New paintings and regular art updates.
Watching a film about Shakespeare after he had finished writing plays and returned home to Stratford on Avon. I drew my husband last night, and I’m struck by the similarity of their profiles. Now I’m tired, I want to watch the film (starring Kenneth Branagh) but I didn’t sleep at all last night. Its almost midnight and I need a rest. Goodnight world.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was Pandoras box. I drew this last night, all the bad things in the world but at least there is hope. Felt pens used with a fine liner to outline the shapes. I tried to make it a bit like 1960’s Pop Art, with an attempt to draw half tone dots.
I could not sleep last night. Various things kept me awake so I decided to experiment with linocutting and printing till dawn. I tried different paper, adding felt pen under the ink and even printing onto a layer of post-it notes. Not too bad for a novice, I even managed curves and didn’t cut my hand!
One thing I forgot, the print reverses the image, hence my initials are backwards! Duh!
Ink bleeds through paper. Draw around those patches, lines and dots, and you get a patchwork ‘map’ that looks like roads and boulevards, streets and squares. A change of colour for city blocks. Villages line up on roads between fields. Some streets are tree lined, others are concrete. Does it show your age? Are you industrial or agrarian? Modern or ancient? Fortified? Or do you see veins, arteries and capillaries?
Used a digital app to u the contrast and colours on this drawing, I also made parts of it negative. I think it’s an interesting effect. The reds and greens have been enhanced, they were actually on the other side of the sketchbook page I use. It’s thinker paper than some but the ink can bleed through slightly to the other side of the paper.
25.5.20, I drew our then outside cat outside the summerhouse where he used to sleep. Now the bushes have grown up and hubby has stored bikes in there. I’ve hardly been out this year. Too cold and wet, and it’s overgrown around it. We need to prune plants but my arm is not very strong and the muscles ache.
I don’t want the place to fall to rack and ruin. I must make more of an effort. I didn’t realise how much this pandemic could take out of you physically despite not catching the virus (hopefully never) I just wish things were better. Not just here, but everywhere. Goodness knows what atrocities are happening in Ukraine. Trucks are stuck on the motorway going to Dover while ferries are held up for health and safety deficiencies. Crops are rotting in fields, de to various problems including lack of workers because of Covid. Meanwhile our Prime minister and Chancellor have been fined for attending parties, when they had bought in laws to stop the public meeting up at parties – or stopping relatives visiting their loved ones who were dying of Covid. Many bad things, mad things, stupid things. I despair of people!
Memory of a sundae/ knickerbocker glory from my childhood. We went up the Great Orme mountain at Llandudno in Wales and I think we were treated to these? Or maybe it was a Wimpy cafe? Great memories. Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was decadent. I think this is x
How to draw a hurricane… I’m doing a project about a dragon and it has to fly through a hurricane to get home I hope it will be a fun adventure story for children. The final image is black and white and much simpler than this but I wanted to try and create a dynamic swirl of colour. Digital drawing.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was Peace. I decided to draw yellow roses against a blue background. Used felt pens, Hoping for peace in Ukraine. I know its a vain hope but I can wish.
View through silver Birches of three chimneys at Etruria Industrial Museum today. I think only the short stumpy one on the right is at the flint Mill, the thin metal one and the tall brick one seem to be to be on the side on another part of the industrial site. The buildings there look derelict with holes in one of the roofs. I hope the large chimney is stable. Sketch done on the balcony at the back of the museum.
Mallaband-Brown