I’m doing a 1 inch drawing challenge and today’s drawing is of a small tumbler with whisky over ice. It’s not something I do a lot of. But it’s been a long few days with a lot of travel and then singing with a choir this afternoon, I’m shattered ….
Tag: Drawing
A few more paintings
Over the years I’ve done many paintings and drawings, in oil, acrylic, watercolour, pencil, felt pen, charcoal. And I don’t stick to one style, these are a mixture of figurative and abstract, from 1981 up to about 2008. I don’t think I have ever got bored with art.
Some of the art is very patterned, for instance the spiral cat painting, or illustrative, like the tree drawing and the cross hatched picture of the potteries. I find myself using similar techniques when I do digital drawings.
I draw from my imagination, from life and from photographs.
I have occasionally copied paintings, but I always state the work is after the original artist, in other words I make reference to them originating the work. I have only done this on 2 or 3 occassions when someone has asked for a similar picture to one they have seen. Art is a creative business, and the authorship of it should be respected. One concern I have is over copyright. By publishing my art here I realise I am putting it at risk to some extent, but there is the dilemma of wanting to share creativity with others. I doubt anyone would want to copy mine .
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Terracotta warriors
I enjoyed drawing today. We went round the terracotta warriors exhibition at the world museum at Liverpool.
The exhibition was crowded and I felt guilty at standing the way of the crowd as I drew. I got barged a couple of times and someone jarred my arm just as I was drawing one of their faces. But I also got a few complements. It was hard work. I took lots of photos. But drawing really makes you look. And quick sketching makes it all the more of a challenge. I finished my sketchbook but I think it was worth it. I’m hoping my drawing skills are improving. Sometimes I’m still a bit hesitant but that’s to be expected.
October challenge
I’m still doing the drawing a day challenge with our group Stoke urban sketchers. Today I drew the corner of a £10 note, basically I need to do simple drawings every day the Challenge runs. I’m mostly trying to draw sketches of local places together with people when they appear on them.
One inch square is not easy. You need a fine nibbled pen. Careful observation, and care in drawing. I don’t know how easy drawing in a 1 inch Square is for people but I’m definitely struggling.
Cat yoga?
Cats must have done Yoga in one of their 9 lives! How else could they bend and twist like they do?
Well actually its because they have extremely flexible spines and can move fluidly and easily.
Imagine a cat was a slice of toast, it would always land butter side up. There was a joke once about tying a slice of buttered toast to the back of a cat. Because toast is meant to always land buttered side down the result would be a perpetually rotating cat!
Anyway I would never do that to any animal, let alone a kitty.
But joking apart cats can bend their spines so that if they are dropped from an upside down position they can generally turn right way up before they hit the ground. (don’t do this at home). Cats also cushion the fall by landing on their toes. Their legs and rest if their skeletons act like shock absorbers.
So Cats are pretty awesome, flexible, and good to draw!
Adult colouring books
I see perfectly coloured pictures on Instagram that adults have done to release stress, and it’s almost as if they are in competition with each other. No one colours outside the lines. The colors match perfectly and they are always filled in with solid colours.
This is my partners drawing, it’s a bit messy but expressive. He is not an artist but he still wants to enjoy the freedom to relax, he has some problems and doing this helps him relax. Time flows, the pattern of colour grows. When I asked him if he had finished he said he wanted to do some more to it.
It’s fascinating watching him. It’s great that anyone can just do this. Why didn’t someone think of this before?
Art of whatever sort needs to be encouraged. Art is life, the opposite of our stress led world.
Instead of being tied to a computer all day perhaps we should all carry a small sketchbook around with us. Of recycled paper of course
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1 inch sketches.
Three 1 inch sketches for the challenge for urban sketchers Stoke on Trent. One was in the cafe at a local supermarket and the other two were drawn tonight at the pub. The dog would not stay still so I only had a few seconds to look at it. The violinist was playing and again I had to do a very quick sketch.
I enjoy drawing and it’s good to challenge yourself with something new.
More to follow over the month.
More sketches
More sketches. These are of the restaurant by the river in Otley (finished), a pine tree outside the wizard tea room at Alderley Edge on the way home where we stopped for lunch. A woman and her dog sitting outside at a picnic table at the wizard tea room.
We travelled about 140 miles on that day so I was desperate fit a sit down and it was good to sketch while we were waiting for our food. A similar thing happened at the restaurant. We had a bit of a wait so I sketched the view but the food arrived before I could finish it so I added a few details when we were on the way home.
Encaustic
Encaustic is using a small hot iron to melt wax. You then used the iron to place it onto thick card and move it around until you have made a picture. I tend to draw patterns with it I like the arched shapes and feathered patterns you can make with the pointed end of an iron.
Other things you would need are newspaper to place the cards on while you are working with hot wax. Pointed heated styluses to draw into and with the wax, a fire blanket to place underneath everything. Cloth to clean the iron between different colour waxes and also soft cloth to burnish the final peice and bring out the shine of the wax.
Our set has about two dozen colours so there can be plenty of choices of wax to create different patterns.
I learnt to do this from one of the workshops our art group organises from time to time.
Today at Gladstone
I’m in a group called urban sketchers. Today we braved the wind and cold and went out to draw and sketch there. I got quite chilly and damp but it was worth it. There were about 8 or 9 of us there.
There is so much to see at the Gladstone Pottery museum. Plus there is a nice little shop with Pottery for sale and a good friendly cafe upstairs.
Sited in Longton, Stoke on Trent, the Gladstone Pottery museum shows you the history of ceramics. There is a flushed with success section about toilets and a display of ceramic flower making, pot throwing, an old engine house, a doctors house and surgery. A selection of historical tiles and much more.
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Mallaband-Brown 