Finding some old charcoal in the drawer! What can I do with this? I haven’t used charcoal since uni, over twenty years! For a start, I needed some paper without a smooth surface, such as watercolour or pastel paper. I know the paper needs to have some ‘tooth’, in other words some texture or roughness for the charcoal to grip. If the paper is smooth, the charcoal will kind of fall off, and smudge much more easily. I rummaged about in my … [Read more...]
Recreating my favourite field with acrylic paint
Fens nature reserve is fairly close to where I live, in the Midlands. There are several man made pools over there, which were dug out to keep the Stourbridge canal full in the days of canal transport. The pools are now home to ducks, swans, coots, moorhens and an abundance of wildlife. Beyond the pools lies my favourite field. The field runs down the reserve from what appears to be the highest point. In early summer the field is white with … [Read more...]
The Birmingham Urban Sketchers and the Birmingham Jazz Festival
Sketching the Birmingham Jazz Festival. This was a challenge! Sketching bands full of lively musicians, and the deafening sounds of jazz. I little realized how this vibrant atmosphere of colour and beating music was to influence my drawing. The beat seemed to speed up the pace of the drawings and form a kind of rhythm, I didn’t care about the results so much, I was enjoying it and producing looser and more spontaneous work. This was of great … [Read more...]
Urban Sketching – ‘Showing the world one drawing at a time’
You could say that going out sketching is quite traditional and ordinary compared to the exciting changes I foretold in my previous blog. However, it was the urban sketching that triggered these changes. I had got into a rut, life's problems had become overwhelming. I had no inspiration or motivation. All I knew was, I had to overcome this as art was my life. I watched videos and read articles and experiences by other artists. ‘A sketch a … [Read more...]
Creative adventures and changes
I guess you could say, ‘artist’s midlife crisis’. After many years of working with my textiles and botanical photography, I now find myself wanting to use all kinds of materials and methods of working, realizing what I’ve been missing. After all, I’ve done the recreation stuff, the foundation and the degree, I feel as though I want a big change now, and to create whatever I like! I could use colours, patterns, textures, surfaces, mediums and … [Read more...]