New paintings and regular art updates.
As I was finishing my charcoal drawing I saw a creature in the sky. A flying beagle type dog with a white muzzle floppy mouth and long floppy ears (alternatively it could be a loping hare). I don’t know how I managed it, but I didn’t alter it, I just chuckled! I’ll post a photo of the finished drawing later…
I went to the Orme Art Group charcoal workshop today. It was run by an artist called Jo Watson and she taught us various techniques. Here I used brushed on charcoal powder smudged with a rubber tipped tool. Then I used willow charcoal sticks which you put on in a random way, then smudge again to lighten the charcoal. Finally you add darker layers to add contrast but you can tone these back to the paper colour, either by using a putty rubber you can shape, to lift off a layer of charcoal, or you can use a mechanical eraser thar rubs off patches to make the drawing lighter.
Felt pen doodle, started in portrait position but as I drew it I realised it looked better as a landscape piece. I drew right up to the ring binding at the edge of the page so I cropped that out. I also played around with filters and I have posted that to my Mallaband-Brown Instagram page. Greens, greys, turquoise, silver and blacks are the basis of the drawing. On cartridge paper.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was Orange which could be orange peel or orange flames, using various shades of orange and gold. I was going to add blue to the background as its opposite orange on the colour wheel. I love swirling and spirals so that’s where the pattern comes from.
Sundays #bandofsketchers prompt was cuts. This was a head scratcher! I thought of a paper cut and decided to go a bit surreal. Instead of the paper cutting my finger I drew my hand cutting through a page of my sketchbook. Pastle colour felt pens and silver metallic pen.
At the end of a sketch out artists do a throw down where we lay out all our drawings for each other to see. There are fourteen sketches here but I think there were more people attending than that.
There are lots of things to sketch at Keele, there is Keele Hall, various interesting buildings and different architectures. There are also a series of small lakes and an observatory which I once visited, but can’t remember where it is. The number of buildings on the campus has really increased in recent years. There is now a full blown science park there. It’s a long way from when it’s campus was the base for an old British comedy called a very peculiar practice. Based in the 1980’s.
Ten minute pen sketch, my fellow urban sketcher Rita was concentrating on drawing Keele Chapel, she looked chilly in the cold wind!
There was an open day at the University today but they let the urban Sketchers on the carpark. I sat myself down on a bench by the students union and ruffled by the wind that was gusting through the plaza, I sat and drew the Chapel too while watching gazebos rocked by the wind. A whole display of soaps and moisturisers on one craft stall went flying to the ground, it got gloomier and colder. But then about twenty of us gathered to see each others work! What a brisk and breezy morning.
I’ve been out with Stoke urban Sketchers today. It was a breezy cold morning but I need to get back into urban sketching again, I haven’t been along for months. We were at Keele University in Staffordshire. I decided to draw the Chapel, large, brutal architecture, a bit like a castle without the castelations. If that’s what they are called. I tried drawing using a charcoal set I’d bought. It was a bit disappointing, less charcoal, more grey pencil? I used some conte crayon sticks and a few felt pens to add bits of colour. I finished off drawing tiny lines to indicate the walls were made of black bricks. Eventually I went and got a hot drink. Then I came out again and quickly drew one of the other Sketchers. Finally we had a throw down of everyone’s drawings, I might post a photo later.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was Vacant. I tried to draw an imagined pub, with half timbers, closed down and to let on a canal towpath. I would love to find somewhere like this. A quiet drink on a Sunday afternoon… Its a bit skewiff because I was holding the sketch pad at an angle. Felt pens.
Tuesdays #bandofsketchers prompt was bird. This is based on the mad drawings of birds I drew as a child. I later found out about the potters the Martin Brothers? Who did salt glazed ugly birds!
Mallaband-Brown