New paintings and regular art updates.
I also had the opportunity to draw a steam roller that was parked up outside the museum. Felt pen drawing again. I found out they are not waterproof as a few spots of rain fell and left drip marks on the drawing! I actually saw this driving along the street on Thursday. I asked the owner and he said he had taken three hours to drive the twenty miles from Stafford. It’s certainly an impressive beast!
Two sketches in Etruria today. A corner house and the White bridge over the Trent and Mersey canal. Both were done in response to an online virtual sketch out with #uskstoke (Stoke Urban Sketchers). There was a zoom meeting, but I couldn’t join as I was out and about and had no Internet access. These are hopefully going to be included in an online ‘street’ of people’s images that represent the city. They were very quick sketches and I tried to draw the corner house a few times, it was difficult to get it to fit on a small sketchpad page…..
Drawn on my tablet in a sketching app.
I didn’t write much because I continued to watch and video the storm. The little films are on my Facebook page, I might try adding them to my Instagram page too.
I’ve never experienced lightening like that. Like a pot on the boil, every couple of seconds there was a flash or actual forked lightening across the sky. Just checked Facebook. Someone’s power went out and their hair stood on end. More worryingly a chimney pot blew off. We then had torrential rain for a while. It’s quieter now but my friends in America said that it looked like the kind of storm they get in Arizona? Still a few bright flashes. Still hellishly hot and humid. Glad I unplugged my computer….
Drawn outdoors, we met with an old friend today, properly socially distanced. I was wearing a mask and gloves, and with my glasses on I feel reasonably safe. I ended up drawing my friend and when he went off for a walk I drew the landscape. There were some big trunked willow trees with wrinkly bark in the background, there tiny leaves contrasting with their aged, thick branches and trunks. It has been an overcast day so the colours were not brilliant. After this I took some photos of some interesting views of the area and some of the weedy plants growing along the track. I might post pictures later. When I got home I saw the USK challenge was to draw what’s good for you, and this was it!
X
Today’s Urban sketchers challenge Stoke-on-Trent was ’round the corner’ so I drew the yard looking out of the back door.
The yard is full of hanging baskets and pots as you will have seen on a previous post. I guess I could have gone out and drawn the main road round the corner from my street. But this is a more pleasant view. Hard to draw all the leaves and flowers. You find yourself losing the detail as you draw more of them. I have to bring my mind back and fight against going into autopilot mode. Controlling where the pen moves instead of just scribbling.
X
Not my favourite challenge, but I looked out of the window and saw various triangles. I rearranged the clothes on the airer so they made definite triangles, and the coats on the cupboard were hanging down in a triangle. I left the standard lamp out because it didn’t help the composition. The acrylic paint I used is quite opaque and as the group I’m in is called Urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent I felt the sketchy feel was OK. If I had been doing a ‘proper’ painting I would have done a more realistic, painterly I ture. But I was concentrating on the triangles….
Urban sketchers Stoke-on-Trent challenge today, Light. I had got some new permanent markers so decided to do something colourful. I did use a fine liner pen and a 6b pencil. Also used an almost dried up pale blue felt pen to add some shading to the window frame. The standard lamp has a lampshade covered in sequins. (speckles on the drawing). There will be another challenge in a couple of days. I wonder what it will be….
OK so today’s Urban sketchers challenge was to draw snacks. I chose pringles, my favourite apart from salt and vinegar crisps. Its not the most exciting drawing I’m afraid.
This challenge is every other day. Saturdays challenge was to draw red square in Moscow, but I’m afraid I didn’t get round to doing that. I have saved one of the photos so I might have a go later in the week.
Toothache is getting me down at the moment!
X
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.
X
I am still sketching, a new person is posting challenges for Stoke-on-Trent urban sketchers and it is great to be inspired by them. The challenge was locality.
I did a drawing of the view through my window, locality…near a pottery. This is a digital drawing done on my tablet.
The sun has been shining all day and I went out in the garden and pruned back some of the trees that are growing over the summerhouse. The cherry trees are still covered in a large crop which is gradually ripening. No doubt the birds will get them first.
More later.
X
Mallaband-Brown