Process, Process, Process.

Making art involves lots of processes, especially with something like printmaking. I made my own printing ink with Nori (seaweed) paste, ground mineral pigment, water and gin. But successful printmaking depends on so many different factors – the ink must be compatible with the printing block or plate and also with the paper. What makeContinue reading “Process, Process, Process.”

Paper Geekery

Yesterday I showed how to mix up printmaking ink with powdered mineral pigments, Nori (seaweed) paste, water and gin. But that’s just the beginning. Next I had to try the ink with different blocks and papers to see what gives the best result. My first experiment was with a simple vinyl block that I inkedContinue reading “Paper Geekery”

Seaweed And Gin

I have been experimenting with making a water-based printing ink, using a recipe from printmaker Shannon Yost published by Natural Earth Paint. There’s a comprehensive list of ingredients including Nori (seaweed) paste, powdered minerals and gin. The gin is for preserving the ink. Honest. 😀 Stage One completed. Tomorrow I’ll look at trying out differentContinue reading “Seaweed And Gin”

Mountain Memorial

Here’s another drawing I did en plein air up the Rhondda Valley last week. We stopped at a viewing place called Carn Eiddil and walked to the top of a pile of large rocks to look down the valley dropping away sharply beneath and there on the slope were loads of tiny memorials. They’re mostlyContinue reading “Mountain Memorial”

Walnuts And Gesso

This is the third drawing I did at Maen Ceti / Arthur’s Stone at Cefn Bryn on the Gower Peninsula this week. I used a piece of Fabriano paper that I had prepared with two coats of textured acrylic gesso. When it was dry, I sponged some of my home-made walnut ink over it. TheContinue reading “Walnuts And Gesso”

Stratification

  I was at Cefn Bryn on the Gower Peninsula yesterday, drawing at Arthur’s Stone – Maen Ceti in Welsh. It’s a Neolithic burial chamber surrounded by cairns, truly an ancient landscape of the dead. It’s a very popular site and I’ve drawn it many times, so it’s hard to come up with a newContinue reading “Stratification”

Arthur’s Stone

  Went hunting wild megaliths today, this time to Arthur’s Stone, Maen Ceti, a Bronze Age burial chamber on the Gower Peninsula. And now I’m tired ……….. Goodnight 😀  

Up The Rhondda

Travelling on the A4233 up the Rhondda Valley between Maerdy and Aberdare, there are a lot of viewing stops that are great for a quick scribble. It was quick too, as we were high up and it was cold and windy as well as bright and sunny. I keep to a restricted pallette of black,Continue reading “Up The Rhondda”

Pressure And Strokes

Another quick sketch from Swansea Bay yesterday with conté crayons into my A4 brown paper sketchbook. I concentrated on capturing a sense of the atmosphere, rather than fine detail. I limit myself to three colours, white, sanguine and black, so different tones have to be achieved by varying the pressure on the conté sticks and overlayingContinue reading “Pressure And Strokes”

A Walk On The Beach

Went for a walk on the beach, Swansea Bay, earlier today. Husb took off to do a run and I sat and scribbled into my A4 brown paper sketchbook from Seawhite’s of Brighton. I used black, sanguine and white conté crayons.  There isn’t a huge amount to draw on the beach and I’ve found thatContinue reading “A Walk On The Beach”