Drawing at Speed

Perfect for putting in a handbag

So, Christmas is over for another year.  We had a lovely time with family to stay but it was cut a little short as my eldest daughter had to be back in Bristol and at work for 9.30 a.m. on Boxing Day.  My husband and I drove her to Bristol, leaving King's Lynn at 3.30 in the morning to ensure we arrived in good time!  We stayed overnight and headed back to Norfolk at a more respectable hour the following day.  As we bowled along the motorway I thought about my resolve to use my time more wisely and decided to challenge myself to do some quick sketches whilst we were travelling at speed.  The little plain paged book seen above I had bought in Bristol when I realised I had nothing in my bag suitable - the pages are slightly creamy, and a little on the thin side, but I do like the fact that it also contains some brown pages in the middle.  Possibilities for drawing with biro or fine liners...  However, I used the two mechanical pencils for this series of little quick sketches.

 

The easiest way to cope with this challenge was to focus on an upcoming hill-line.  Using the thicker Pilot Croquis B pencil I made the scribbled marks whilst my eyes travelled along the topography, only glancing at the page briefly.

 

Notes accompany the brief sketches as reminders of where we were travelling...

 

They also clarify elements - here the pale roof of a factory complex mostly hidden by raised ground.

 

Starting to warm up to this sketching activity whilst travelling at 70 miles an hour I looked to focusing closer to the motorway.  The fir tree was dramatic in its shape silhouetted against the drab grey rain-sodden sky.  The pale silver birch tree trunks caught my eye but flashed past before I could decide a shorthand method to describe them.  Fortunately another bank of them appeared along the opposite carriageway and I could quickly get the gist of them on paper. 

 

In need of a leg stretch and some stimulating coffee we stopped off at Corley Services.  I was determined to capture a figure study of some sort, even though it was fairly busy and the table we were fortunate to grab was a bit too central for my liking. I prefer to have my back to a wall and a bit of space to each side as I surrepticiously glance up and down to the page.  (This sketch was done with the Staedtler Mars micro 0.7 mm).

 

Whilst none of the drawings are of any particular future value (by this I mean as studies for developing into paintings) I really enjoyed the snatch of time to create them.  The eye and hand have to work together as more time is spent garnering the essentials than actually assessing what is happening on the page. 

 

I shall definitely keep that sketchbook and pencils handy in my bag as I go about my daily activities in 2013.  Why not try it for yourself? 

Christmas 2012

 

Happy Christmas!

 

 

Ira Glass on the Creative Process (www.getoutthebox.org)

Have been out best part of the day hunting down the elusive last minute Christmas bits.  On returning home I sat at my laptop to check emails and eventually began to follow a thread from one blog to another and stumbled across this short video of Ira Glass talking about the creative process.  He makes a lot of sense, although I feel he is referencing the written artform, the same applies to drawing and painting etc...  Sometimes people get so disheartened and think 'I'm no good' when they set out on their artistic journey. Anyone just starting to play the piano would never expect to be able to just sit down and play a tune all the way through.  So why think a masterpiece should be made each time a pencil or brush is picked up?  Take the pressure off - enjoy the process - accept that if you put the time in then there will be improvement.  And we never stop learning, evolving, mastering.

Pencil Sketches - Pheasant

As if I didn't have better things to do... I have been in the house all day waiting for an engineer to turn up to connect us to fibre optic Ultra Broadband.  He failed to show.  When I rang the company to find out what was happening they did not know 'but he may just be running late, or had to move you to a later time-slot...'  Frustrating!  In this day and age engineers are always on the end of a mobile phone surely?  So while that remains a mystery I felt I had to salvage something useful for the day and some sketchbook work was the answer.  (Housework?  That could wait).

As the weather has become colder I have been feeding the birds on the patio and feeders daily and this handsome cock pheasant has become a regular morning visitor.  As he is easily startled I grabbed my camera and took a series of photos the other day, through the window, before he took flight.  Across a double spread of my latest A4 sketchbook (Daler Rowney 150g/m acid free cartridge paper) I worked up three studies based on some of these photos.  I opted to keep things simple and just used a 2B Derwent Graphic pencil. 



Fat Freddie, 2B pencil in sketchbook

Oh, Fat Freddie - yes that's what we have named him.  He's not really fat, just in beautiful plummage and good condition.



Have you birds in the garden close enough to photograph through a window? 

Quick small pastel painting

Rabbit Size Tunnel, 11.5 x 18.5 cms
Pastel on Canson paper.





Today I was determined to get something 'arty' done.  With lots of things on the agenda I knew it would have be quick so I opted to scale down the size of the paper support and just go for the 'gist'.  I had nothing in mind initially but a scroll through some of my photos prompted me to go for a seasonal theme and I chose a view taken at the beginning of the year when we had a fresh snowfall.  When time is short this is an ideal way to use the time productively - why not give it a go? 

Still Here - Still Life: Step-by-Step

Yes, I am still here - alive and kicking.  I recall reading once that many blogs fail in the first six months.  I also remember thinking 'that won't be me'.  And look what happened...  However I am determined to redeem myself, and post consistently from now on.  So I plan to update this blog once a week, if not more.  This means I need to be more productive with my time and create more artwork to reflect upon.  As the year draws to a close I will be looking back at the highlights and planning for the new year ahead.  One aim is to draw and paint more from life and so to kick start my blog I offer a step-by-step for a seasonal still life.  This was a demonstration piece for a pastel class in the Autumn.

Materials:  White Art Spectrum paper.
                  Watercolour paints and big brush.
                  Pastel pencils.
                  Pastel sticks.
                  Viewfinder.     
                  Selection of seasonal vegetables.












Tape paper to board along all 4 sides.

1.  Set up simple still life.  Use viewfinder to decide composition?

• Consider size, shape, colour, light source, shadows, negative space.
• Ways to connect elements - overlap, use of cast shadows.

Watercolour underpainting

2.  Look at colours in arrangement - use 2 or 3 for non-specific background.

• Mix colours as separate large puddles (not too weak).
• Test/review colours.

3.  Create variegated background (use big brush).  Dry.




Draw with pastel pencil

4.  Draw composition with pastel pencil.  Check with viewfinder?




Blocking in

 

5. Use pastel sticks / pencils and start working bigger areas.

• Half close eyes to get 'gist'.
• Softly block in shadow areas first, including cast shadows.
• Indicate lightest areas.
• Darken background behind light areas to set them off.
• Ensure some of underpainting shows.

Develop work

6.  Continue to develop work with pastel sticks / pencils looking at more subtle passages.

7.  Assess, make adjustments as necessary.



 

Seasonal Bounty, watercolour and pastel