Day 26 usk challenge

Posted on April 13, 2020April 13, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Biro, Daily challenge, Drawing, Ink, Pen, Sketch, Sketching, Urban sketchers Stoke on trent, View through a window12 Comments

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Quick sketch in biro, looking out of our back living room window into the yard. You might be able to see a dream catcher in the window. There’s a lot of brambles out there growing through from next door. But in the summer it’s full of colourful flowers. I usually cut the brambles so only bits with flower buds re left, then I pick the crop when the fruit is ripe sometimes a squirrel comes along and harvests them before I get there!

I had already ordered hanging baskets that generally arrive in June. I hope they still come. Its something to look forward to.

Waiting for it to warm up a bit, then I’ll go outside and do a bit more.

Old digital drawing

Posted on April 12, 2020April 12, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Astronomy, Design, Digital drawing, Drawing, Expressing myself, Fun, SketchfuLeave a comment

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Ten years ago or so I drew this at sketchfu. It’s an astronomer and a sort of face. I wonder sometimes where I get my ideas from. I enjoy astronomy programmes but I guess this started out as a doodle and then I embellished it. This was what I was talking about when I said about being experimental in a previous post, this isn’t controlled. I didn’t have to use ellipses or straight lines. I was not constrained by any rules.

I have a deviant art account and I used to draw in photoshop and post the results there. I might go back to doing that. Using a phone is simple, but it’s limited.

I have drawn so much in my life. I want to continue….

Mask for today?

Posted on April 11, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Digital art, Drawing, Drawing apps, Fun, Mask, Owl, Sketchfu, SketchingLeave a comment

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Digital drawing I did at the now defunct sketchfu web site, several years ago now. I called it owl mask, which is what it is. The site got too popular and the owners couldn’t afford to keep it going. I have lots of art from there and other websites. Luckily I saved a lot before it closed.

These days there seems to be less freedom, more colouring in images that someone else has drawn, for instance. Less chances to do different styles and ideas.

I think it’s also because of the ubiquitous play stores. It seems hard to find pure drawing websites that aren’t about gaming. Why aren’t more ideas are allowed. It’s hard to know what is going on.

Keep drawing, stay safe.

Playing games

Posted on April 11, 2020April 11, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Chess, Colours, Design, Drawing, Fun, Glass chess set, Playing games, Sketchers, Urban sketchers Stoke on trentLeave a comment

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Oh, the things you find under the cupboard, covered in years of dust. I put it away ages ago because one of my old cats used to squirm under there and get stuck.

My chess set is glass. I hope to play a few games whilst things are locked down here. I’m not good at it, I can’t tell you how far ahead check mate is, and I’m never sure how or when to ‘Castle’.

I drew this because today’s sketching challenge from USK Stoke was playing games and I don’t know where my scrabble set has gone….. Day 24 of thirty. Drawn in pencil crayons and permanent markers.

I enjoyed using these colours, they may not be an exact match for the reality, but red and green are complementary colours, as are orange and blue. I thought they gave it some pizazz…!

Buxton Opera House

Posted on April 11, 2020April 11, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Buxton, Buxton Opera house, Drawing, Grey ink, Permanent marker pen, Sketch book, Sketching, Urban Sketchers, Video conference, Video meeting, Zoom2 Comments

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Today I got together, virtually, with a bunch of friends from Urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent.

We had agreed to meet up and draw a local landmark. So we went ‘out’ on Google Street View, and using Zoom, we each drew the view of a photo of the opera House.

The perspective was interesting, a bit fish eye lens ish, and there was a red bus in the foreground which I think has been truncated because of the method Google uses to take images.

The drawings today are not part if the thirty day #uskstoke challenge, but instead is one for our fortnightly expeditions. However I think we are doing this weekly.

My drawing is in my A4, Windsor and Newton sketchpad. I drew it in the landscape position and it’d dark grey felt pen (nibb ® permanent markers). I used the point to draw the lines, then tipped it so that I coukd use its edge to do some softer shading.

I’ve also used Zoom for the first time. I gradually learnt how to use it, with lots of help from the people in the group and a helper that Zoom technicians had given us for the meeting.

It was good to hear people’s voices, and see them when I’d sussed out the video bit.

Comfy challenge

Posted on April 9, 2020April 9, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Blogging, Cartridge paper, Drawing, Fun, Ink pens, Life, Metallic paint, Painting, Urban SketchersLeave a comment

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A sketch of my very old, but very comfy, pink slippers. Used metallic acrylic paint over the sketch, then added more details in pen over the top.

This was today’s challenge with #uskstoke today. It’s not my best sketch or painting, it’s a bit dark, and you can’t really see the metallic paint. But it was fun to do, and after all, why not?

Wardrobe

Posted on April 8, 2020April 8, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Clothes, Drawing, Jackets, Sketching, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Usk Stoke-on-Trent, WardrobeLeave a comment

IMG_20200408_121700_416 Welcome to my messy house.

Drawing coats hung up on our wardrobe which is in the living room because it’s too big to get up the stairs.

The coats are mainly black jackets. I’m thinking of selling the wardrobe, but it’s full of ‘stuff’ so I will have to empty it. Train sets, a patio umbrella, badminton rackets, a hockey stick…. Things, you know, life!

Anyway this is our 21st days drawing challenge with USK Stoke-on-Trent. Every day is different.

Today it’s a selfie drawing.

Posted on April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Drawing, Life, Mobile, Phone, Selfie, Selfie sketch, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Urban sketchers Stoke on trentLeave a comment

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Wow, I look quite sad in this drawing, but I’m not. It is just my face falls into a slight frown whan I’m concentrating.

Faults with this, my eyes are probably a bit to far apart? Looking at my phone to do this. It’s not the same as looking in a mirror. The image is quite small and the screen kept switching off. The background is a more than thirty year old painting I did at our previous house.

This was today’s challenge for the urban sketchers group in Stoke-on-Trent. Day twenty. Hanging in there.

Today in the garden

Posted on April 6, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Drawing, Flowers, Fun, Garden, Narcissi, Plants, Sketching, Spring, Spring flowers, SunshineLeave a comment

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I drew this today, sitting in the garden, looking at a jumble of narcissi and other plants ( I’m not sure of their names).

Another of the USK Stoke thirty day challenge. I’m really enjoying this series of sketches. Every day a different way of stretching our practice. So many different sketches by different artists. I hope you like this.

Day 18,urban sketchers challenge

Posted on April 5, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Black coffee, Drawing, Fun, Indoors, Life, Sketching, Staffordshire, Stay indoors, Stoke-on trent, Urban sketching, VirusLeave a comment

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This one is ‘hanging on the wall’ as you can see I’ve got a lot of stuff on the mantelpiece and on the wall. I haven’t drawn the dust! I don’t move stuff around much. I think it would all fall off if I did. I’ve also missed out the crack in the chimney breast.

I’m really enjoying this 30day challenge and hope we continue to do more once this month if work is over. It’s interesting having prompts. I might not like some if them, but it gives me ideas for things to sketch. And also the opportunity to translate them into what fits in around my life.

I’ve reconnected with drawing more over the last couple of weeks than I had done for years. My only sadness is that my eyes are not as acute as they were. I have presbyopia, which means the lens in your eyes doesn’t change shape as well, so it’s harder to focus in on close stuff. I have reading glasses, but when I want to look close, then at distance it’s a bit annoying. Anyway I just peer over the top of my glasses. Plus my lines are wobbly.. But you can’t have everything. It’s just a sketch xxx

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Drawing