11 years ago

About 11 years ago I drew this self portrait. I was with a group of other people who went to a pencil drawing workshop. What strikes me the most about this is how chubby I was, it reminds me how I’ve changed.

The sketch was done using a small makeup mirror and it was impossible to see my whole face at once, but I did my best. In one section of the drawing I almost rubbed through the paper trying to remove some of the graphite. That’s why there is a dark smudge on one of the cheeks.

We were told the drawings would be used for the London Road festival in Stoke. Imagine my surprise when I was driving home one day and this was attached as a 6ft square banner on the front of an empty shop. I now have it at my studio at spode.

I forgot the arm!

How would these stay up?

I’ve made an ‘armless’ sketch of big glasses. I was just trying out some textures in my sketchbook app.

Do you know you can tell if someone is short or long sighted depending on whether their eyes look bigger (long sighted) or smaller (short sighted). That is dependent on the convex or concave nature of the lenses in their glasses.

If you are very short sighted your eyes will look smaller than if you are only mildly affected. It also depends on whether your spectacle lenses are made of glass or plastic.

If you ever watch a TV programme or film with an actor wearing glasses then look at the lenses. If the light catches them you can see if the glass is flat, then you know they don’t really need glasses!

Little bird drawing

Two versions, one digital drawings. When you have done something don’t be afraid to play with filters. It may or may not pay off, but you don’t know if you don’t try.

I need to get my paints out and do some real painting instead of doodling here. It’s OK, but a screen isn’t ideal for artwork. It gives me pleasure to do things, keeps my hand in, but it’s not much more than finger painting? Although looking at David Hockneys digital work it can be so much more. Just keep learning and practicing…

Old digital sketch

Drawn with dots at a now defunct site called sketchfu. The site had a colour picker, about six round brush sizes. An opacity/transparency setting, zoom option and a pallette. Not many tools, but simple to use and it attracted a lot of traffic (thousands of users). In the end the owners abandoned it, they ghosted us moderators (I was one) I think they sold the site off.

Look into my eyes

I was just watching a programme called ‘Glow up’ about make up artists competing to win a make up artist of the year award. They are all young, enthusiastic people and the work they did was amazing. The first challenge was to create fresh makeup for an advertising campaign. The results were varied between very subtle and very bold. The second challenge was to create a make up which represented the place the contestants came from. One competitor came up with a bee for Manchester on her models nose, and eagles wings using feathers on the models eyebrows.

I’ve never seen this programme before on BBC 1, but I’m glad I did. I have done a small amount of face-palming in the past but this was on an entirely different scale. Really amazing and artistic! My sketch here is nothing in comparison. X