Eyes

Doris' Eye
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
20.3cm x 14.0cm (8.0" x 5.5")

Eyes is (are?) the second topic in the "The Look of Transparency" - Chapter 3 of Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice.

My Eye
Watercolour and Ink on Paper
280mm x 190mm (11" x 7.5")

The picture of my eye was drawn while looking in the mirror. Initially, it was an accurate observation. After I made a couple of mistakes, I had to improvise (lie), to make it read properly. Doris' eye is an ink drawing with a watercolour tint. My eye is a watercolour with some ink details.

The Sixties Want Their Picture Back
Acrylic on Paper
84.1cm x 59.4cm (33.1" x 23.4")

The picture of Doris's eye was drawn from a photograph because she won't stay still long enough to draw anything other than a gesture - unless she is asleep - which isn't the best time for drawing eyes. I manipulated the photograph in a photo editor to explore the patterns of lights and darks. This was the inspiration for the more "abstract" version.

Drawing and Painting the Landscape - Block-Ins

Boats on the Dart
Block-Ins - Drawing and Painting the Landscape
Charcoal
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
21.5cm x 15.25cm (8.5" x 6")

Lesson 12 of  Drawing and Painting the Landscape by Philip Tyler is about Block-ins. Philip's instructions are to think about the big tonal masses and try to see how light and dark they are. He advises using the side of a piece of charcoal to block-in these areas of tone.

Ladram Rock
Block-Ins - Drawing and Painting the Landscape
Charcoal
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
21.5cm x 15.25cm (8.5" x 6")

These studies are drawn from photographs - except the view towards Gatcombe Farm - which I drew from my office window. I converted the photos to black-and-white before drawing them - which helped me to see the tones.

Isles of Sciliy
Block-Ins - Drawing and Painting the Landscape
Charcoal
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
21.5cm x 15.25cm (8.5" x 6")

The pictures are probably too detailed to be called block-ins, but I enjoyed drawing them and started each one by blocking in the major shapes as Phillip instructed.

Waves Breaking - Mousehole
Block-Ins - Drawing and Painting the Landscape
Charcoal
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
21.5cm x 15.25cm (8.5" x 6")

I used my fingers to blend the charcoal and smooth the tones. This isn't a recommended approach for creating refined charcoal drawings but added character to these sketches.

Towards a Gatcombe Farm
Block-Ins - Drawing and Painting the Landscape
Charcoal
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
21.5cm x 15.25cm (8.5" x 6")

There are another 6 lessons in this chapter about tonal drawing. I intend to work from photographs to practice the techniques, but to complete at least one study in each lesson outside. As the weather improves, I will try to swing the balance more towards working directly from the landscape.

River Usk Near Gliffaes
Block-Ins - Drawing and Painting the Landscape
Charcoal
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
21.5cm x 15.25cm (8.5" x 6")

A couple of the scenes have appeared in previous posts.There is a line drawing of a similar view of Gatcombe Farm on Measured Drawing and there is a painting of Ladram Rock from a few years ago on Ladram Rocks.