Here’s the second of the life drawings I did this week at Swansea Print Workshop. I used the free Markers app on my Samsung Galaxy Tablet Note 8 and drew with the stylus and also my fingers. This is an older model who has many blueline tattoos and a terrific, bright personality.
I try to get along to life drawing at Swansea Print Workshop as often as I can, usually manage every couple of weeks. This week I sat in a position that threw the model’s foot out at me, giving some fierce foreshortening. It’s really good practice; drawing underpins all the art I make, I need to keep my skills sharp so that I have the confidence to experiment and take risks when I want to.
I started out with white conté crayon onto brown wrapping paper, to block in some basic highlights, then added mid-tones with sanguine and finally the darkest tones and detailed line in black.
I have put my series of drawings en plein air of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. If you want to see more, please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page. This one is the legendary grave of Saint Elfys (Elvis) in Pembrokeshire, not for from the Presceli Mountains. Elfys? Presceli? Elvis Presley? Coincidence? hhhmmmm
This is the final drawing I made on my megalith hunt on the north Gower Peninsula on Wednesday, travelling with prehistorian Dewi Bowen and filmmaker Melvyn Williams. The peaceful village green boasts two standing stones, two pubs and a Norman church, as well as spectacular views over the north Gower coast. The large conglomerate Upper Stone had been Christianised in the past into a wheel-shaped Celtic cross which was then broken. The Lower Stone was erected in its present spot in 1846 after it was found lying nearby.
I have put my series of drawings of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. If you want to see more, please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page. This one is the legendary grave of Saint Elfys (Elvis) in Pembrokeshire, not for from the Prescelli Mountains. Elfys? Prescelli? Elvis Presley? Coincidence? hhhmmmm
I went out drawing with a prehistorian and a filmmaker yesterday, down to the little church in the village of Llanrhidian on The Gower Peninsula. There’s an enormous carved stone in the church porch, The Leper Stone, fairly modern, only about twelve hundred years old. Of course, I had to scribble it. I drew with white, sanguine and black conté crayon onto a piece of paper prepared with my home-made walnut ink. The stone might be Viking, or it might be Irish.
The churchyard was awash with beautiful wild flowers, primrose (primula vulgaris), celandine (ficaria verna), daisy (bellis perennis), dandelion (taraxacum officinale) and lady’s smock (cardamine pratensis). It made a change from deep, thick mud.
I have put my series of drawings of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. If you want to see more, please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page. This one is the legendary grave of Saint Elfys (Elvis) in Pembrokeshire, not for from the Prescelli Mountains. Elfys? Prescelli? Elvis Presley? Coincidence? hhhmmmm
Back on the trail of ancient megaliths with prehistorian Dewi Bowen and filmmaker Melvyn Williams, with my portable drawing board, a folder full of prepared papers and a satchel of drawing materials. We headed out to the Gower Peninsula and pitched up at this magnificent large stone near Weobley Castle. Called Samson’s Jack, or Mansel’s Jack, Dewi described it as “big and priapic” but pointed out that some of its priapic features are now hidden by a thick hedge and barbed wire fence. I found a vantage point to draw from and stepped back into something very squelchy. I’m used to squelchy because the Welsh countryside is covered in many and varied manures rendered squelchy by constant rain, but this was a new variety of squelchiness, it was sheep placenta. There was a lot of it around because the field was home to lots of heavily pregnant and birthing sheep and tiny newborn lambs. I carried on drawing. I’m not put off by squelch and did this drawing with conté crayons and Daler Rowney artist quality soft pastels.
I have put my series of drawings of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. If you want to see more, please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page. This one is the legendary grave of Saint Elfys (Elvis) in Pembrokeshire, not for from the Prescelli Mountains. Elfys? Prescelli? Elvis Presley? Coincidence? hhhmmmm
I dropped by the studio of fellow artist Carys Evans today and we talked about how we work from drawings and preparatory sketches of models – proper old school. I don’t often paint but I have a go now and again and here’s one I made a start on a while back. The original drawing was done in my sketchbook at a life drawing session at Swansea Print Workshop and I’ve finished transferring the image using a thin black oil wash onto a canvas sheet that I’d tinted with a sepia-ish colour. I suppose I’d better finish it then.
I have put my series of drawings of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. If you want to see more, please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page. This one is the legendary grave of Saint Elfys (Elvis) in Pembrokeshire, not for from the Prescelli Mountains. Elfys? Prescelli? Elvis Presley? Coincidence? hhhmmmm
I try to get along to life drawing sessions at Swansea Print Workshop as often as possible as drawing underpins everything I do artistically and I need to practice. This is a fab model, she’s excellent and I love to draw her. Unfortunately, even the most experienced models can get a dead leg and that’s what happened this week, so I wasn’t able to finish the drawing. But never mind, I like the unfinishedness of it. I drew with white, sanguine and black conté crayons, in that sequence, onto brown wrapping paper.
I have put my series of drawings of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. If you want to see more, please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page.
Just back from Swansea Print Workshop’s weekly life drawing, it’s late and I’m tired. Our model got tired too, her leg went stiff and painful after about 40 minutes so we spent the last 10 minutes doing a quick pose that didn’t hurt her leg. I like it. It’s drawn with white and sanguine conté crayon onto brown wrapping paper.
Another blast from the past, here I am at The Bagpuss Window, a semi-derelict artspace set up by Melanie Ezra and myself about 18 months ago. It only lasted 3 weeks but we, and lots of other artists and performers, did loads of arty stuff. Here I am walking the spiral labyrinth installed by prehistorian Dewi Bowen and musician/puppeteer David Pitt.
Artist Hannah F Lawson used one of the windowless back rooms to create some light paintings, using various lights and Tai Chi movements. Filmed by Melvyn Williams.
And back to now, coming up from Wednesday March 8th, a new exhibition to celebrate International Women’s Day at Cinema & Co in Swansea.
I am putting my series of drawings of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. If you want to see more, please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page.
This full size portrait drawing is part of a much larger piece of ephemeral drawing I made back in Autumn 2015 when my fellow artist Melanie Ezra and I took over a semi-derelict shop in Swansea’s High Street and opened it up to other artists to see what happened – we called it ‘The Bagpuss Window’. I drew intuitively with little planning and as the three weeks went by the drawing took a darker turn.
I’m going to post some of the videos made of ‘The Bagpuss Window’ by Melvyn Williams over the next few blogs because I want to show some of the fab artists who came along and did art.
Here are two, Melanie Ezra and Jonathan Green …..
I am putting my series of drawings of ancient Welsh monuments on Artfinder. If you want to see more, please click on the image below or the Artfinder link at the top right of this page.
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