Drawing in a Museum - Hints & Tips

Travelling light... basic equipment for a few hours sketching

During the past week I have had lots of practise sketching in a museum setting - an activity I always really enjoy. The mixed media class I run takes place in the studio at Henderson Art and Framing in Gaywood, King's Lynn. For a change this term I put a 'field trip' on the programme. The two afternoon sessions took place in Lynn Museum, plus I went prior to these as the displays have been revamped since I last visited. I put myself into the mindset of a newcomer to this activity and jotted down some suggestions to discuss:

• Walk around - get the feel of the museum and what is displayed.
• What interests you / catches your eye?
• 'Warm up' - do some quick small sketches to get comfortable in environment / concentrate the mind / get hand-eye coordination 'on the go'.
• Move into more concentrated sketching / drawing - what interests you most about subject / object?
• More than one drawing of object? Same or different view / treatment / media?
• Make notes alongside sketches? Factual about object / subject or jottings about colour / light etc?
• Try different media / approaches?
• Multiple sketches on page? Larger drawing going across gutter / ringbinder? 
• Try turning sketchbook around for variety of formats - portrait / landscape etc.

Two members of the class busy with their sketchbooks
(yes, they gave me permission to use my photo here)

The two sessions were a great success, although a few members missed the opportunity for one reason or another. None of them had ever actually experienced drawing in a museum before. They settled quickly, generated several drawings each in their books in a variety of media and coped admirably! I was really pleased and hope that they might consider using sketchbooks more often when out and about. I stressed that it wasn't about making pretty pictures, or with a view to getting enough information to create paintings from. It was purely drawing for the enjoyment of studying and recording aspects of an object / subject that appealed. No pressure, so no problem. Try it for yourself, it could lead to whole new avenue to explore...

I shall leave you with some photos of my own efforts, and if you were wondering about the glue stick in the image at the top of this post - it's to attach the receipt to the page and make it an integral part rather than an after thought.

Start with simple shapes like these pots before trying a more complex study

  

Savage's Fairground Ride captured in water soluble pen
 - reminded me of 'Roadrunner' from the cartoon

Back to pencil and a line drawing of the timbers from Seahenge,
 it was the negative spaces between them that caught my eye

Water soluble pencil, and when I had gathered enough information
I moved on, no need to slave over a drawing

Ah, subject matter I love - translated on the page in sepia & black pen on the left,
water soluble pencil on the right 

Turn the sketchbook around for a different format
to better suit the subject... sepia pen and water soluble pencil
for added tone

Finally...

The Central Stump of Seahenge looking very sculptural and set off
with a dark scribble of pencil as a background

Sepia pen for these wooden carvings

Graphite pencil for this handsome beast

Thank you to the staff at Lynn Museum www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk who were very friendly and didn't mind us commandeering chairs and stools as we moved around the space tracking down objects of personal interest.

Artist in an Acre - Personal Project for 2014

Personal project brief... and up and running!

Almost a fortnight into the New Year. Did you make any resolutions? How are they holding up? Having made so many last year I decided to be more focused on a single resolution for 2014 - and so a personal project has been born :  Artist in an Acre.

My aim is to maximize time spent on developing personal work and a visual language whilst exploring, discovering and documenting my front garden, patio area, back garden and in our small paddock. (Yes, you guessed, the area of these is probably just over an acre - "our little bit of England" as my husband describes it). The plan is to do this with research, investigation and interpretation through the processes of drawing/painting/photography and video. I have even composed a personal project brief! This step feels like a real commitment and already I am on my way...

Sketchbook pages 1

Sketchbook pages 2

Just after New Year we had the willow tree that grows alongside the studio pollarded, this is necessary every few years otherwise the branches scrape against the felt shingle roof and damage it. We all pitched in to help, but I did manage to grab a short time to try and record the activity. Constantly moving, no time for posing, I just had to keep looking at the figures even as my pencil moved across the paper... real 'action shots'.

Sketchbook pages 3

I have also scuttled up the paddock on another occasion when the sky and lighting were quite dramatic, to scribble a quick sketch with notes to act as reminders in case I'm inspired to work on a painting from it at some point. I have grabbed the opportunity to study some of the old apples still hanging on grimly to the apple trees in the front garden, knowing that if I delay the birds will have finished them off.

Sketchbook pages - apple studies in sepia Pilot pen

Currently I am working in a 81/2" x 12" sketchbook with good quality cartridge paper pages, I plan to do some work in situ on larger sheets of individual paper plus some paintings. So please do visit regularly to see what is happening.

Why not set yourself a project of some kind? Perhaps explore your own surroundings? Or maybe focus on still life for a period of time... or figures... or portraits...What might you achieve with a concentrated period of time on something specific? I would love to hear.

Captured on camera by my son!

Fun with Pen and Wash

Winter Heather and Statue, 32 x 24cms
Edding permanent pen and watercolour
on Fabriano 5 HP watercolour paper. 

I think the most popular media this Autumn Term, in the Mixed Media Class, was using pen and wash.  I planned two sessions - one either side of the half term break.  The first was using a permanent pen, which leaves a fairly uniform line even when using a 0.7mm.  The second session I introduced a dip pen and Indian ink which enables flowing calligraphic lines, and a more hit-and-miss approach.  I find the loss of precise control can lead to bolder, fresher work.  Whichever method, many people like to start with a simple pencil drawing to establish the composition, it gives confidence when starting with the pen as it cannot be erased - so any mistakes have to be incorporated and lived with! I suggest setting off with a bit of urgency when first going over the pencil lines in pen, working too slowly and deliberately can produce a very static line.  People are often surprised at how they unconsciously go on to embroider more details once they get going, and with surprising confidence. At any point the pencil lines can be erased to leave a clean pen image before introducing passages of watercolour.

The subject was quite open in that I suggested 'holiday' as a theme for exploration.  This could range from the broad holiday view of a scene captured on camera as a memory, to a close up detail of something of interest.  The example I worked up for the session (I usually photograph the stages and print off to show the progression) shows a weathered stone statue from a winter walk last year, the heather framed it so beautifully.  The cropped close up view below shows how I had to think about what sort of marks could be used to portray the various textures.

View close up - variety of marks to describe various textures.

For the session using the dip pens and Indian ink I chose to incorporate working from still life.  As an added interest I suggested looking at the illustrations used to advertise Worzals, a local garden centre/farm shop/cafe.

Adverts for Worzals Farm Shop.

Studying these illustrations closely showed not only the beautiful quality of line but also that some printing had been done using actual leaves etc.  A marvellous opportunity to have a go at another approach...

Calligraphic lines using a dip pen and Indian ink,
plus some leaves of the purple sprouting broccoli painted with ink
and used to print on Fabriano 5 HP watercolour paper. 

Ink painted onto head of purple sprouting broccoli
before used to print texture on the paper.

All very hit-and-miss,
loose lines added to enhance leaf prints, ink blots welcomed!

Watercolour washes added - free approach kept going
with paint not restricted by line and more spatter.

I also had fun with a second offering,  I couldn't resist these beetroot when I went shopping.  I think my enjoyment of the subject matter and treatment shows in the work itself!

No pencil drawing this time - straight in with the dip pen.
Beetroot cut in half to make print bottom left.  Brush also used to add ink as shadows. 

Watercolour washes added.

The feedback from the sessions was very encouraging and in the final session of term, when members can work on something of their own choice (or finish off work from previous weeks), many opted to have another go using one of these methods.

I also had another stint using the dip pen recently, this time with Quink Ink.  When diluted with water this ink tends to separate out into blues, greys and ochre - all by itself!  It is perfect for using in sketchbooks, but be aware that it is not very lightfast.

Studies of natural objects with dip pen and Quink Ink. 

WNAA Summer Exhibition

It has been very remiss of me not to do a post about the recent West Norfolk Artists Association Summer Exhibition.  This event is the main showcase for the membership and once again took place in St. Nicholas Chapel, King's Lynn.  Artworks entered undergo selection and this year there was some exciting work on show.  Unfortunately, having helped set up the exhibition, I was unable to attend the Preview evening which I hear was a resounding success and even had one member and his jazz band playing!  I did two invigilating stints and always enjoy engaging with visitors.  An added bonus in the second week were lunchtime concerts featuring young musicians and singers, an inspiring sound in such a stunning venue.

I had entered 3 works, and was delighted that they were all selected.  Some people were quite surprised by my acrylic canvas featuring beach huts and the watercolour of honeysuckle.  It made me realise that there is definitely a shift happening in the work.  It does all seem to be in a state of flux.  My more traditional animal portraits are on the backburner and all sorts of experiments and creative avenues are being explored!  It's a bit like throwing balls in the air and seeing where they land.  I may be investigating blind avenues or find that my creative voice evolves into something else.  I do know that I have long felt a desire to find a way to bring together more abstract passages with the representational aspect resolved in selected areas only... only time will tell and I shall follow my instincts for now and see where it leads.  I'm having fun anyway!  Here are the paintings I had in the exhibition and whilst a sale would have been welcome just taking part, and getting work before an audience, is valuable experience.

Curious, mixed media, 36 x 30cms

The mixed media involved in this one was a watercolour underpainting created with a roller, dip pen and ink drawing, then soft pastel scumbled over the surface.  The inspiration was from a photo I took in Wales on a bright sunny day.

Heaven Scent, watercolour, 36 x 30cms

This was painted from life - a sprig of honeysuckle from my garden - and created without any preliminary pencil drawing.  I just had fun with colour fusions and shapes and encouraging soft edges by touching clean water into select areas to encourage a 'bleed'. 




Evening Light, Hunstanton Beach Huts, acrylic on canvas, 41 x 41cms

This was a very free interpretation of a photo I took at the sketching evening back in June.  As we were leaving the beach a lovely low evening light bathed the beach huts and some long blond grasses lifting the ordinary into another realm.  There is a plenty of visual texture as I tried to let the history of its making show through the layers.

Sketching at the Samovar Tea House in Ely

A new group has just off the ground, the Fenland Sketchers, and today I joined four other members for the first official meeting to chat and sketch in the delightful Samovar Tea House in Ely.  It was a fitting venue as this was where Anita and Emma-Jane hatched the idea of creating a Facebook group for people to connect and arrange sketch outings.  Nine days later and their idea has successfully come to fruition.

Interior of the Samovar Tea House

Sketching and chatting - great company...

Our sketchbooks were all very different and we enjoyed peeking into each others and sharing information.  Mine are quite messy, Anita described it as 'a working sketchbook'.  She favours an accordion style sketchbook currently and creates beautiful visual journal style pages with added text to capture the moment.  Emma-Jane worked in a smaller book and Isabel had the largest sketchbook.  Amy became the fifth sketcher - she was seated at a table nearby and became interested in what we were up to.  On enquiring how she could join she was encouraged to just grab some paper and get drawing right there and then.  Hats off to her, she dashed out to buy a sketchbook, came back and got on with it!

Water soluble graphite pencil on collage/gesso page

Graphite pencil on tinted gesso page

Pen and Inktense pencils on collage/gesso page

As you can see I had prepared some pages in advance in my sketchbook (an A5 hardback, Seawhite) by tinting white gesso with some acrylic paint and painting the paper with multi directional strokes.  I like the random colouring and matt surface to work on.  I also had a few pages with collage on then painted over that to integrate the material into the surface. 

If you live in and around the Fens and are interested in joining us for meetings locally to sketch then access the Fenland Sketchers Facebook page and click 'Join' (Emma-Jane will sign you up asap).  If you live further away see if there is a similar group in your area, and if not start one!  What are you waiting for?  It's a great way to meet new people who share your passion for drawing, and to find fascinating new places to visit.  Thank you to the staff at the Samovar Tea House for making us so welcome!