welcome on a cold,Continue reading “From The Back”

Beach Dog

On the beach. A dog. And its trained monkeys. This afternoon, in glorious Spring weather, walking with Husb and little nephew along the promenade in Swansea Bay. It was beautiful and sunny and I snapped this little group at the water’s edge and scribbled from the drawing this evening with graphite into my A5 TateContinue reading “Beach Dog”

Spring!!!!!!

Has sprung!   Husb and I had a long walk around Swansea Bay earlier, it was glorious weather, crisp and sunny. The prom and beach were full of action, cycling, boarding, skating, running, jogging, walking, dog walking. We stopped for a pot of tea at Blackpill Lido and I scribbled this family at a nearbyContinue reading “Spring!!!!!!”