March 2016 Sketches

Wine Delivery
2 March 2016
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0cm x 20.3cm (5.5" x 8.0")

Elaine and I were teetotal for most of March, so we sensibly organised for a case of wine to be delivered on our second day of abstinence.

Top of the Lane
12 March 2016
Ink and Watercolour
Daler Rowney A6 Ebony Sketchbook
14.9cm x 10.5cm (5.9 x 4.1")

The weather has improved sufficiently for me to get back into the habit of drawing 5 minute sketches while Elaine and I are out walking. I usually add paint to one or two of them when we get home.

TV Corner
4 March 2016
Ink and Watercolour
Daler Rowney A6 Ebony Sketchbook
10.5cm x 14.9cm (4.1" x 5.9")

I’ve tried a few quick sketches inside as well, but without imposing a strict 5 minute limit. I want to be able to sketch more quickly because sometimes you don’t have much time for a drawing and sometimes quick sketches look more spontaneous and engaging.

In the Bathroom
22 March 2016
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0cm x 20.3cm (5.5" x 8.0")

This sketch of male grooming paraphernalia was an experiment in painting darks. I find darks in watercolour very difficult to get right. It is too easy to create a thick drab paste that just looks horrible and sucks the life out of a painting. In this picture I deliberately kept the darks relatively light and intensified the variations in colour.

A Friend for Nelson
27 March 2016
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0cm x 20.3cm (5.5" x 8.0")

At the end of the month, Elaine was pleased to become the proud owner of a second Joanne Cooke sculpture, but she hasn’t named it yet. We will have to adopt a real dog at some point.