Teasels and Grasses

Coastal Path - Teasels and Grasses
Mixed Media on Paper
25cm x 18cm (10" x 7")

The Dorset coast is a wonderful place. This picture was inspired by the teasels and grasses on the cliff tops between Durlston Head and St Aldhelm's Head near Swanage.

I posted a similar subject last year (see Experiments with Acrylic Ink).

Both paintings started as experiments with techniques from Ann Blockley's Experimental Landscapes in Watercolour.

This latest piece was more experimental than the first. The initial wash of watercolour and acrylic ink went crazy when I covered it in cling film. The greens and browns were sucked along the folds of the cling film into the sky.

Teasels and Grasses - Initial Wash

It took some pondering to decide on the next step. In the end, the hint of a stalk of grass next to a large teasel head pointed me in the right direction.

I painted the sky in gouache (see Experiments with Gouache)  and used negative painting to establish the shapes of the foliage. I applied the gouache quite roughly to suggest the atmosphere of a cliff top on a blustery day.

From Abbotsbury Hill

From Abbotsbury Hill
Watercolour on Paper
25cm x 18cm (9.75" x 7")

This view of Portland and the Chesil Beach is based on the sketches and photograph I posted in November (see Portland and the Chesil Beach).

The small building is St Catherine’s Chapel. It was built by monks in the 14th century as a place of pilgrimage and retreat. It is still used for an occasional service.

December Sketches

Ready For Tea
7 December 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

My December sketches started and finished with an emphasis on accuracy.

On 1 December, I spent an hour trying to draw the outline of a fork. You can see the result in the middle of the next spread. I spent the whole hour measuring with an outstretched pencil in an attempt to get the proportions and curves right - I just couldn't do it.

Good Fork, Bad Fork, Elaine
1,2, 3 December 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
29.7cm x 21.0cm (11.75" x 8.25")

The experience was so frustrating; I decided to forego accuracy for a few days in favour of enjoying myself with modelling and tonal values.

On 3 December I drew the fork in the top right-hand corner of the page. I started with a quick gestural sketch that looked about right. I drew a box (in perspective) around the fork with a centre line and made some adjustments based on this. Then I started modelling and shading. I spent less than 15 minutes on the sketch. The experience and the resulting drawing were both more satisfying.

Spaghetti Server
4 December 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
29.7cm x 21.0cm (11.75" x 8.25")

I spent most of the rest of the month using a similar approach with a variety of subjects - mainly kitchen utensils.

Fish Slice
6 December 2014
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
29.7cm x 21.0cm (11.75" x 8.25")

And Christmas decorations and treats,

Christmas Treats
20 December 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

I changed tack slightly after starting to read Sketching (from square one ….To Trafalgar Square) by Richard E. Scott (See http://www.sketchingfromsquareone.com/index.html) - a present from Elaine. The importance of accuracy is one of the central themes of the book.

Battered Dictionary
30 December 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

Richard suggests drawing outlines of simple objects as an exercise for improving accuracy. This became my focus for the last few days in December.

Small Glass Jug
31 December 2014
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

One of my goals for 2015 is to sketch for at least 15 minutes each day, I will let you know how I get on. I am not going to post all the sketches to this blog, but I may put them on Flickr or Tumblr.