New paintings and regular art updates.
Drawings for the Stoke-on-Trent urban sketchers group. I was sorry not to see any other urban sketchers there at Etruria today but I was just there to sing with Clay Chorus and the Boat Band. I was getting a lift there and back with someone so I couldn’t stay. First drawing, The Forge with someone sitting on the wall. The second was across the canal on the car park looking back at the festival while waiting for the Shuttle bus. Hampered by a stiff breeze and my hat blowing off twice!
Out painting with a friend
It’s been a month since I went out painting on a windy day, came back and caught my leg in a car door. On Saturday there is an urban sketching meet and I might go. What concerns me is that I will need a table or at least a chair. But on the same day there is a choir performance I’d like to attend. It will be possibly a safer bet as its downstairs and there will be chairs and no steps to negotiate….. It feels scary and good to contemplate getting out and about again. It’s good that two activities I love, art and singing, are both happening on the same day, but I am anxious!
Hubby yesterday, we had gone over to Middleport pottery so I could draw with the Stoke on Trent Urban Sketchers group. We decided to grab a cup of coffee but the cafe was very crowded and I’ve just got over a cold and didn’t want to catch another or worse. I decided to sit at one of the big round tables outside and so took the opportunity to draw my hubby and the canal and view behind him. The pointy thing about a third of the way in on the right is a church steeple but my ink brush wasn’t thin enough to get a point on it! Anyway I was pleased with the results.
May 2020. This is an urban sketch because its ouside drawn in real time. I’m pleased with some of the details I added, like our plastic garden chair with the cut out curves in the back. When I sat and drew our then outside cat sitting by the summerhouse door. I haven’t been in the summer house much since then. I guess things got to me a bit. I didn’t shake then… I need to start feeling like I can be less isolated. But because my balance isn’t as good I always feel like I might tumble over. My hubby is good at leaving things in the way and I’m rubbish at bending over to move them. How did I get like this? It’s easier to hide away in the house. I need to try and sort myself out, but just getting doctors appointments is difficult. Anyway enough feeling sorry for myself. X
Favourite chair in the garden, but gradually getting submerged into the garden….I’ve got a bit of concern because although these are really comfortable one has a slightly broken arm and the other one is a bit rusty in laces. I guess they will need oiling before the autumn rains set in.
This prompt was from the Band of sketchers group I’m in. I decided to add colour to the picture after drawing with black ink. It meant that I could add to the shadows and increase the contrast. I used some purple to intensify the shadow as my green permanent markers are drying up and I don’t have anything darker than a mid green/turquoise.
The shape of the chair is picked up with the angle of the branches beyond it. The branches curve up to where the pears hang down from the branches. They are still green but I added yellow and orange to make them show up better. The flowers at the bottom are mid purple Geraniums but again I didn’t have the right colour.
I’m pleased with the drawing. I might try something different soon though. I seem to be stuck in one style……
Fork in hand, pulling up weeds, tweed overcoat on, wearing a deerstalker hat, and enjoying a showery morning at Shelton allotments. No sketching challenge today, but we later met with some friends at a social distance so I got my sketch pad out again while enjoying a pleasant coffee in a Portuguese cafe. My nerves were a bit jangly after two seperate meetings with people so I wore a mask on both occasions and gloves when I was weeding. It’s hard to think the world might be going back to normal even though covid 19 is still here.
This one is ‘hanging on the wall’ as you can see I’ve got a lot of stuff on the mantelpiece and on the wall. I haven’t drawn the dust! I don’t move stuff around much. I think it would all fall off if I did. I’ve also missed out the crack in the chimney breast.
I’m really enjoying this 30day challenge and hope we continue to do more once this month if work is over. It’s interesting having prompts. I might not like some if them, but it gives me ideas for things to sketch. And also the opportunity to translate them into what fits in around my life.
I’ve reconnected with drawing more over the last couple of weeks than I had done for years. My only sadness is that my eyes are not as acute as they were. I have presbyopia, which means the lens in your eyes doesn’t change shape as well, so it’s harder to focus in on close stuff. I have reading glasses, but when I want to look close, then at distance it’s a bit annoying. Anyway I just peer over the top of my glasses. Plus my lines are wobbly.. But you can’t have everything. It’s just a sketch xxx
Did a sketch of two new plants in the kitchen, my hubby bought them today. Are they essential? No, but gardening helps his mental health, so to him they are.
Is it DIY? That was the challenge, well I guess it’s the closest thing to DIY that’s happening here.
The green splatter of ink was put on first to give a bit of interest and help filling in the area of greenery.
Not sure if I got the perspective right. The plants are about the right scale.
What are they? A Kumquat and a Plum tree. I’m not sure if the Kumquat is edible. Does anyone know? I think it’s just decorative.
Urban Sketchers Stoke-on-Trent is a group of local people interested in drawing and sketching. The drawings should be a general view, so if you draw something you need to include it’s surroundings. Sketches are from life, not photos, and we try and be accurate as much as we can.
The challenge is based on the one urban sketchers in London is running. It runs for thirty days, and lots of people are getting involved.
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I’ve joined a group on Facebook where the idea is to post cheerful things, and not mention the virus.
One of today’s challenges was to post a ‘kettle’ view. I think I took it too literally, this is a view of my kettle.
I posted it, then saw beautiful pictures of kitchens, or views out of the windows of neat and tidy houses.
On a seperate page the urban sketchers challenge was to draw ‘working from home’ as I’m semi retired I’m not really doing that. Craft fairs and exhibitions are off for the time being, and I genuinely have not felt that creative this week. But I wanted to do the challenge, so I drew this. 
Washing up waiting to be done..
It’s still waiting…
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This is a shop just over the road from the waiting room gallery. They sell ancient and modern chimneys, teapots, pottery and other collectables. Today they had a craft fair and they had a lot more stalls than us. Including lovely jewellery, art, fabric, illustrations and mulled wine and minced pies..! They also had santa Claus. I’m amazed that anyone came over and bought from us.
Urban Sketchers, Stoke-on-Trent had a get together and drew pictures of what was happening and what the place looked like. Unfortunately my photos had a reddish shade to them. I’ve tried to correct it on photo editor but it didn’t really work. I want to post better photos but I ve lost my sketchbook
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Mallaband-Brown