Nature Print Experiments

Earlier this week I spent a very happy and productive few hours in the studio trying my hand at some nature prints. This year our little paddock is almost shoulder height in places with cow parsley and I had a fancy to try some experiments and see what I could do with some specimens of this and some grasses using black water-based printing ink. After gathering some plant material I headed back to the studio and spied a pigeon feather on the ground by the step, another possible inspiration.

Preparing a surface with acrylic paint and roller prior to printing.

I decided to prepare a coloured surface which could be set aside to dry, and that I would have a practise with the printing technique on cheaper cartridge paper before using it. I opted for a piece of Fabriano 5, a hot pressed watercolour paper, as I felt the smooth surface would help keep any definition crisp and cleaner looking. I didn't want the paint to become too dense or complicated so I opted for just two colours of acrylic paint and applied it lightly using a rubber roller, allowing plenty of white paper to remain visible. This was then set aside to dry.   

First attempt - printing from the feather
onto white cartridge paper.

I felt the potential of the feather could be more successful than the finer plant material so opted to try using this first.  I utilised an A4 sheet of laminated plastic to lay the feather on and a roller to transfer the black water-based printing ink across the feather itself. This was then gently placed on some plain white cartridge paper and a piece of cheap photocopy paper on top of this, a bit like a sandwich. I used my hand to carefully apply pressure and rub across all the areas of the feather in the hope of a good ink transfer... As you can see in the photo above I hadn't quite got enough ink across the barbs of the feather so the print is very linear. I tried a few more and then felt ready to have a go printing on the prepared coloured paper.  

This feather print was placed at the bottom of the prepared page
and I was delighted with the amount of detail.

Here is the same print but shown alongside the feather itself
plus the ink transferred onto the photocopy paper
- the ink has naturally worked itself through the barbs
leaving an additional mirror image!

A few more feather prints were made on the
Fabriano 5 prepared surface. 

After a practise on cartridge paper I finally had
a go at printing from the cow parsley.

I felt encouraged by the results of the nature printing so far. The process itself seems very straight forward with quite basic skills involved, but I can see that the design element is more difficult and necessary to make a piece of artwork that goes beyond this rudimentary level. Most important of all though - I was certainly having fun experimenting!

It was at this point, when I was taking a few more photos, that I glanced at the now messy plastic inking 'plate' and was intrigued by the impression the feather had left in the wet surface.

The imprint left by the feather in the built up
inking surface on the plastic (it looks brown here
but must just be the light catching as the ink is black in reality).

One of the grasses I had plucked in the paddock had fantastic spidery roots so I prepared another painted surface to print onto using heavyweight cartridge paper this time. I also printed some textural effects from an offcut of bubblewrap. Unfortunately the resulting print didn't really work, possibly as the root was quite fleshy and round so not much could make contact with the paper, and also the spindly bits were a bit too thin and fragile maybe?

The grass roots and the (unfortunately poor) printed result...

However undeterred I moved on to try another tactic...

Two types of grasses printed onto Bockingford 'Not' watercolour paper.

I added watercolour washes and some spatter to the print,
and found the effect quite pleasing.

By this time I was beginning to feel my energy getting low and decided it was time for a break and that I wanted to reflect on the experiment so far. Once again, as I took a few more photos, the inking 'plate' revealed an interesting array of marks and textures.

A section of the plastic inking 'plate'
showing interesting textures - an abstract image in itself.

I really enjoyed this experiment in nature printing and if you get the opportunity have a try yourself. Even if you don't have printing ink and a roller, why not see what effects are possible using acrylic, gouache or watercolour applied to your subject matter with a brush?

Focus on Flowers Workshop at Dobbies

The Focus on Flowers Workshop at Dobbies Garden Centre, King's Lynn, was a great success and based on the feedback from participants it would seem everyone went away armed with some nuggets of new information and enthusiasm for tackling more flower drawings and paintings.

The four photos here show some of the preparatory work in a sketchbook for discussing how the basic structure of most flowers fall into one of eight categories.

This was the subject I introduced at the beginning before we moved out into the garden centre and had a go at some structure drawings from live plants.

This led into focusing on how tone adds information about the light source, form of the subject and where things are in space, even if it is very a shallow space rather than the foreground / middleground / background of an expansive landscape. There was time to settle and work on one longer tonal study or several shorter ones.



Light and shade visually allows areas to come forward and others to recede - even though it is just a flat piece of paper!

               
                 

We had a break for lunch in the restaurant area and enjoyed a delicious meal of jacket potatoes with a variety of fillings and a  salad garnish. As we sipped tea and coffee there was reflection on experiences so far, and a few people mentioned how interested some customers had been in what was going on and how different it was for them to see flowers being drawn in sketchbooks.









The afternoon was devoted to using watercolour and working from a flower specimen individually chosen from the garden centre. Strategies practised in the morning helped with getting a basic drawing in place; and one participant, feeling bold, decided to go straight in with paint and use soft fusions of colour as her starting point. I had demonstrated briefly some of the main useful watercolour techniques and also how coloured or water soluble pencils can be successfully incorporated to enhance passages in the work.

Working from chosen flower specimens.

Focused on their flowers, observation and creativity...

There was a break mid afternoon and Dobbies supplied us with more refreshments and plates of wonderful cakes and traybakes. Then it was back to work...

Light and airy in Dobbies restaurant, and plenty of room to work.

It was a great day - lovely company, delicious food and plenty of teas, coffees and iced juice to keep the brain cells alert. I thank all the staff at Dobbies for their welcome and generosity in accomodating us. As the weather warms up, your garden comes to fruition and the local parks show off colourful flower displays, try capturing some of that beauty in a sketchbook or painting as a memory of time spent observing nature closely.

Sketchbooks Galore!

Sketchbook pages from Social Sketchbook event in The Walks.

The past week and a half has been full of sketchbook work... First was the Social Sketchbook event in The Walks, a lovely large park in King's Lynn. We arranged to meet at the bandstand which had been undergoing some renovation work and as we assembled the protective metal barriers were being removed - what perfect timing! As I arrived early I had already begun to sketch the bandstand. It is not my usual preferred subject matter and with some tricky perspective issues it was one I began to wish I hadn't started. So, as you can see below, I abandoned the idea of any realism and went for a quick pen and wash rendition.

Correct perspective abandoned so I could just enjoy approximate shapes
and a dash of colour. The allium buds were there too, but the horse was the last
 thing I sketched at the previous Social Sketchbook in Stow Bardolph.

The weather was bright but definitely breezy and had most of us seeking more sheltered spots. There was plenty of variety for subjects including the river, ducks, bridge arches over the water, planted areas, wild areas and many different tree species. One big attraction for me was the old town wall. When I walked through the arch to the other side the wind suddenly hit much colder and stronger and I had to admire one member who had bravely set up her seat and been working there since the start!

This was as far as I got sketching the old town wall before the cold set in
but we were due to reassemble anyway...

It is probably just visible in the photo above that the double spread page in the sketchbook had been prepared at home with gesso tinted with acrylic colour. A technique I like to introduce to add variety and texture when working in pencil.

Congratulations to the hardy Social Sketchbookers at the end of a morning in the park! 

My 25 minute final sketch to capture a little of sprouting leaves
and the lumps and bumps at the base of a fascinating tree trunk.

My second sketchbook event was to lead two morning workshop sessions for Freebridge Community Housing. They have a Wellbeing Week for staff and put on a variety of activities. Last year I ran a charcoal drawing workshop and this time I decided to do a Quink Ink Drawing session. I arrived laden with paper; card; small jars of decanted black Quink ink; dip pens, wooden skewers and feather quills for drawing with; covers to protect the tables; water; pots; brushes and masses of natural objects to use for inspiration.

Drawing with Quink ink in handmade simple accordian sketchbooks at
Freebridge Wellbeing Week.

The sessions started with an introduction to Quink ink and a short demonstration on using the various drawing tools and introducing water to allow the ink to bleed and create washes. When the wet ink floats in the water the components disperse into blues, greys and ochres - like magic! After a practice with mark making and trying out the techniques themselves we constructed small scale simple accordian sketchbooks, glued on coloured card for the outer covers and the remainder of the time was spent filling them with delightful sketches based on the natural objects.

Due to the less sophisticated drawing tools and the unpredictable nature of the ink the results were full of character and the accumulation of these drawings was impressive. The participants seemed happy and relaxed, chatting as they worked so I hope the experience was beneficial and contributed positively to Wellbeing Week.

Accumulation of drawings full of character.

So now I am busy with final preparations for the Focus on Flowers workshop at Dobbies Garden Centre and the morning element involves - you guessed - sketchbooks! The afternoon will be time for a longer study using watercolours and coloured pencils.

Just to finish this post I'd like to return to the drawing session in the park. When I did a 'research' trip, prior to making the arrangements, as I wandered round I remember thinking 'why don't I come here more often?' and at the end of the Social Setchbook event many others voiced this thought as well. Spending time in an area, looking, drawing, experiencing sights and sounds over a more intense period of activity is a great way to really get to know a place. Highy recommended. If you find a small parcel of time in the coming weeks, grab that sketchbook and favourite drawing tool and get out in the open, especially as the weather improves...

Owl Sketches & Painting on the Patio

Tawny owl & long-eared owl - taxidermy specimens.

These two visitors have been gracing my studio recently. They are taxidermy specimens (borrowed) and offer a great opportunity to study these beautiful owls. However, when working from taxidermy be aware that there can be discrepancies to the real thing - in this case both suffer from flattened feathers as they usually live in a local school and have been stroked a lot I think! The long-eared owl also has a rather alarming list to one side which I tried to correct in my drawing...

Tawny owl sketch, pencil.

Tawny owls are woodland birds and make the characteristic owl hoot. Several years ago I was fortunate to spy one sitting in a tree in the front garden at dusk. 

Long-eared owl sketch, pencil.

The long-eared owl does often have the long, thin appearance of this specimen and feature head feathers which are known as ear tufts. These are not actually ears, but get raised when the bird is alarmed. I have never seen one in the wild although they do live in Britain but don't seem to be as common as the tawny or barn owl.

Pericallis 'Senetti', charcoal on A3 cartridge paper.

Today I was determined to have a play with art materials and as the weather was warm and sunny I decided to work on the patio. To 'warm up' - artistically, not physically - I started with a charcoal drawing of a delightful potted plant. I was attracted by the simple flowers with long curvy petals and the leaf shapes. I blended charcoal onto the paper surface first to create a mid-tone and then used a charcoal pencil for the line work with an eraser to lift out the lights. The work builds quite quickly with this method and helps prevent fiddly detailing.

Fern in a patio pot, placed on the table for easier observation.

After a break for a cup of tea my eye fell upon this fern which lives in what I call my damp 'woodland' area of the patio... actually it's just a dank corner which never gets any sun, but the ferns and hostas seem happy there. I have added some logs, rocks and pebbles which have been colonised by mosses to support the theme. I began again in my 8x8" sketchbook by observing the curve and unfurling of several stems in pencil. Then moved into watercolour, initially using just the brush and paint but this seemed rather weak in terms of an image so I introduced pencil once it had dried.   

Fern drawn in pencil in sketchbook.

Fern in watercolour,
drawing directly with paint.

Added pencil to strengthen work,
but seemed lost on page...

Extended pencil work beyond
painted areas and finally
a rather wobbly 'frame' to anchor on page.

As I had hoped to get into actually doing a painting of some sort I decided to continue with the fern and taped two A4 size sheets of 140lb Bockingford watercolour paper (Not surface) to a board and placed this on a metal easel. As I wanted to get away from a totally representational image I chose to work with less realistic colour in a limited palette. I worked on both paintings simultaneously but present the sequences as Fern 1 and Fern 2 so the stages are easier to follow. 

Fern 1 - watercolour variegated wash & when almost dry
spattered clean water to create visual texture.

Fern 1 - added some strokes of colour with pastel sticks
then brushed clean water over this to disperse.
Once this layer had dried I began to draw with pastel pencil. 

Fern 1 - continued to build up fern motifs
until I felt I had 'said' enough.

And finally Fern 2...

 

Fern 2 - watercolour underpainting,
again spattered with water to create mottled effect.

Fern 2 - sweeps of pastel sticks then water brushed over
which creates drips and granulation. Once dry, pastel pencils
to describe fern forms.

Fern 2 - continue to build up painting
with addition of more pastel pencil.

Having experienced a bit of a drought on the creative front recently I am pleased with the results of this afternoon. I enjoyed working in the sketchbook first and certainly feel observing and sketching the fern before attempting the two mixed media paintings helped to create a looser interpretation. I certainly won't be exhibiting or framing them but feel there is some merit in the layering and textural qualities that appeal to me.   

If you also feel stuck in a rut or the creative well has temporarily run dry, take the pressure off and give yourself permission to be side tracked by small studies and experiments... who knows where they might lead?

Change... Artist Block, and an Action Plan!

End of an era... Henderson Art & Framing closing down sale.

Change now is inevitable, and I am still trying to get used to the fact that Henderson Art & Framing is now closing and will finally be locking the doors at the end of May. In the meantime they have a half price closing down sale so if you live nearby hurry along to stock up, and resolve to continue your art journey, one way or another! (Fortunately Bill will continue framing from home). Henderson's has been a big part of my life for the past 7 years and I have gained so much enjoyment and experience whilst working there as a freelance art tutor.

I have put several plans in place so that my class members will be able to continue with their drawing and painting and am currently offering one workshop a month, and one Social Sketchbook event a month. Probably not the week-in-week-out classes they might have hoped for but feel this is an opportunity to spend some time reconnecting with my own personal artwork. With a lot of my time spent researching, preparing and delivering art classes I have often let my own work take second place - you may have noticed that I have only been snatching time to sketch recently, when did I last work on a painting? Having spent time over the past weeks reflecting, envisioning and implementing a plan for life without Henderson's (plus a few health dramas for other members of my family) I wanted to get into the studio and do some work. But... nothing... the intention is there yet I avoid going down to the studio... so, nothing. I have ideas for drawings and paintings but that vital spark seems absent. Somewhere along the line I feel I have lost a sense of who I am as an artist, or maybe my art is in a phase of transition? This all sounds very existential but it's as if I don't know what 'my work' looks like any more; that it has moved on in my head but not in the real world because the practical, tangible work is missing.

Before I set out (publicly) an action plan let me assure you I haven't been wallowing in angst and hiding, and have organised two art events recently.

Drawing evening for King's Lynn Embroiderer's Guild.

I really enjoy connecting with people through art and was asked to put together an evening to help members of the King's Lynn Embroiderer's Guild with some drawing tasks to get a new project, based on ancient textiles, off the ground. The group were very enthusiastic and tackled three tasks with gusto.

The group working hard on selecting cropped areas
to transcribe in a drawn grid on A4 paper.

Using black felt pens they drew motifs from fabric samples or reference materials on tracing paper (four sheets each) which then could be layered to create more complex designs in a variety of configurations. This was followed by drawing cropped sections into six squares by isolating areas with a viewfinder. Finally a coloured positive / negative image was obtained by covering cartridge paper with a variegated coloured layer of soft pastel, overlaid with oil pastels. When drawn on the reverse side the design got transferred as a positive line on white, leaving the original as a pale negative line on a coloured background. Congratulations to all the members for working so hard and producing some great work - I hope it will prove useful as a springboard for generating further ideas.

Social Sketchbook event at Stow Bardolph.

The first Social Sketchbook event was held at the beginning of the month. I had arranged for us to meet at Church Farm, a small rare breeds centre in Stow Bardolph. The weather was relatively kind as previous days had been wild winds and bitterly cold. Although still chilly, the wind had dropped considerably and the sun even put in an appearance.

A curious pig returning the interest as one member sketches quickly
 to capture her expression.

Smiles all round - but ready for a warming drink and snack in the Tea Room,
where one member is already happily ensconced.

The group seemed to enjoy the opportunity to work outside of the studio environment, and quickly overcame any concerns about using sketchbooks in such a busy environment (it was the start of the Easter holidays and bustling with families enjoying the farm animals). There were nine of us and as the farm is quite compact we all moved about focusing on what caught our individual attention, yet frequently were in close proximity to one or two of the others. By early afternoon the nip in the air was taking it's toll and we were ready to retire to the Tea Room for a hot drink and light lunch while we chatted. The social aspect has always been welcomed by members of my classes and I hope more will join the Social Sketchbook events in the future.

*The drawings below are from a few pages in my sketchbook and apologies for the blue tinge, the paper is white, honestly.

   

Sheep study in Goldline 8x8" hardback sketchbook.  

Sheep and lamb sketches.

Quick Whitepark cow head study.

   

So, back to thoughts of the future... what do I plan to do about this (temporary) artist block?

1.  Introduce structured hours in the studio, or on location. Just show up whether I feel like it or not.
2.  Work from life as much as possible - whatever takes my fancy initially - I feel sure that if enough work is generated that eventually subject matter or a theme will emerge. It may still be animals and the natural world, or it may be something different, I will try to be open to whatever transpires.
3.  Be productive, encourage quantity so that I may move beyond the more obvious.
4.  To have a period of experimentation, play and discovery and to withhold judgement and criticism to begin with - what will be, will be.
5.  Continue to encourage the social aspect. Spend time outside of the studio with other artists, either at art events or to draw and paint in company.
6.  To keep my teaching schedule manageable so that continuity of my personal work remains strong.
7.  Outside of 'work hours' continue to read art books / magazines / watch art DVD's or You Tube and as ideas, media, subjects or treatments capture my interest to have a go and see what happens.
8.  If I feel really stuck to just play around with colour and create abstract backgrounds to use as a base for drawing / painting / writing over.
9.  To keep positive as this situation has happened before, is likely to happen again in the future and is part of the creative cycle - it happens to most of us at some point!
10. To post more often to this blog, in the hope that whatever I produce in the next few months - whether good, bad or ugly, will give you some insight into this frustrating lull in motivation, but that it can be overcome.

Has something similar happened to you? How did you cope, and what strategies were useful in getting your art back on track?