Another Attempt at YouTube Videos!

Tubes of watercolour

Watercolours seem to be featuring quite a lot in my recent work, and also in the mixed media classes that have just started back after the Christmas break. This medium is so seductive, but probably one of the trickiest as there are so many variables - and to my mind it works best when 'given it's head' a bit. The paint likes to move by itself in water and it is scary to not be totally in control, but this is when watercolour seems to be magic! I decided to have another go at making a YouTube video and use it to introduce the materials and some basic principles/techniques as hints and tips. My previous attempts were time lapse - this would involve speaking...

The introduction involved two attempts. The first time I tailed off at one point, forgetting what I wanted to say. However once I moved into chatting about the materials and the actual demonstration parts it was fine. In fact, once I'm off, there's no stopping me and I totally forgot that at the moment my YouTube account will only allow 15 minute maximum video length. I definitely exceeded that. Consequently, I had to discover (fast) how to edit and trim the video into two parts. Also how to join the short introduction so it was incorporated into the first section. So, the video has been posted in two parts again - not ideal but I will remember the shorter time frame in future. The good news? I also learnt how to use YouTube editor to add a title and an end frame with this blog address.

Thinking About Watercolour 1:  Introduction and Basic Materials

Thinking About Watercolour 2: Basic Hints and Tips

Hope you enjoy my efforts, and would love any feedback!

Sketching Frenzy in the Frost

Frosty morning. Pollarded willow branches piled high.
Sketchbook page.

From Artist in an Acre journal entry (this morning):

Bimbling around the bedroom - shower, drying hair, daydreaming. Throw back the curtains - sparkling frost! Already the weak pale light/warmth of the morning sun threatens to melt it quickly away. Thick jacket on and out I go.

In the studio I swish on a darkish background in black gesso with burnt umber, bronze yellow and a touch of white added. Opaque line work should work over the top to describe all the branches piled high on the bonfire.

Quick application of paint for dark background on pages.

Let out Somme, who snatches up his squashed basketball and heads off up the paddock at a rate of knots. I follow with sketchbook, collapsible stool and tin of Inktense sticks. Start straight into drawing with coloured linework mimicking the growth of branches and twigs. Can only use approximate colours and modify or try for 'frost' by utilizing the white. Dash in a few dark marks to hint at the depths of the pile. Side of green stick to suggest distant hedge, trees, then work heavily with white into this and over blue for sky - attempting to silhouette some branches against the sky. Using lighter colour try and cut in around base and edges of pile.

Close up detail of drawing.

Quickly assess - few more darks, think I can't say any more with this one.

Somme moves before I can note what's happening with hind legs...

Opposite page - already dark base painted on. Frost rapidly melting. Somme is stretched in the grass nearby - in white Inktense stick I attempt to describe his shape - block in negative space around. He moves. Settles again, new position. Flip over page. Dark stick on white of paper. Few lines - fairly high viewpoint as look across and down to him. He moves.

Bit better...

Suddenly acutely aware of cold. Silly, forgot to put gloves on! Pack away quickly. Somme energised by my movements - he snuffles at the sketchbook and tin on the seat of the stool. Thin tin flips off - lid flys off and - of course - tin lands open, upside down! Most sticks remain snuggled in the foam 'holder' of tin, a few fall out. Scrabble in frosted grass, now thawing, getting damp. Find all but one quarter of pale ochre. Fingers painful with cold by now. Calling the dog I pop to studio, leave equipment just inside the door. Somme put away in his run, snaffles the treats offered greedily. Up to the house to the warmth of the kitchen and ready for a cup of tea.

11 a.m. - all the frost has gone.

Somme, stool, sketchbook, Inktense sticks.
Frost almost melted... time to go in and warm up!

Sketching Pigeons on the Patio (Again)

Pencil sketches of birds on the patio...

I can see birds will feature quite heavily in my sketchbooks this year! I always enjoy seeing them swoop down onto the patio to feed on grains and seeds we put out and get a lot of satisfaction attempting to capture something on paper. One or two are starting to show a little more detail, I think, as I start to get to grips with their shapes and the way the wings fold back around the body.

Note (to right) of all the different birds who visited in that short space of time

In the photo above, the bottom left sketch was a delightful collar dove perched on the 'wave' of the decorative fence, the feathers on the chest were all puffed out. He seemed to be enjoying the morning sun. To the right is a list of all the different species of birds I saw in the short time I was observing through the kitchen window - eight in all! I ought to get the bird books out and find out more about them, maybe take time to do some more detailed colour sketches and familiarize myself with the markings and characteristics.

Have you tried sketching birds as they go about their daily life? Not an easy task - they will keep moving!    

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!

Art Review 2013

Happy New Year!

Looking back and reflecting has always been part of my way seeing through the transition of one year into the next.  Rather boldly and publicly, on this blog, I outlined 6 New Year Resolutions at the beginning of 2013.  Now I have to review whether any of them came to fruition!

1. Work smaller scale -  my work generally has been on a smaller, manageable scale.  However, I did also toy with the idea of a series of very small paintings based on local landscapes around my village, but have not done a single one!
2.  Work more from life - I have definitely done more work from life this past year.  Paintings have tended to be connected with the classes, but sketchbook work has increased greatly.  Making use of those small allocations of time creatively has helped me stay connected with my personal inner artist as well as honing skills and observation.

Bird studies - observing through the kitchen window.

3.  Close Inspection, initiate a series of work based on close up textural surfaces - this has not got off the ground, although I have continued to photograph areas of abstracted texture.  Maybe the answer is to set up a Flickr account and keep them just as a photographic series?
4.  Seasonal, initiate a series of work based on still life fruit and vegetables - this has not really spilled over into my personal work, although it has remained part of the class programmes and is an element I always enjoy.

Winter squash painted in sketchbook, couldn't resist the colouring...

5.  Act on opportunities and interests, don't put things off - this aspect is an ongoing work in progress.  I am definitely an 'ideas person' and generate so many, not all of them practical, that sometimes I need a bit of time to pass to assess which are viable.  I have found it really helpful to write down ideas in a notebook, and have even ticked off a few from the previous year.  In 2013 I finally entered the Eastern Open Exhibition and despite not having anything selected really enjoyed the work I did make for it.  I organised a bag for doing sketchbook work when away on holiday - France was more successful than Rome.  I treated myself to a camcorder, filmed work in progress, and set up my YouTube channel.  In November I took on the role of membership secretary for the West Norfolk Artists Association and have already had an article published in Update (the monthly newsletter) titled 'Making the most of Your Membership'.

I feel this resolution has been instrumental in making me have a more proactive outlook.  (Plus it will have repercussions into 2014 - more on that in my next post).

Camcorder set up - ready for action!

6.  Website - I periodically tried to get my original website on track.  However, images of my work have sailed off into the wide blue yonder and the whole thing does not seem very 'user friendly'.  In the autumn I signed up to Weebly and have been slowly building a free website, and have a fair amount of pages / galleries done but it is not yet 'published'.  I wonder if I am trying to be too ambitious, too soon.  This website will showcase all the media and genres I incorporate into my artistic life.  I would also like to organize a 'shop' but that may have to come later - better to go 'live' and see how it operates in public first.

So, some successes and inevitably a few non-starters.  Why not 100% success?  With hindsight I was probably over ambitious in my expectations, but human nature plays a big part.  I am sure many of us make resolutions and most of them will have fallen, been broken or completely fail to get off the ground before January has even passed.

Did you make any resolutions in 2013?  Try a review - and then make some more for 2014!!!

Happy New Year! 

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas!

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.