Woodland Stream

Stream Through the Woods - Small
Mixed Media on Paper
14cm x 19cm (5.5" x 7.5")

These are my latest experiments with techniques from Ann Blockley’s Experimental Landscapes in Watercolour. The subject matter was inspired by a recent video workshop by David Dunlop (Studio Workshop 1 - Into the-Woods).

Stream Through the Woods - Large
Mixed Media on Paper
19cm x 28cm (7.5" x 11")

The scene is an amalgamation of five different photos of streams and footpaths through woodland. I worked on both pictures at the same time, but I am still quite surprised how similar they look because a lot of the scene is imaginary and I was not focusing on accuracy. My intention for these experiments is not to create finished paintings. They are trials of different techniques I may want to use in the future.

April 2015 Sketches

Kerria Japonica in a Jar
21 April 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
149mm x 210mm (5.9" x 8.3")

These are my favourite sketches from April.

Nuts in a Tricky Jar
13 April 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A6 Graduate Sketchbook
10.5cm x 14.9cm (4.1" x 5.9")

I am still drawing every day. Sometimes it is an event I look forward to, but occasionally its a challenge to summon up the enthusiasm.

Purple Tulip
23 April 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

Plants and flowers continue to feature as subjects. It is a challenge to show their delicacy - it is all too easy to make them look as though they are carved from wood..

Paul and Wendy's Log Burner
18 April 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A6 Graduate Sketchbook
10.5cm x 14.9cm (4.1" x 5.9")

I'm not shying away from difficult subjects. If I pick something difficult, I accept the results may not be great and I may not share them with anyone - except for Elaine.

Rosemary
20 April 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
210mm x 149mm (8.3" x 5.9")

A lot of my drawings take about 45 minutes, but some days I mix things up by drawing a few five minute sketches instead of one long drawing.

Kerria Japonica
22 April 2015
Graphite Pencil
Daler Rowney A5 Graduate Sketchbook
149mm x 210mm (5.9" x 8.3")

I'm not sure whether the first and last pictures really are Kerria Japonica, but it's my best guess. The yellow flowers come from a large bush in our back garden.

Lake District Sky Studies

Lake District Sky - Sunday
Watercolour on Paper
18cm x 11.5cm (7" x 4.5")

Elaine and I spent last weekend in the Lake District at the beginning of my Brother Adrian’s month long birthday celebrations.

The weather was unexpectedly good – so good and so unexpected I managed to get sun burnt in northern England in the first week of April.

Lake District Sky - Saturday
Watercolour on Paper
18cm x 15cm (7" x 6")

The skies on this post are a tribute to the weekend. I painted them both using my favourite cloudy sky technique:

Paint the cloud shapes on to dry paper with a very pale dirty orange. Add some shadows with dirty purples and greens. Paint around them with blue, varying the colour a bit and lightening it towards the bottom. It’s simple, forgiving and reasonably effective.

I painted both skies as the background for bigger paintings, but in both cases I botched the main subject and ended up cropping the skies to keep them for reference.

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.