Edinburgh Castle by zoom.

Posted on May 2, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Drawing, Edinburgh Castle, Quick sketch, Sketching, Staffordshire, Urban Sketchers, Urban sketchers Stoke on trent, Virtual visitLeave a comment

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Urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent are holding weekly virtual visits to places we cannot go to at the moment. This week it was Edinburgh Castle.

About fifteen of us joined a zoom meeting to draw scenes from the castle and its grounds. We use Google to find the images to draw.

In my case I was late joining, and there was only a short time for me to draw before our throw down, that’s where we all get together to show our art, and to take pictures for a joint photograph of the results.

I’m not sure where we are going next week. But I’m enjoying these virtual visits.

Drawing flowers for a border.

Posted on May 2, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Border, Drawing, Flower border, Flowers, Learning, Plant, Poem, Poetry, Sketch, TextLeave a comment

sketch-1588435527385 I just drew these flowers, then tried to position them as borders for the edge of a page. The thing wasn’t working so I added blank pages to make it more of a border. I’d taken a photo of the drawing so there was shadow on the paper. I made a bit of a mess trying to use an airbrush tool on it, so there are some areas which are a bit to shady round the flowers. Then I decided to see how I could use it for a poem, so I wrote it line by line. Positioning each line in turn.

It’s not brilliant, but it’s not something I’ve done before.

Day fourteen USK challenge.. Pets

Posted on May 2, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Black and white cat, Cat sketch, Challenge, Drawing, Life, Pet, Pet drawing, Sleeping, Sleeping cat, Staffordshire, Urban sketchers Stoke on trent4 Comments

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I drew this at about 3.30am but waited to post till now. This is my fourteenth urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent drawing.

I have tried to draw the darker areas with heavier pen strokes. The lighter ones I’ve drawn with the same pen, but trying not to put as much pressure on. I used a unipin ink pen 0.8 size nib. On an A5 sheet of cartridge paper.

The stripey thing he is lying on is a knitted cushion in the shape of an owl. It’s my cats favourite sleeping spot as it’s over the gap between the chair arms of our two arm chairs, so he gets the chance to sleep between the two of us when we are there. He’s lying there now. Dozing…

Another drawing

Posted on May 1, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Drawing, Glass, Life, Pattern, Sketching, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Usk Stoke-on-TrentLeave a comment

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Today’s #uskstoke challenge, day 13, Friday, back gate / door. As I don’t have a back gate these are reflections and distortions in the window of my back door. I hope you can see my hands and the black sketchbook reflected in the frosted glass. (it it frosted or patterned?). Anyway it’s quite difficult to draw your hands while you are drawing. They tend to move about, so this is more of an impression.

Some of the colour is outside, some inside. I think the patch of red and orange above my hands might be my face? I know the sketchbook is too small, bit it was difficult to see where the book ended and my cardigan started….

Drawing faces

Posted on April 29, 2020April 29, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Black and white, Cartridge paper, Cross hatching, Drawing, Face, Life, Pen and ink, Renaissance, Sketch2 Comments

Last night I was watching a programme about the European renaissance. You know, one of those ones where you get a glimpse of paintings for a few seconds, before they are on to the next face or body. Impossible to draw a face from there.

One revelation was that the Greek and Roman statues would have had painted patterns and faces coloured when they were first carved. As the centuries between then and the renaissance passed, the colours would have faded or washed away. The response of sculptors like Michaelangelo was to carve their figures out of bright white carrera marble. Because what they were seeing coming out of the ground was sculptures that had lost their paint.

That is why I drew patterns and shade on this drawing, it’s an imagined figure. If I had some good colouring pencils I might colour it in… I will look.

Vehicle

Posted on April 29, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Daily challenge, Drawing, Sketches, Staffordshire, Urban sketchers Stoke on trent6 Comments

I drew this today. Its part of the urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent challenge day eleven. I think most people drew their cars outside their houses. Few are moving anywhere. Batteries will be going flat. Spark plugs are dry, oil has settled in the bottom of the engine.

The tree shaped marks on the drawing are the pattern on my net curtains. Well you can’t have people walking past and looking in, can you?

Bread making, USK S-O-T challenge.

Posted on April 28, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Baking, Black and white, Bread, Cooking, Drawing, Food, Ink pen, Kitchen, Oats, Rye flour, Sketch, Sketching, Staffordshire, Urban sketchers Stoke on trentLeave a comment

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Making not made! I found some rye flour and half a pack of yeast in the cupboard. Hubby and I both worked on it. Really tough to knead. We added porridge oats because it was too squidgy and I’d run out of flour. It’s taking time to rise but hopefully it will be OK… X

Update, cooked OK its a bit doughy in the middle. Not bad. Had some hot with butter.

I did the drawing as today’s challenge was something you’ve made for the urban sketchers new challenge. It’s black ink pen in my A5 cartridge paper sketchbook.

Friends Thai Restaurant..

Posted on April 27, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Drawing, Food, Picture, Sawadee Thai taste, Sign, Stoke-on trent, Take away, Tasty food, Thai restaurantLeave a comment

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Just drawn this sign for my friends Thai Restaurant. Sawadee Thai Taste in Stoke-on-Trent. She has a hand written sign in biro saying she is doing take away. But no one can see it. So while I go and collect a meal I’m going to drop this off.

I think in these stressful times it’s important to help out, even though this is only a little help…

So many small local businesses are going to close with the virus impacting on them. I want to support what I can.

Task I hate….

Posted on April 27, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Charcoal sketch, Drawing, Life, Staffordshire, Task I hate, Urban sketchers Stoke on trent, Washing upLeave a comment

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Urban sketchers, day 9. We were asked to draw a task we hate. Well I hate washing up. Mainly because I have dermatitis on my hands. I can’t wear gloves because I’m allergic. The water gets too hot even with the thermostat at its lowest (very efficient boiler). The sink is too small and leaks. The sides are too shallow so we get tidal waves if my hubby washes. Then I have to dry the surrounding six foot and the floor! The draining board is a bit small too. The microwave side gets soaked when he puts stuff on the drainer. Which is why I do the task most often, even though hating it!

Sketch is in an a5 sketchpad, cartridge paper, using charcoal pencil.

A task I love

Posted on April 26, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Drawing, Fun, Garden, Gardening, Hanging baskets, Love, Planting, Plants, Sketching, Staffordshire, Urban sketchers Stoke on trent2 Comments

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Urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent new challenge, a task you love.

I am trying to plant up hanging baskets, but I only have a few plug plants, and a bit of compost to put them in.

Luckily some of my plants overwintered and are regrowing, so I have a few fushia plants, a lobelia, and some trailing plants with pale purple flowers that is in this basket. I’ve put a few begonias in the pot hanging below it.

I put one basket under another to get a tiered effect. Usually these are full of plants, now I’ve done two with tumbler tomatoes which you put in baskets and as they grow they hang down for picking.

Yes these are tasks I love. X

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Drawing