March 2015 Sketches

Parsley
5 March 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A6 Graduate Sketchbook
14.9cm x 10.5cm (5.9" x 4.1")

I am a quarter of the way through the challenge to draw on every day in 2015. Time flies when you are having fun.

Wooden Flower
2 March 2015
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
21.0cm x 29.7cm (8.25" x 11.75")

I am getting better at not spending too much time deciding what to draw. I try to choose subjects that have some relevance to what I've done during the day. If nothing comes to mind, I just pick something.

Peace Lily Leaf
27 March 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A6 Graduate Sketchbook
10.5cm x 14.9cm (4.1" x 5.9")

Leaves are one of my favourite subjects. You get all the enjoyment of detailed observation and modelling without having to go overboard with highly accurate measurements.

Ironing - Honey I'm Home
30 March 2015
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
29.7cm x 21.0cm (11.75" x 8.25")

This month I've realised the importance of fixative. When I am at home, I usually spray each drawing as soon as it is finished. Unfortunately, I didn't pack any fixative for my recent trip to Chicago. On a number of days I spoilt the previous day’s drawing by rubbing my hand through it as I drew or shaded.

Water Spray
4 March 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
149mm x 210mm (5.9" x 8.3")

Details of the Mannikin Frame

Details of the Mannikin Frame
Copied from Figure Drawing for All It's Worth
Graphite Pencil on Paper

I've spent the last the three weeks away from home - working near Chicago. Last weekend, I took the opportunity to take another look at the mannikin frame from Andrew Loomis’ Figure Drawing for All It's Worth (see The Mannikin Frame - Part One and Movement in the Mannikin Frame)

On the third page of mannikin frame drawings, Loomis adds more refinement to the frame – the whole figure appears more solid and realistic.

I struggled with the hips and the egg of the chest, but I am sure I these will get better with practice and that is what comes next.

The View From Porlock Weir

From Porlock Weir - Version 1
Mixed Media on Paper
27cm x 19cm (10.5" x 7.5")

Porlock Weir is a small village and harbour on the North Somerset coast. I visited it for the first time last November - the day before my sketching trip to Dorset (see Portland and the Chesil Beach). Elaine spent the weekend learning about upholstery techniques and I was left to entertain myself.

These pictures are of the view from Porlock Weir across Porlock Bay to Hurlstone Point and Bossington Hill.

I am continuing to experiment with the ideas from Ann Blockley's books and DVDs, but in these paintings I was also trying to channel some elements of Stewart Edmondson's style.

From Porlock Weir - Version 2
Mixed Media on Paper
27cm x 16.5cm (10.5" x 6.5")

When I am messing around with techniques, I tend to work on two (or more) versions of a subject at the same time. This gives me a backup in case one of the experiments goes badly wrong and also allows me to explore variations on the theme.

By the time they are finished, I usually have a definite favourite, but there are always good bits in both versions that I would like to combine.

In this case, I prefer the version at the top of the post but there are some good elements in the second version. The gouache sea was a mistake, but I like the patch of sunlight on the right of the hillside.

February 2015 Sketches

Ragdale Vase
13 February 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A6 Graduate Sketchbook
10.5cm x 14.9cm (4.1" x 5.9")

I am keeping up with the challenge to draw on every day in 2015. So far I've drawn on 59 consecutive days.

Kettle
17 & 18 February 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
149mm x 210mm (5.9" x 8.3")

I haven’t clearly defined how much drawing I have to do each day. Theoretically, I would probably let myself off with a couple of minutes of scribbling, but so far it hasn't come to that. On a couple of occasions I have not been inspired to draw, but I've quickly become engrossed in the subject and gone on to draw for 20 minutes or more.

New Lilies
26 February 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
149mm x 210mm (5.9" x 8.3")

The drawings on this post took varying amounts of time. The kettle must've taken at least an hour and a half over two days, but the lilies took barely 20 minutes.

Hamish
27 February 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A6 Graduate Sketchbook
14.9cm x 10.5cm (5.9" x 4.1")

The drawing of Hamish only took a couple of minutes. It was part of a session of hurried sketches during which Hamish moved every time he caught me looking at him. Dogs don’t seem to like being drawn. Even when they are asleep they quickly sense you are staring at them and then start fidgeting. He was tired after a long walk, but not so tired he was going to let anyone create unlicensed images of him.

The Subtlest of the Flavours
9 February 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
149mm x 210mm (5.9" x 8.3")

Drawing every day means repeating subjects I've drawn before – the kettle has appeared on a previous post (see Starting to Sketch) – this month I've redrawn most of the subjects on that post. I'm looking forward to the weather improving, so it is more comfortable to draw outdoors.

Repetition

Repetition is the fourth of five principles of composition identified by Arthur Wesley Dow in Chapter 3 of Composition.

The first three principles are:

• Opposition
• Transition
• Subordination

Dow defines Repetition as:

"The production of beauty by repeating the same lines in rhythmical order."

He identifies repetition as the basis of all music and poetry, but stresses that repetition by itself does not create beauty:

"A mere row of things has no art-value. Railroads, fences, blocks of buildings and all bad patterns are like doggerel rhyme examples of repetition without art."

The chapter contains exercises based on creating repetition in borders and surface patterns.  I gave them up last April because the hand position required to hold the Japanese brush upright was stressing my forearm, but I restarted them a few weeks ago. I am experimenting with different hand positions, but I don’t enjoy using the brushes and this has led me to question the benefit of the assignments and whether completing the book is a good use of time.

Happily, Paul Foxton published a post about Repetition this week that has encouraged me to persevere (see Hidden Patterns: How to design pictures like Veronese). 

January 2015 Sketches

A Special Dog Walking Bag
29 January 2015
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
29.7cm x 21.0cm (11.75" x 8.25")

So far, I have stuck with the plan to draw on every day in 2015. There are too many artists to ignore that identify drawing each day as being the key to improving.

Plug It In
1 January 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

I've continued with the focus on accuracy from last month (see December Sketches), but I've started to reintroduce modelling into the drawings.

Kirsty Elson Driftwood House
20 January 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

Marc Taro Holmes (Citizen Sketcher) recommends 0.7 mm propelling pencils as his graphite drawing tool of choice. He prefers them to normal pencils because they eliminate the mess and hassle of sharpening. I have been using 3 mm mechanical pencils with 3B and 6B leads. They are versatile, but they still need sharpening and are probably messier than conventional pencils. So, I've switched to a 0.7 mm propelling pencil and I love it. The 0.7 mm leads are much sturdier than the normal 0.5 mm leads - I haven't had one break yet. The pencil came loaded with HB leads which are bit hard and pale, but I have some B leads which I am looking forward to trying.

Mestle and Portar
10 January 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

It is great to find things that work for you. This month I've also switched from case bound sketch books to wire bound sketch books. Richard E. Scott (Sketching From Square One) recommends them because they are easier to keep open and lay flat.

Mike Lythgoe Mackerel
28 January 2015
Graphite Pencil
Winsor & Newton A4 Heavy Weight Sketch Book
29.7cm x 21.0cm (11.75" x 8.25")

The two sculptures are both presents from Elaine. The driftwood house is by Kirsty Elson and the shoal of mackerel is by Mike Lythgoe.

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.