Aaand we’re off. I’ve been wielding brushes for a good while so I skipped the first part but not before I’d made a dutiful attempt with what I thought was acrylic. Turned out to be oil paints I’d forgotten I had so that’s going to be around for a while. They do blend and scrub quite easily though. Continue reading Part 1 – landscape from memory
A note on notes. I have to remind myself of this periodically, partly because the practice of note-taking at speed and often in cramped conditions ruined my handwriting forever, but also because, in the context of sketch books, I found it hard to see the point. Also, I didn’t want to make a mess of something I liked and might use later as a print or postcard. But this article makes it clear (again) that taking/making notes is a way of organising information and this makes it more memorable. I do think there’s a significant difference though, between taking live … Continue reading What Do Today’s Students Get Right And Wrong In How They Take Lecture Notes?
These are sketches from illustrations of an audio production of Moby Dick. There’s about 140 chapters so quite a lot of possibilities for challenge. moby dick Continue reading Sketch book
I have in my sketch book a series of drawings of the metal birds my sister bought me for Christmas. I’d drawn them several times for different angles and began to get a feel of the shapes so that these rather than detail and gesture instead of tinkered lines began to predominate. One stood out (thank you, tutor) and I was prompted to try taking that kind of looseness into a larger frame. This is it; prismatic pencil on sugar paper, folded and inserted into an A5 sketchbook. Today I used the same sugar paper in an A4 sketchbook and … Continue reading Tutorial follow up – bigger birds
This is a landscape project and I’d been considering working a bit more on my Tin Pots Hill piece but the sun came out and water is more attractive, especially down the estuary. I find holding a sketch pad in one hand while standing to draw (and taking a seat and an easel to an outdoor venue isn’t possible) so I take photos to bring back home. In this instance, I found I preferred a panoramic view I’d taken earlier so I ran this through Paintshop Pro to reduce it to grey-scale, then manipulated the contrast for drama. This is … Continue reading Part 3 project 3 composition
I was pointed at Rego’s work by my Drawing tutor who seemed to know intuitively the kind of image I’d find interesting. I’d never heard of her but her Dancing Ostriches will stay with me for a long time. [As if it weren’t obvious, the drawing on the left is my attempt at a copy] From a 2016 BBC article accessed 07/04/19 These dancers are as far from Degas’ delicates as it’s possible to get, and although I have always liked his representations of ballet, they seem wispy and idealised next to Rego’s chunky, muscular, powerhouses of women. Not … Continue reading Paula Rego
I was pointed at Rego’s work by my Drawing tutor who seemed to know intuitively the kind of image I’d find interesting. I’d never heard of her but her Dancing Ostriches will stay with me for a long time. [As if it weren’t obvious, the drawing on the left is my attempt at a copy] These dancers are as far from Degas’ delicates as it’s possible to get, and although I have always liked his representations of ballet, they seem wispy and idealised next to Rego’s chunky, muscular, powerhouses of women. Not that Rego’s women are likely to turn up … Continue reading Paula Rego
Part 2 doesn’t include landscape but my sketchbook does as I’ve kept up the impetus, and one sketch drew comment for its looseness of mark. Could I maybe try that on a larger scale and still keep the informality? This is the sketch. It’s from a photo I took a little while ago of a round hill called Tin Pots for reasons people locally couldn’t quite pin down for me. It’s on my jogging/walking/nattering route so I see it nearly every day. In the summer, it’s quite bright and yellow, this time of year the colours are brownish and the … Continue reading Tutorial follow up
I have no background in art history and, despite an A level and a Foundation year under my belt, no useful knowledge of artists or how to discuss their work. This makes looking at art and commenting on it a dismally unrewarding activity at the best of times, but in an academic context I have nothing but parrot phrases which is no good at all. I’m in art rehab. My tutor is feeding me artists to look at and, critically, a reason to look; the way the edges blend, the spaces between things, the textures and volumes. My job is … Continue reading Art and artists: building a vocabulary
I have no background in art history and, despite an A level and a Foundation year under my belt, no useful knowledge of artists or how to discuss their work. This makes looking at art and commenting on it a dismally unrewarding activity at the best of times, but in an academic context I have nothing but parrot phrases which is no good at all. I’m in art rehab. My tutor is feeding me artists to look at and, critically, a reason to look; the way the edges blend, the spaces between things, the textures and volumes. My job is … Continue reading Art and artists: building a vocabulary
Strayfish Arts 