Drawing and Painting the Landscape – Pencil Drawing

 

Ladram Trees
Pencil Drawing - Drawing and Painting the Landscape
Pencil on Paper
22cm x 16cm (8.75" x 6.25")

Between the lessons on Erased Drawing and Wash Media in Drawing and Painting the Landscape by Philip Tyler there is a sub-section on Pencil Drawing - in which Phillip recommends making a series of pencil studies,  revisiting imagery you have used in previous exercises.

This is the first of my drawings. I’m not waiting until I have a series because I haven’t posted recently and this felt like a pivotal moment. When I started drawing and painting, this is the sort of picture I wanted to create. I quickly realised (and as Philip points out) this sort of pencil drawing takes a lot of time and I prefer drawings that appear less painstaking.

This is the same scene that appeared as "Near the Otter Estuary" on the earlier post (Drawing and Painting the Landscape - Duotone). I think it is the same stand of trees Ian Sidaway recently included on his blog - June 2020. He has painted them from Ladram bay and I have drawn them from the other side – approaching them along the coastal path from the Otter estuary. Ian says Ladrum, I say Ladram, but I'm pretty sure they are the same trees.

I haven’t done much drawing recently. I suspect the uncertainty caused by coronavirus has been sapping my enthusiasm and affecting my mood more than I’ve realised or acknowledged. I’ve been using pressure of work as a reason not to draw, but this may be an excuse more than a reality. I also think I am getting bored with drawing from photos. Drawing and painting outdoors is still a challenge, but I might be missing it. 

Enamelware

Daily Rituals
Ink Gouache and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
20.3cm x 14.0cm (8.0" x 5.5")

This is the lid from our battered old enamel teapot – painted in response to the Enamelware topic in Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice.

Each working day, either Elaine or I get up slightly earlier than the other, checks on Doris and makes the tea. I have the enamel pot in my office, so I can refill my mug through the morning.

Cast-iron and Tarnished Metal

 

Garden Stake
Watercolour and Ink on Paper
175mm x 260mm (7" x 10.25")

This is an old metal stake and a twig from a Philadelphus bush. I drew this a few weeks ago prompted by the Cast-iron and Tarnished Metal topic in Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice.

The hook on the stake was an interesting exercise in "draw what you see, not what you expect to see."

This is probably the first drawing I’ve done outside since the coronavirus lock-down started and this was in the confines of our garden. I am enjoying working from photo reference, but there is an extra pleasure in drawing from life.

Drawing and Painting the Landscape – Erased Drawing

Glimpses of Light
Erased Drawing - Drawing and Painting the Landscape
Charcoal on Paper
60.5cm x 45cm (23.5" x 17.55")

Lesson 17 of Drawing and Painting the Landscape by Philip Tyler deals with Erased Drawing and continues the theme of tonal drawing.

Philip’s instructions are to use sand paper to create charcoal dust and kitchen paper to cover the paper with a mid-grey tone, then to use an eraser to create highlights, and to add more charcoal to the darks. I used a paint brush as well as kitchen paper to move the charcoal dust around - the whole exercise felt more like painting than drawing.

Charcoal is unlikely to become my medium of choice, but I enjoyed this exercise and gained a better appreciation of tone.

This scene has appeared before, but you probably wouldn't recognise it (see A Break in the Clouds).

Brass, Gold, Copper And Bronze

Still Brassy - Still Juggy
Watercolour and Ink on Paper
160mm x 240mm (6.25" x 9.5")

Brass, Gold, Copper And Bronze is the second topic in the Metallic Impressions chapter of Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice.

I couldn’t find anything interesting around the house, so I used an old photo of a jug in the Black Horse at Caythorpe. I've used the same picture before - in 2011 (see Old Brass Jug). The reflections in the new version are more accurately observed, but I like the vibrancy of the original.

Drawing and Painting the Landscape – Continuous Tones

Winter Afternoon in the Trent Hills
Continuous Tones - Drawing and Painting the Landscape
Charcoal on Paper
60.5cm x 45cm (23.5" x 17.55")

Between the lessons on Collage and Erased Drawing in Drawing and Painting the Landscape by Philip Tyler there is a sub section on Continuous Tones - in which Phillip recommends using charcoal to further develop an understanding of tonal range. He suggests using the side of the charcoal to create the darkest areas and then to use the side of the hand or kitchen towels to create mid tones before finally adding more subtle tonal changes.

The section offers some good advice about working with charcoal. I enjoyed this drawing, but I'm not sure charcoal will ever be my favourite medium.

Polished Silver

Silver Necklace
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0 x 20.3cm cm (5.5" x 8.0")

Polished Silver is the first topic in Metallic Impressions - Chapter 4 of  Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice.

This is one of Elaine's necklaces. The shapes in it are inspired by the carved masonry at Southwell Minster. It is one of the most complicated things I've drawn in a long time. In some places you can see the ghostly outline of a second necklace.  These are my original pencil lines before I adjusted the drawing to improve the accuracy.  The painting doesn't really convey the appearance of polished silver. In retrospect, I should have used paler washes - something to remember for next time.