New paintings and regular art updates.
Today’s Urban sketchers drawing was to draw what’s in a bag. I have drawn a plastic bag containing different items obscured by the plastic.
Ink pen size 0.5,iI think I possibly should have used a bigger nib? But it did mean I’ve goy some nice fine lines. I think we are about half way through this set of challenges. The are happening three times a week. It’s keeping my mind occupied. I have other things I need to get done that I’m putting off!
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Texture and pattern. Today’s Urban sketchers challenge was drawing a souvenir so I drew a Thai woman and baby doll that my friend gave me. As I’m doing textures and symbols on my illustration course I decided to try out different marks to show the knitting on the cushion underneath the doll.
I have been doing a lot of pen and ink drawings lately, not using pencil or charcoal much. Maybe I should try some other techniques?
It was another drawing challenge with Stoke Urban Sketchers, but I think it means more than that…. I am privileged to live in a country where we have sufficient rain, most of the time, to fill our needs. Last year we decided to have an outside tap fitted. It means that if there is drought we can use watering cans and a hose to water the garden. Ideally we need to fit a waterbutt to become more self sufficient. Drawing a tap is significant, a basic I sometimes take for granted.
The need for fresh water is a desperate problem across a lot of the world. There are charities you can donate to including Wateraid which is trying to bring fresh water to some of the poorest countries in the world.
So I’m just suggesting making a small donation. Each tiny drop of water from many people can turn into a torrent if enough of us give. If you can wash your hands it aids the health of people, the ability to grow crops and reduces famine and disease.
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I just had to find circles to draw for today’s Stoke on Trent urban sketchers challenge. I hope ellipses count as tipped up circles. In that case there are rings, a mug, a dream catcher and a mobile in this sketch… If not I guess the dream catcher and mobile in the window count. Black ink on cartridge paper. Next drawing due Sunday I think….
This was my drawing of the Dorothy Clive Garden on 6.5.18. It’s recently reopened but with a booking system so you have to book morning or afternoon slots to visit. There is a self service system at the cafe. I hope we can go one day next week if the weather improves, after a month or more of sunshine we have been having rain for the last few days. Good for all gardens including the Dorothy Clive.
It will be lovely to see different landscapes, beautiful flowers, and peaceful water features.
When you draw a place you are interpreting the world in a different way to simple photographs. That’s why I enjoy it. Trying to tame nature and describe it.
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As I was busy yesterday I missed doing a drawing of something local that was the prompt from stoke urban sketchers. I wanted to do a picture of somewhere a bit further away as my local pottery is not the most exciting image and I’ve already drawn it.
This is Penkhull Church at the top of our hill. It was built in the Victorian era and it is a lovely piece of architecture and centre of the community. It needs some restoration, which has partly been done but as with everything old work needs to continue on it.
If you ever feel like donating I’m sure there is some sort of fund that donations can go to. I don’t know exactly where.
Lots of activities are held there, from services, music festivals and the yearly mystery plays. The local theatre group has held musical evenings there too.
Anyway I might do the next challenge tomorrow. I’m not sure what it will be. Looking forward to it.
Part of my study is to come up with patterns or shapes to indicate individual letters. You are supposed to use shapes you sketch with or others that fit into a usable vocabulary of marks. I shade a lot but also use dots and dashes. I have added straight lines and spirals. Some squiggles. I wonder if I should have added curves or ellipses. It’s hard to decide what shapes to use. I wanted things to be quite organic, and I’ve used various pens to see how each would look.
I may have completely got the wrong end of the stick, but I’m hoping this is what they want. Perhaps I should have made it neater. Not sure.
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As part of my coursework I need to come up with a different mark for each letter of the alphabet. The first decision is to choose what tool to use to make these marks. I have used a 0.8 tip unipin ink pen. But I could have chosen charcoal, or a brush, or some other form of mark making. Then I could choose colours as well as shapes. I am not sure if I have chosen the right sort of format. The next step will be to draw something using shapes for a few letters only. Say five or six of them. Maybe my shapes are too small? It’s all like a big puzzle.
I’m drawing so much, I had to go and buy some new drawing pens today. Six thin to thick pens. I look forward to using them for new projects. I will start using them over the next few days. They contain pigmented India ink whick which has maximum light fastness, they are waterproof, odourless, permanent and have other attributes that seem to make them ideal for drawing with.
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Mature tree in the park, today’s #uskstoke challenge was Nature.
This was the first time I had been out to a park in ten weeks (well longer as I don’t generally go to them). The weather was lovely, and no one came near to me and two friends. We didn’t get close. At one point I started to fill up with tears at the immense feeling of freedom. It suddenly hit me that I was with two people whose company I enjoy and who I haven’t been able to have a proper talk with for months.
I get on with my hubby, but this was a real release. I did go out wearing a mask and gloves like I do when I’m shopping. I was offered a fold up chair, but I declined because I’m still very nervous of touching anything outside the house. When I came home I washed my hands and face. I’m going to find it difficult to accept things when they get back to normal.
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Mallaband-Brown