Bellies And Budgie Smugglers.

I’m decluttering, sorting and storing loads of old work and I’ve been skimming through some old sketchbooks, loads of things I’ve forgotten. Here’s a page of sketches from the beach probably, about 9 years ago. There’s a good range of male body types here – the bellies are fun to draw but it’s surprising howContinue reading “Bellies And Budgie Smugglers.”

Old Sketches And Warm Welsh Cakes.

I’m on a mission to sort out my art cupboards, declutter and store things properly. I’ve been flicking through old sketchbooks and finding all sorts of things I’d forgotten about, like these little thumbnail figure drawings, probably drawn from a book …. I can’t remember. They’re fun though. I also made some Welsh Cakes. They’reContinue reading “Old Sketches And Warm Welsh Cakes.”

What’s Next?

As well as an artist, I’m an educator, working for decades in adult education, particularly with people who don’t normally fit into mainstream educational provision. I’m running a short introductory course in screenprinting at the moment, using paper stencils. The idea is to build up an image with several layers of ripped and/or cut stencils.Continue reading “What’s Next?”

Reusing Screen Inks.

There’s no glamour in being an artist, there’s loads of messiness and cleaning up. It’s also expensive and it’s important to reuse and recycle as many materials as possible. There’s always a lot of screenprint inks left over after courses at Swansea Print Workshop and if they’re stored properly they can be usable for months.Continue reading “Reusing Screen Inks.”

More Fun With Photoshop: Bill’s Story 2.

I had so much fun with Photoshop and William ChatNoir (aka Bill) yesterday that I had another go today. I put Bill through a Poster Edges filter and then into a Gradient Map with Orange, Yellow, Red and Blue. Poster Edges really picked out the subtle patterns on the voile curtain. Bill is an elderlyContinue reading “More Fun With Photoshop: Bill’s Story 2.”

#Caturday: Fun With Photoshop: Bill’s Story 1.

I took a few photos of our new rescue kitty, William ChatNoir, or Bill for short, on our window seat, backlit against the spiral net curtain. She’s a black cat and the photos are perfect silhouettes in black and white, and I fancied playing with some of them in Adobe Photoshop. I ramped up theContinue reading “#Caturday: Fun With Photoshop: Bill’s Story 1.”

#InternationalBlackCatDay

Today is #InternationalBlackCatDay and here’s our not-very-international black cat Bill (short for William ChatNoir – blame Husb – he’s a Trekkie). She’s been with us for about 3 months now and she came via the Cats Protection rescue centre in Bridgend (she was originally Phoebe). Husb and I had been thinking about adopting an olderContinue reading “#InternationalBlackCatDay”

Drawing From Imagination

A few days ago I did a short online art course, the Saturday Sketch Club with the Royal Academy of Arts. The session was about drawing from the imagination with the artist Emyr Williams. It was so good for me because it’s something I just don’t normally do, I like to work from what’s inContinue reading “Drawing From Imagination”

Shlug And Pants!

The singer in the Shlug band performs in his pants. That’s British pants, not American pants. He performs in his kecks. His trons. His undies. And he’s brilliant. And the band is brilliant. I sketched them recently at Hangar 18 in the Swansea Fringe. I did the portrait sketch with Nitram charcoal and the scribbledContinue reading “Shlug And Pants!”

High Speed Shlug!

Here’s a few speed sketches I did of the very fast and furious band Shlug at The Swansea Fringe recently. Incredibly loud and rapid music and a lead singer who doesn’t stop, rapidly becoming one of my favourite bands. It’s a challenge to draw that quickly, especially in a dark venue (Hangar 18) with lotsContinue reading “High Speed Shlug!”