Author: artbychristinemallabandbrown

I'm an artist based at the Spode factory site in Stoke on Trent. I paint, draw and create digital art. Contact me at mallabandbrown@aol.com

If its Wednesday its life drawing.

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I have been going to Life drawing classes for a few months now after a break of several years. Drawing skills need practice, and you can lose them if you don’t.

I first did life drawing almost 40 years ago at college after drawing portraits of fellow pupils at school. I remember the person I first drew was a very interesting and always wore horn rimmed glasses and had her toes bandaged!

Later I did life drawing with the same group that I am in now but at Burslem School of Art (Arthur Berry was a student there). I only went for a couple of months and stopped due to ill health. But now I’m drawing again.

So what can you learn if you draw? The proportions and anatomy of a person. Working out how large feet are in relation to legs, arms etc. Recently I did a nice drawing, but when I stood back from it I could see the head was too large and the legs and arms too short. I think that’s a problem due to my eyesight. I tend to peer through my glasses then look over the top of them to see the sketch pad.  Looking very closely means you are not always checking the bigger picture.

I guess I should measure with a pencil, but to be honest I’m too busy drawing to remember half the time.

I think life drawing should be taught as a skill at college. I have heard that a lot of classes have stopped. Art and creativity are so important, keep drawing!

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Doodles in apps

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A few years ago I started drawing on my computer. I used a Wacom tablet and went on various web sites to draw. I remember names like wet canvas, floating ginko, 2draw , but my favourite was a site called Youdraw where you could only use two black pens and two white pens. They aimed to collect 500000 drawings. And I contributed several thousand!

The drawings at the bottom of the page are mostly from Youdraw. I manipulated colours and patterns in Photoshop, and enjoyed the results.

There are many more of these drawings on my old computer…but its upstairs and covered in dust at the moment. I need to get it into my head to get it repaired.

Along came another site called sketchfu. It was fun to use as it had simple colour palettes and no need to create layers.  The drawing of a sphere broken up into sections was done there….

But then…I got a tablet a couple of years ago for Christmas. …

It doesn’t have many apps, or much memory. After adding an SD card I discovered it had enough memory to download some free apps.

I’m currently using sketcher for galaxy (the nude and picture of two women), then ArtRage oils which is another free app (pigeon) and sketcher free (dancing figure).

Each has its own characteristics, so it’s good to do different things on different ones. I found using a stylus helped with lines, but have lost it and need to get a new one.

I also manipulate images in a couple if other free apps…picsart which allows you to edit and filter pictures, and layout which is linked to instagram.

if anyone can recommend other interesting apps that are free and don’t take up too much memory let me know.

 

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Illustrating cards

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My friend asked me to illustrate a few cards for her because she wanted to give them to some friends who have helped her out.

I took photos of various objects in her house, then used washes of acrylic paint and black marker pen to  finish them off. I also used a photo of a train in a book as she had specifically asked for a locomotive.

The results are quite sketchy and free, I hope she likes them…

Etruria Artists are opening up again tonight

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FB_IMG_1517207844064Now that we are through the worst if the winter weather  (hopefully) Etruria Artists are opening up the warehouse at Etruria Locks in Stoke on Trent again.

Situated in an old warehouse on the Trent and Mersey canal in Stoke on Trent, it is near to the Etruria Industrial museum, which sits on the junction of the Canal with the Caldon branch of it.

The sessions run from 7 to 9 pm on a Thursday evening and should run regularly except when people are on holiday. Situated along the canal towpath from the museum. Walk past the forge and a few yards further on the warehouse stands next to the summit lock (lock 40).  It can be quite dark along the path so its an idea to bring a torch. The warehouse should be lit up when you arrive. Come on in.

The idea is that you can come in and get into doing art. There us a pottery wheel and you can throw pots or hand build ceramics. There is usually paper and paints and pencils available with people from the group happy to help you create your own work.

A small charge of £5 a session is made to cover costs. So why not come along and enjoy a stress busting session at the warehouse?

EDIT: we are not meeting this week, 12.4.18 …but should be opening next week again….

Life drawing and all that…

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Tonight was time for another life drawing class.

The model is very good at interesting poses. I do not know how she could remain so still, but it certainly made drawing easier. We did a series of short poses, then a long one which lasted the rest of the session.

One of the things I love to do is try and draw fine detail in pencil and coloured pencil. The sketchbook I am using is only about tablet size so what the drawings lack in scale I can try and make up for by adding details.

They are by no means perfect, but that’s the reason for practicing.

I decided to take my tablet tonight which has a few drawing apps on it. I used sketcher for galaxy, (I think its called) to do a final drawing. It was  difficult as I lost my stylus and need to get another one. So I ended up doing a glorified finger painting.

I find I have to swap tools on the app to try and get close to what I would find far easier to do in crayon or conte. However it makes for a looser drawing, and I think the result was quite interesting. I even found the way to colour the background. No doubt there will be more to follow!

 

So close…and now it’s finished!

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After hours of work my willow pattern painting is finished.

I have finished working on it after having to have a rest .IMG_20180129_191216_656

I needed to add details in the reflection at the bottom of the painting , plus shading and highlights on the platter and behind it so it stands out more.

This is the third painting of ceramics I have done in this series.

this jug was the second acrylic on canvas I did.

and this is part way through the teapot painting, which was the first one I did. ..

Im not sure how many more I will paint.

A quick update

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It’s been a couple of days and I’m getting on quite well with this painting of a willow pattern platter. I’m now working on the border and will then try and get more depth and shading into the background .

I’m hoping the paler, cooler colours help the cobalt blues of the plate stand out. This Is the third painting in a collection of ceramics. There may be more to follow.

Making a start

Working to a deadline

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I’m still working on new paintings to sell at the new hotel at Spode, but I only have a few weeks to get them done. Working to a deadline means that I have to try and give myself enough time to do my pictures, but also time for other things. Staying up till 5.30 am is OK occasionally but I cant do it every night.

I started this new painting last night and hope to have it finished in the next couple of days. The details are hard to do when you are holding the canvas and your computer tablet in one hand, and the paintbrush in the other. That’s is because I need to look closely to see all the tiny details on the painting and the photo I’m working from.

The original picture is of a round plate. But I remember a large platter from my childhood so I am trying to fit everything onto a more oblong shape… it will make an interesting challenge…the border will have to be changed to fit the space. I also want to get some shadows and reflection into the background, so wish me luck!

I have 5 more paintings to do in time for the opening. These will be pictures of parts of the Spode site if I can get some interesting views. Hopefully the contrast of the industrial heritage of the potteries and the ceramics that was made here will make for an interesting show.

Life studies

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Some of the most difficult things to draw are people. They are all shapes and sizes, different skin tones, hair colours. So many things to try and get right. Thats why I have started going to a life drawing class again.

 

I think I’m reasonably good at drawing, but I do sometimes draw without looking properly. The first two pages of drawings here are 5 minute sketches. No real time to think, you have to be spontaneous to try and capture the whole figure before the pose ends.

The more worked up drawing took an hour. It was only after I had finished that I realised either the head is too large or the rest of the body is too small…I was doing something wrong, concentrating in the detail and not looking at the whole picture.

One thing I could have done is put the paper on an easel so that the surface would have been at a better angle. By tipping the drawing pad the top was further away, and there is a tendency to draw those areas slightly bigger. You can sometimes see the same effect if you have your drawing flat on a table, the image will look elongated when you pick it up. Sometimes the image will be skewed to one side if you drew with the paper at an angle. It’s all a learning curve. No pun intended.

The final picture was painted on a black canvas. I think this helped make it more interesting. The lower thigh is very foreshortened. I would have used the drawing of the pose to rectify this but I dont think its accurate enough. So I will continue to go to life drawing to improve my skills.

I would recommend drawing classes to anyone who wants to get better at sketching.

Not another one!

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Soon to be finished I hope. The top image was taken at 5.30am…but I need some sleep!

This painting of a jug had a pattern of Ivy and Holly which is similar to something I saw on a Spode mug.

The background of Ivy leaves will need work as will the shape at the top of the jug. I’m trying to get an effect of shiny tiles underneath it and a fabric screen behind. The painting may have some gold added to it as I want to paint studs or rivets around the screen at the back.