Angel of Chanterlands

'Angel of Chanterlands'

21cm x 30cm

Graphite Pencil on Paper

Not sure if this latest piece is finished or not, there could be some further tinkering to do when I've had a break from it. Overall I'm happy with it, which is nice because otherwise it would be close to seven hours wasted. Now I need to do something else, I've done two detailed pencil pieces recently (this and 'Grapes') which I've really enjoyed but it's time for something new now. I'm thinking something in coloured pencil, it's been a while since I've used them...

This was drawn from my own reference photo, taken in an old cemetery not far from where I live, very overgrown and Victorian, lots of weathered stones and gnarly trees. There may be more from there in the future. I do have a bit of a thing for those gnarly leafless trees.

I've noticed the scan is a bit off here too, there were a few marks on the glass and a stray cat hair has crept in there too... I could call this a work in progress I suppose :o)

Grapes

'Grapes'

21cm x 16.5cm

Graphite Pencil on Paper

A new drawing (finished today). I enjoy getting into the complicated details, like the stems of the grapes. Hopefully it works as well as I think it does. Drawn from a reference photo I took myself, the grapes were eaten long ago :o) ....

Virtual Sketch Date - February

'Lake Louise, Canada'

20.5cm x 25.5cm

Gouache on Paper

So it's Virtual Sketch Date time again :o) And a great image by Debbie Later . I really wanted to try something different with this so I cropped it quite extensively, used a restriced palette and added a fancy border/mount. I used gouache paints which I liked, I tried doing a watercolour but just couldn't get the effect I wanted, gouache did as it was told. The mount was a cheap plain one which I marbled at home (not done that for years, lotsa fun). I quite like the result.

The other artists interpretations will be listed on the Virtual Sketch Date site but you also see them on Flickr

Virtual Sketch date - January

'Clementine 1'

21cm x 16cm

Watercolour and Coloured Pencil on Paper

Bit of a tough cookie this month's VSD, or so I thought anyway. This is actually version two, the first I messed the background up but liked the clementine itself. I'm still not really happy with this one but it's ok. There are some really great versions done by the other artists participating, definitely worth checking out, on the VSD blog page (where you can also see the original ref photo by Jeanette Jobson). There's also a Flickr page too.

I had a short lived abstract moment, which was fun and the result is quite attractive I think. I used masking fluid and watercolour. Abstract art doesn't really float my boat but I think it's worth doing something completely different occasionally.

'Clementine 2'

15cm x 12cm

Watercolour on Paper

Catch Up - Oils & Sketchbook

Oil on canvas

5" x 7"

Been having some fun with oil paints recently. Here are two small practice canvases. Clearly I'm no oil painter, so I've been experimenting since I don't really know what I'm doing but in the end I quite like these two pears. I hope to do more paintings in oil, it seems quite forgiving of mistakes, if you mess up you can just go over it later on. My only criticism is the drying time, which I expected, but it takes ages to dry... Which does give you time to do other things in between of course.

'Gargoyle Sketch'
Coloured Pencil in Moleskine Sketchbook

This little gragoyle geezer was a Christmas gift, I think he's great and enjoyed doing this sketch in my Moleskine. He may well crop up again, somewhere...

Moleskine

Moleskine Ear

Graphite Pencil

For Christmas I was lucky enough to get a couple of Moleskine sketchbooks, one regular and one watercolour. Had to get past using that first page, with a pencil drawing of my ear. I wonder what will be in the rest of it...

I've also started on another of my 2009 goals and started oil painting, just a couple of small practice canvases to start with so that I can get a feel for it. It's fun but I can imagine it's going to be quite frustrating, the drying time alone will be a challenge. I've no real idea of what I'm doing, I'm just making it up as I go along. Good fun though...

New Year

'Pencils 2009'

21.5cm x 13cm

Coloured Pencil on Paper

Happy New Year...here's to a great 2009. Thought I'd kick it off with a new coloured pencil drawing. I don't seem to have done a lot of coloured pencil lately but I do like it, although I still find it frustrating at times. I'm still not sure I've found decent papers for this type of work, so I'm using all sorts and hoping for the best. This was one was done on fairly standard cartridge paper, nothing special but it seems to have turned out ok. I think this year I'll try illustration board, I've heard of sanded paper too but I've never seen it here in the UK. Once I've found the right surface I'll happily stick to it, but I think there's a lot more experimenting to be done before then...

Happy Christmas

Work is finished (until Monday!) so I wanted to wish everyone a very happy Christmas, hope you all have a great time.

I've been inspired by Rose Welty to look at some goals for 2009 and to reflect a little on what has occured this year. I only started this blog in July of this year so it has lasted 6 months, which is hopefully a sign I can keep it going for a bit longer at least. Incidentally it was only in the same July that I started to draw again, after a very long break, probably 15 years plus. I've no idea what prompted me back to art but I'm glad I made it eventually, and I've been constantly impressed, inspired and motivated by what I've seen over the internet, in art blogs and personal websites. But there is obviously a way to go, hence the goals for the coming year...

Art Goals For 2009

• Submit a piece to the local art gallery Open Exhibition, if not by Summer then definitely by Winter.
• Use computer time better - browse less!
• Use sketchbooks more.
• Draw and paint outside.
• Try using oils on canvas.
• Draw people, animals, landscapes - get out of the comfort zone.
• Choose a series or theme, experiment with different mediums - might help get through the idea blocks!
• Draw a self portrait.
• Blog - post more often, update profile - get seen by more people!
• Practice coloured pencil technique.
• Get some MOO prints done - give them out...
• Research favourite artists/illustrators and art movements - learn something.

That seems plenty to be going on with, nothing too drastic and all pretty achievable I think. As 2008 draws to a close I'm feeling pretty positive and motivated to continue, I even think I've made some progress in the short six months I've been back, I'm even feeling quite good about watercolours which I certainly wasn't when this all started.

So once again, happy Christmas, thanks to those who make comments, all are very much appreciated. I'm off for a whiskey now...

Mystery Plug

'Mystery Plug'

Graphite Pencil on Paper

18cm x 12cm

I found this plug the other day in a drawer, no idea what it's for or when I got it. It probably arrived in a box with a phone or a camera, but I quite liked the look of it so did this little drawing. Drawn with a clutch pencil, using stumps to blend, on a very smooth Bristol paper.

Virtual Sketch Date - December

watercolour

30cm x 14cm

It's that time again. I always look forward to the Virtual Sketch Date, and this month was no exception. When I saw the reference picture I was a bit clueless, I thought "What am I going to do with this?" and really had no ideas. I started to play with various crops and started to enjoy it, and ended up doing two versions again. I think some (all) of my perspective on the buildings is a bit off but I've tried to disguise it! The really good thing about these monthly VSDs is they can move you out of your comfort zone, and I was well out of it on this one but ended up enjoying it. Thanks to all at Virtual Sketch Date, for posting the reference and doing the 'admin' stuff...

watercolour and pen & ink

27cm x 11.5 cm

Winter Tree

'Winter Tree'

22.5cm x 16.5cm

Watercolour on Paper

The weekend has been really cold here, but bright and sunny also with a great clear blue sky. I saw this tree in a park and snapped a quick photo so I could work on it when I got home. I think I'm still getting the last 'Virtual Sketch Date' out of my system, but I'm finding I really like drawing and painting these wintry trees. This was done in watercolour which I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable with, on Arches Aquarelle watercolour paper.

Virtual Sketch Date - November

I'm a bit early posting this but it's ready so here goes...

'Trunk and Branch' 1 and 2
16cm x 13cm
Pen and Ink on Paper
(plus coloured pencil on no.2)

I really enjoyed doing these, I haven't drawn trees for ages, or used pen and ink for that matter. Pretty much unplanned, with just a quick pencil guide then started with the pen and paper and went with it. For the second version I added some coloured pencil to a copy of the original, as I wasn't too sure how it would look. I'm quite happy with both versions, for a change.

'In The Trees'

23cm x 16cm

Watercolour on Paper

It's another great reference this time, with plenty to work from. This is another section of the photograph, done in watercolour.

Leeds Lion

'Leeds Lion'

15cm x 20cm

Graphite Pencil on Paper

This is actually my third attempt at this fine stone lion I saw while visiting Leeds (UK) a couple of months ago. If my memory serves me correctly (and it very often doesn't) he's one of three large lions sitting outside of the Town Hall, a pretty grand building in itself. He's quite a majestic beast I thought...

Trio

Leaf 1 - 2.5" x 3.5" Water soluble Pencil & Graphite Pencil on Paper
Leaf 2 - 2.5" x 3.5" Watercolour on Paper
Leaf 3 - 2.5" x 3.5" Coloured Pencil on Brown Paper

Just playing around with different media today, and size too. I've never worked on this small scale but I quite liked it.

(Thankfully the heating is back on, but there is now a big hole in my savings too.)

Happy Halloween

'When Marion met Norman'

29cm x 20cm

Graphite & Carbon Pencil on Paper

I love horror movies, and Halloween is the perfect time to watch a good shocker. This inspired me to do this drawing, taken from unconnected stills from the classic Hitchcock movie 'Psycho' (1960). This is still one of my favourite movies, and remains genuinely disturbing, especially the last few minutes when the audience can hear the mad thoughts of Norman Bates. I don't really think I've captured Janet Leigh at all but Anthony Perkins is just about recognisable. I used two stills from the film, which was conveniently made in black and white with plenty of good strong contrasts. I used carbon pencil for the background, applied with a brush as carbon dust then blended with a tissue, the figures are all in graphite pencil. This was well out of my comfort zone as I don't normally do people, let alone people who are supposed to be recognisable. But it was quite enjoyable to do and I'm really liking the moody effect you can achieve with carbon pencil

For those who might be interested (but why would you be?) - in the original Robert Bloch novel of 'Psycho', Marion was named Mary and Norman was a fat older man with glasses. A bit of useless information for Halloween...

C-C-Cold...

Feeling a bit chilly here and the North wind does blow... that's probably because my gas central heating boiler has decided to give up on me. I put off the inevitable call to the plumber for as long as I could but finally gave in this week as I was hearing some alarming noises emitting from the boiler but no hot water or heating. It turns out a couple of valves inside need replacing, which I guess isn't too bad, it could have been worse. As a result I haven't done much artwork this week but I do have a Halloween inspired picture I've done that I'll post on Friday...

Virtual Sketch Date - October

Time for another Virtual Sketch Date, and I have to say I've really enjoyed the ones I've done so far. Of course one of the best bits is seeing what other artists have done. Here's my first version (one just never seems enough...)

'3 Pears'

23cm x 15cmm

Graphite & Carbon Pencil on Paper

Every time I see the work of Marsha Robinett on 'The Extraordinary Pencil' I'm impressed so I wanted to try her style, particularly with the use of carbon pencil. The blackness you can achieve is impressive but not without effort, the rest of this is goood old fashioned graphite. I think I'll be using carbon pencil again. If you've not see Marsha's work it's brilliant and inspiring, go see it!

For my next effort at this reference I went to watercolour. I quite liked the result but when I scanned the piece it went very yellow so I've took a photograph too to comapare but it came out really dull looking, as you can see.

'3 Pears'

21cm x 15cm

Watercolour on Paper (scanned image)

(photographed image)

Neither of them really captures the colours in the original. This is the first time I've noticed such a marked difference between the original and the scan - I've always scanned before. And yet the photograph looks very dull, but then I'm not a photographer. Anyone else have this problem?

Magic

'Magic'

21cm x 30cm

Coloured Pencil on Black Paper

This is my cat, Magic. It's the first time I've tried to draw her, and the reference photo I took was poor to say the least, but I quite like the result anyway. She's very black and if you photograph her all you get are those eyes, so it was a bit of a no-brainer to draw her on black paper. It's not the most detailed piece I've ever done but I think it captures her well enough.

Water Lilly

'Water Lilly'

21cm x 16cm

Acrylic on Paper

Back in August my brother and I visited Burnby Hall Gardens with my Mum. While there I took some photographs of the impressive collection of water lillies. This picture is a kind of hybrid of a couple of different photos, I liked the lilly in one and the leaves in another. I'm still fairly unfamiliar with acrylics but enjoyed using them and even like the result (rare for me).

I skipped my Art Class last week, it was my birthday and I was far too busy drinking cocktails to go to class. Normal service will be resumed this week. And the Fair has come to town so I'll be over there with my camera at some point during the week...

Four Toms

'Four Toms'

25cm x 17cm

Watercolour & Coloured Pencil on Paper

This has been sitting in the "sin bin" for a couple of days. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, I'm still not sure. I've heard that some people let their pictures 'rest' for a couple of days then go back to them so that's what I've done. I think it's the brown paper bag the tomatoes are sitting on, it looks a bit too yellow to me now and isn't very recognisable as a paper bag at all...