New paintings and regular art updates.
Another digital drawing done at sketchfu a few years ago (site now closed). This was a drawing challenge. Artists would post photos and then challenge others to draw the image just using the sites simple tools. I don’t know if the original picture was photographed with ultraviolet light or with blue dye injected into the flowers.
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I struggled with this. I tried to draw a square for our Orme art group collaboration of part of a Pierre Bonnard painting. I thought it looked OK but when I see the pictures side by side? Hmm. I was drawing with marker pens and felt pens, some of which would smudge, others are permanent. Clearly I haven’t been able to blend things that well and also my drawing is not as delicate. But you can’t draw paint brush marks with a felt pen. They say a bad workman blames his tools.. I don’t know…
Today’s sketch for #bandofsketchers, the theme is red. Not many trees in this country turn bright red in autumn. I think that’s because we don’t get cold enough weather to force the chlorophyll out of the leaves to turn them to brighter colours (is the red xanthophyll?) long time since I did O level biology!
Anyway these were on the road outside so I did a quick sketch and then filled it in. I’m afraid I cheated as it was so wet and windy so I did use a reference photo to try and get the right colours. Another sketch with permanent markers.
I like messing about as you know. In this case it’s a butterfly drawn with nail polish. I also used some felt pens to fill in the gaps. Yes it’s a bit strange, but I prefer doing this to just throwing the stuff away. At least the nail polish is locked into the paper and not sent off to landfill somewhere.
I will carry on doing drawings with them till they run out. They could be used to do illustrations. I wouldn’t use them in a children’s book! It might give them the wrong ideas and I am careful to apply a bit at a time to reduce fumes.
I did draw with boot polish once as part if a mark making class. It’s amazing what you can do…. Didn’t JMW Turner add mud and sand to his paintings?
Todays band of sketchers prompt was emotion. I tried to draw myself doing an evil laugh. Permanent marker drawing. I was drawing by the light of a standard lamp to excentuate the shadows on my face. It’s a bit scruffy and odd because some of the pens are running out and it was difficult to differentiate between the colours on the pen tops. I wanted to say ‘Grr Argh!’ which was the sound that was at the end of Buffy the Vampire slayer programmes, oh yes I was a Buffy fan.
Chimney pots outside Cherished Chimneys in Longport, Stoke-on-Trent during Urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent’s national sketching weekend in the Summer of 2019. So many shapes and sizes. We bought a couple as planters and filled them full of summer flowers. They make a terrific display because it raises the plants up above the ground. It’s also a good reuse of an object that might otherwise get smashed and used for hard-core on a building site.
Today’s prompt was Rooves (roofs). I looked out of all my windows and this view from the back of our house came closest to the remit. The sun was low and shining in as I drew this so I had to scoot across the bed so that I didn’t get completely dazzled. Most of the view is taken up with shrubs and trees. A few roofs in the distance, in silhouette. I managed to see more as the sun started to set, but it had to be done quickly. For our #bandofsketchers group.
Late last night I decided to colour in a drawing with nail varnish. I did a picture of ‘the cat sat on the mat’, then I coloured in the background with marker pens.
I had difficulty taking a photo I wanted to include the sheen of the varnish but could only get it with the page tipped up. When you look at it straight on the image is a lot flatter. It’s just a design based on the old cat sat on the mat idea. I can imagine it being used as a children’s book illustration.
I drew some curves and spirals then started adding doodles, including a couple of birds and a face. I started using a fine line black ink pen, but it was running out so I turned instead to a black calligraphy pen. When I’d finished I decided to add colour. That helped accentuate some of the shapes. I could do more but decided to leave it. I called it phoenix because a bird seemed to ge appearing from the background.
Since we are in the Autumn and Halloween is coming up I thought I would draw something spooky in ArtRage oils. I don’t use the application very often, but it has some nice features including a metallic sheen if you turn the tool for metallic oil up. The writing the cracked paint and the lines on the clock were drawn in the Sketch app. I do like mixing things up a bit. I know it’s finger painting, but I like the imprecise way it looks, sketchy and a bit rough.
Mallaband-Brown