Old Mill Creek

Old Mill Creek
Watercolour on Paper
24cm x 34cm (9.5" x 13.5)

Old Mill Creek is about a mile upriver from Dartmouth. Elaine and I walk past it on the way to Dittisham. It seems very pleasant and peaceful from the shore, but this is not the case from the water. When Adrian, Sarah, Joe and Alice canoed up it, they found it was covered in an unpleasant layer of oil.

This is the painting I started at the end of October (see It's All About Preparation). I eventually found time to finish it in this quiet time after Christmas.

Best Wishes for the New Year

Happy Christmas 2014

Christmas Trees
Watercolour and Pastel on Paper
10cm x 14.5cm (4" x 5.75")

Peace and Happiness for Christmas and the New Year

November Sketches

Holly Branch
24 November 2014
Gouache on Paper
12cm x 18cm (5" x 7")

November has been a productive month for sketching. I've already posted some of the sketches (see Portland and the Chesil Beach and Practicing Linear Perspective) and there were more to select from for this post.

Holly Leaves
17 November 2014
Watercolour on Paper
18cm x 12cm (7" x 5")

Elaine’s friend Nicola kindly gave us some holly and this has been the subject for many of the drawings. Holly leaves are challenging; their gnarled spiky shapes are difficult to model convincingly. I've wanted to draw some more since I sketched some in September (see September Sketches).

Young Holly Leaf
27 November 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

The younger leaves make easier subjects. The twisted spiky side of their personality seems to be something that develops as they get older.

Bananas
13 November 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
29.7cm x 21.0cm (11.75" x 8.25")

The picture at the top of the post is another go at Nathan Fowkes Poor Man's Impressionism - which I experimented with in October (see October Sketches). This time I used gouache instead of watercolour.

Sweatshirt and Chair
12 November 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

The sweatshirt and chair are a favourite subject. They are the same sweatshirt and chair I drew for Exercise 6E from Keys to Drawing (see Keys to Drawing - Chapter 6). Until recently, I tried to avoid drawing the same subject twice. I now realise it is unavoidable, enjoyable and good practice to make multiple studies of the same subject. It is Elaine's sweatshirt. I  think I drew it first about 5 years ago - I wonder if Elaine realises how old it is?

Portland and the Chesil Beach

Bright Sea on a Grey Day - Abbotsbury Hill
23 November 2014
Watercolour on Paper
18cm x 12cm (7" x 5")

The view of Portland and the Chesil Beach from Abbotsbury Hill is one of my favourite scenes. I love the ancient landscape, the strangeness of the Chesil Beach and the Fleet and the graceful curve from Portland into the straightness of the beach.

Portland and the Chesil Beach

I drew these sketches and took the photograph last Sunday on a cold grey morning. I have limited experience of drawing landscapes from life and found this view to be particularly challenging. When I got home, I added some more contrast to the sketch. Next time I will focus more on the tonal differences while I am sketching.

Portland and the Chesil Beach
23 November 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

One of my ambitions it is to become less reliant on painting from photographs. I would rather paint from sketches or from life.

Portland and the Chesil Beach - Gesture Drawing
23 November 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

Practicing Linear Perspective

Bookcases and Birthday Cards
5, 6 and 9 November 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

This week it was time to practice some linear perspective.

The evenings are too dark (and cold and wet) to look for a suitable subject outside, so I fell back on the old favourite - a corner of a room.

The last time I tried this type of scene was almost exactly a year ago (see Keys to Drawing - Chapter 5).

The perspective on the bookshelves was more complex than I anticipated. It was tempting to use one-point perspective, but making the shelves believable relies on two-point perspective. You have to see the tops of some shelves and the bottom of others, so there is no escaping two-point perspective. Both the vanishing points are off the page and it was a challenge to make the numerous parallel lines look as though they are converging to the same place.

My goal was to make the perspective sufficiently accurate so an not to offend the eye without resorting to a ruler and without making the drawing look too much like an exercise in linear perspective - even though it was.

October Sketches

Rosebuds
30 October 2014
Watercolour on Paper
12cm x 18cm (5" x 7")

These are my favourite sketches from October.

The sketch at the top of the page was inspired by a post called Poor Man's Impressionism by Nathan Fowkes.

Rosehip
5 October 2014
Watercolour on Paper
18cm x 12cm (7" x 5")

I foraged the rosehip on a Sunday morning walk with Elaine. The beginning of October seems a long time ago - the weather is much damper now and there are lots of wet leaves on the ground.

On the Sofa
27 October 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
29.7cm x 21.0cm (11.75" x 8.25")

This last sketch is of one of Elaine’s favourite poses for me to draw. It is one of the few poses that is comfortable for 30 minutes and she can watch TV while I am scribbling. We used a similar pose for some of the exercises in Keys to Drawing - Chapter 3.

It’s All About Preparation

Old Mill Creek (Work in Progress)
Watercolour on Paper
24cm x 34cm (9.5" x 13.5)

This is my current watercolour project – a view of Old Mill Creek near Dartmouth.

The picture is at a make or break point where I need to start adding details to bring it all together.

This phase highlights any weaknesses in a composition and there are a few issues I wish I’d addressed before starting the painting.

Old Mill Creek, Dartmouth

I should have been more diligent in my preparatory thumbnails. The trouble is I liked the slightly unorthodox composition of the main reference photograph. This lulled me into a false sense of security. I drew a couple of sketches to experiment with the sizes and positions of the swan and the boats, but I didn't complete a full exploration of the the composition with tonal and colour thumbnails (see  Castle Cove - Thumbnail Sketches and John Lovett's article Thumbnail Sketches)

Background Trees - Test Swatches

One piece of preparation that paid off was some experiments I did before painting the background trees. The basic technique is similar to one I've used previously (see Silver Birch) - paint a pale green wash and add darker and darker greens to it as it dries, I refined the technique for this picture in a number of trial swatches.

Movement in the Mannikin Frame

Movement in the Mannikin Frame - 1
Copied from Figure Drawing for All It's Worth
Graphite Pencil on Paper

This is my second post about the mannikin frame from Andrew Loomis’ Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth (see The Mannikin Frame - Part One).

On his second page of mannikin frame drawings, Loomis stresses the importance of incorporating life and action into the figures. His drawings on this page are looser and more dynamic than on the previous page.

Movement in the Mannikin Frame - 2
Copied from Figure Drawing for All It's Worth
Graphite Pencil on Paper

The first two sets of drawings on this post are copies of Loomis’s drawings. The third set is based on gesture drawings of Elaine.

Movement in the Mannikin Frame - 3
Wax Crayon & Graphite Pencil on Paper

Elaine took three 1 minutes poses while I made scribbled gesture studies in coloured crayon. Subsequently, I drew the mannikin frame on top of the gesture drawing. I had to use the male frame because I haven’t reached Loomis' explanation of the female mannikin.

The drawings haven't turned out quite as well as I had hoped for, but this leaves plenty of room for practice and improvement.

September Sketches

Conker on the Half Shell
14 September 2014
Watercolour on Paper
18cm x 12cm (7" x 5")

This month I have been mostly sketching things I've picked up while out walking.

Papier Pig
24 September 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

This pig is one of the few exceptions. It is one of four papier-mâché pigs made and given to Elaine by our neighbour Jeff’s sons.

Very Small Pine Cone
17 September 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

Going for a walk and collecting something to sketch is a good way to end the working day with some fresh air and a bit of exercise

Dried Grass
18 September 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
149mm x 210 (5.9" x 8.3")

These small detailed studies are absorbing and good practice.

Holly
21 September 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

Sketching the holly has helped me to realise the need to revisit the basic modelling technique from the Natural Way to Draw (see Modelled Drawing). The sketch does not reveal the full curving shape of the leaves. It would help if my shading was more directional and if I increased and decreased the pressure of the shading to show curvature. This is something I will think about over the next few weeks.

The Mannikin Frame – Part One

Mannikin Frame - 1
Copied from Figure Drawing for All It's Worth
Graphite Pencil on Paper

In Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth, Andrew Loomis uses the idealised human proportions (see Proportions of the Figure) as the basis for a quickly drawn stick figure.

Over four pages of illustrations, he introduces one of the most interesting concepts in the book.

Loomis presents the mannikin frame as a tool for drawing figures in preliminary sketches, an important step in learning anatomy and an approach for drawing figures from life.

It also seems to provide a method for developing a hurriedly scribbled gesture drawing into a more complete drawing.

Mannikin Frame - 2
Copied from Figure Drawing for All It's Worth
Graphite Pencil on Paper

The drawings on this post are copied from the Loomis’ first page of mannikin drawings. For the first two sets of drawings I drew a vertical line and carefully divided it into eight with a ruler. For the last set, I divided the line by eye.

Mannikin Frame - 3
Copied from Figure Drawing for All It's Worth
Graphite Pencil on Paper

Loomis stresses the importance of practising with the mannikin frame and even over the few drawings on this post, my copies of his figures became more interesting and animated.

Blogging Again - August Sketches

Spex - Sign of the Times
9 August 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

I’m back after a five-week break from blogging.

It’s been a strange month. It started with a two week trip to Chicago with only 24 hours’ notice, then my workload became heavier and heavier and finally a pair of Internet providers conspired to disconnect us for two weeks.

The Tap - The Faucet
24 August 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A6 Graduate Sketchbook
10.5cm x 14.9cm (4.1" x 5.9")

Work is eating into the time I have available for drawing, painting and blogging. I've decided to focus the time I have available on sketching the things around me. This post contains my favourite sketches from August.

Little Kilner Jar
7 August 2014
Graphite Pencil & Wax Crayon
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

I've released how important drawing and sketching is to my feelings of happiness and well-being. Thirty minutes of intense concentration quietens the mind and shuts out all other concerns.

New Toothbrush
4 August 2014
Graphite Pencil & Wax Crayon
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

I never used to find drawing relaxing because I was trying to draw well. Now I just set an alarm for 30 minutes and see what happens.

Experiments with Scraping

Between the Rocks
Watercolour on Paper
27cm x 17cm (10.5" x 6.75)

I am continuing to explore the different mediums and techniques from Ann Blockley's  “Experimental Landscapes in Watercolour” (see Experiments with Acrylic Ink and Experiments with Gouache). I tend to use these investigations as a warmup at the start of a painting session.

Scraping involves applying a layer of watercolour and partially scraping it off before it dries. It is a good technique for creating texture in things like tree bark, rocks and walls. You can use different tools to create different textures.

I've written about scraping before (see Scratching and Scraping), but it is a technique I've never mastered.

The picture at the top of this post is my third attempt at this scene. The first two were dreadful. Part of my problem is that Ann and other authors recommend using a creamy mix of paint. When I try this, the paint usually dries before I have achieved the desired effect, especially if I am working on a large area like the cliffs in this view.

In this version I painted an initial pale yellow and pink wash and after this was dry a thicker, but still relatively watery green wash.

I moved this wash around with the edge of an old plastic loyalty card to create the appearance of cracks and other textures in the rock. I was conscious of the need to keep my focus moving round the whole painting and not to focus on one area at the expense of the rest. As the wash started to dry it became easier to scrape it off completely to create highlights. The experience was more like sculpting than painting.

Sketching Challenge – Final Sketches

July Challenge Day 27
27 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

These are the last few sketches from the July sketching challenge - my task was to sketch from life for exactly 30 minutes on each day in July.

July Challenge Day 28 - Sketch 1
28 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

July Challenge Day 28 - Sketch 2
28 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

July Challenge Day 28 - Sketch 3
28 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

It’s been an interesting experiment. Drawing every day was bound to have a benefit, but the 30 minute time limit was unexpectedly important.

July Challenge Day 29
29 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

The first advantage is that it’s not very long.  It is easy for the “it’s only half an hour” argument to win in the internal dialogue about what to do today.

July Challenge Day 30
30 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

The other benefit is it forced me to put more trust in my eyes to estimate size and alignments. I tend to spend time trying to measure relative proportions and angles by holding a pencil at arm’s length. Thirty minutes doesn't allow much time for this, so on many of the drawings I put my faith in my instincts and just winged it – this has been liberating and nerve wracking in equal measures.

Where's the Biscuit?
July Challenge Day 31
31 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
29.7cm x 21.0cm (11.75" x 8.25")

I aim to continue drawing every day, but I am relaxing the 30 minute rule - 5 minutes is good enough and so is 5 hours.

Sketching Challenge – Week 4

Incomplete Pine Cone
July Challenge Day 24
24 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

This is the last full week of the July sketching challenge - the goal is to sketch from life for exactly 30 minutes on each day in July.

I am trying to vary the subjects, but there are a few common themes. This week I chose a number of subjects that were too complicated for a 30 minute drawing.

July Challenge Day 20
20 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A6 Graduate Sketchbook
10.5cm x 14.9cm (4.1" x 5.9")

This week’s picture of Elaine was drawn on the train as we returned from London. It looks like she was asleep, but she was reading.

Spice Racks
July Challenge Day 21
21 July 2014
Graphite Pencil & Wax Crayon
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

Monday’s sketch is the spice racks in our kitchen. I realised very early in the drawing this was going to be a rush and it became a mad dash to give an impression of the different sizes and colours of the spice containers.

Ficus
July Challenge Day 22
22 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday’s sketches were all drawn on the patio because the weather was so warm.

Green Pepper
July Challenge Day 23
23 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

I was pleased I can see some development when comparing Wednesday’s drawing of a green pepper with a 30 minute drawing of a pepper I drew almost exactly a year ago (see Keys to Drawing - Chapter 1).

The pine cone at the top of the post was the most enjoyable drawing of the week. This is a subject I will return to with a more leisurely approach after the challenge is complete.

July Challenge Day 25
25 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
149mm x 210 (5.9" x 8.3")

Friday’s sketch is another scene from the churchyard. I tried to recreate the texture of the stone cross by rubbing the pencil over the paper while resting it on the stone, but this wasn't as effective as I had hoped.

Cat in a Box
July Challenge Day 26
26 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

Saturday’s drawing was another rush. It illustrates a lesson I've learnt from this challenge. Previously, I suspect I would have spent ages trying to get the perspective of the box right before starting to draw Felix - who would then have jumped out and found somewhere else to sleep. Yesterday, my focus was on drawing him before he moved or I ran out of time.

Sketching Challenge – Week 3

Trent at Hoveringham - Cows Paddling
July Challenge Sketch 18
19 July 2014
Watercolour on Paper
18cm x 12cm (7" x 5")

This week's post is a bit later than usual because Elaine and I met with Lori and Peter while they were in London. We went to see the Matisse and Malevich exhibitions at Tate Modern .

The rules for the sketching challenge remain the same – sketch from life for exactly 30 minutes each day.

July Challenge Day 16
16 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A6 Graduate Sketchbook
105mm x 149mm (4.1" x 5.9")

I missed a couple of days during the week because of travelling and working too hard, but I caught up by drawing three sketches on Saturday. The travelling also gave me the opportunity to draw the view from my hotel balcony in Madrid.

Trent at Gunthorpe
Everyone Had Ice Cream Except Me
July Challenge Day 13
13 July 2014
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

The week was bookended with two sketches of the Trent. The watercolour sketch at the top of the post was a memorable event. The weather was fine when I started, but the rain began almost immediately and became more and more intense until I finally ran for cover.

July Challenge Sketch 17
19 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

July Challenge Sketch 19
19 July 2014
Graphite Pencil & Wax Crayon
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

July Challenge Day 14
14 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
29.7cm x 21.0cm (11.75" x 8.25")

Unintentionally, I've selected a number of round objects to sketch this week, which brings the challenge of drawing circles in perspective.

July Challenge Day 15
15 July 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

This week’s drawing of Elaine is a portrait. If I keep practicing, one day I hope to draw a picture that looks like her.