Coastline work in progress

More exploration of that coastline. 

Stage 2 (stage 1 in next slide if you're on Instagram). I collaged some Mulberry paper on top of the bits I had overworked. Splashed some more paint about. Scribbled some more in oil pastel. And will need to think about what to do next. I was writing a note yesterday about energy. I always associate energy with lots of scribbles. But that's my dispersed energy (probably my default mode). How do I express my focused energy? And will painting it help me achieve that state?

This is stage 1. I've already added too much oil pastel on top since I took this photo. So I might have to do something drastic to recover from that move. I'm glad I have this photo, so I can be reminded of the simplicity and freshness I can achieve with a minimal amount of strokes.

Syncline x6

What would I do without Shelley? I hope I never have to face a world where I can't spend a couple of hours painting with her. She is my muse. 100%. Yes, I paint or sketch most days of the week, but it's only when I paint with her that it all comes together.  Complete state of flow. I am so lucky to have her in my life.

I worked on all 6 pieces at the same time. Halfsheet watercolour, divided by masking tape. This paper is actually over 600gsm, so I could do a lot more to it, but some of the pieces are done. I will put it up on the shelf behind me for a while before I cut it up.

Sketching at Bear Mrkt

Had a bit of extra time at Bear Mrkt. And decided to sketch the pastries. I used a limited range of colour pencils. A little girl (and her little brother) was very interested so I gave them some markers and a spare page to play with. When they were done, they gave me their drawings. So I decided to include one of them on this page. I have now added pink sprinkles to some of the pastries to balance the page better. Didn't taken another photo, though, so you'll have to believe me.

Pencils4Tea 3 July 2024

I was feeling quite tired and wasn't sure I would be able to attend Pencils4Tea on 3rd of July. But I'm so glad I showed up. Felt so energised after this session. Everyone is so wonderful and our host Kirsty is always kind and upbeat. 

All done over two spreads and a bit in my sketchbook. As always, some worked out better than others!

 

Thumbnails

Time seems to be running away from me these days. I enjoyed the time spent doing these little thumbnails. But when I consider that I can do two large paintings in one session, it seems like I'm achieving very little at the moment. And I really need to learn how to hatch fast - it felt very laborious. Just give me a brush and some watercolour!

 

Refillable fine-liner pen - Tom's studio

I kept getting ads for this on Instagram, and eventually, the advertising worked. I got myself a Lumos pen from Tom's Studio. So, basically it's a fineliner that you can refill. It comes with many different nibs. And it's easy to refill. I needed a bit of help in unscrewing the nib holder (I have no strength in my hands!), but apart from that, it was very easy. Will it replace my Fude or Parallel Pen? Probably not, but I'm sure I will find a use for it.

A few ArtNet people

Sketching at ArtNet DLR's monthly coffee dock. I've been missing a lot of them, but I really enjoyed this session. It's just chatting with the people who happen to sit beside you, really. And sketching the people across the way keeps me grounded, no pressure to make conversation, because I'm sketching! I added the paintings in the background afterwards. In reality these paintings were behind me, but I liked the colour scheme so placed them behind my sitters instead.

More squiggles

Putting these up for completeness sake. But nothing more to add to my previous post. These were all I could accomplish during that session.

When you need soothing

Today was supposed to be a special day. But one message from one person, who meant no harm, really?, sent me into a tail spin. I still can't comprehend that they would believe I would have supported a racist slur! All I can assume is that they presumed I had heard something, which I didn't hear. Anyone who knows me knows 1. that I would never support racism and 2. that I am autistic and it affects my auditory processing (in other words, I have difficulty processing spoken words, particularly in an environment where there is a lot of noise or many voices - which is why I am not comfortable in large groups and why I prefer things in writing). 

Anyway, there was no way I was going to be able to paint anything after that. So colour swatches to the rescue. Not that it has made me feel much better. But I'll settle for a little better.

Energy?

Trying to dig a little deeper into the theme of energy and life for these experiments. Figuring out what elements of design I can tweak to express these. I introduced warmer colours and stronger lines. But lost everything else I liked about my previous versions. That's ok. It will all come together eventually. I'm only just getting started. First one is 26x26cm, the other was done on Arches Rough, a little bigger than A4. Watercolour and oil pastels.

Phibsborough on a hot afternoon

It's a rare thing, but I couldn't settle to sketch anything on that hot Sunday afternoon. It was crowded and noisy and warm. Normally I always decide on a spot to sketch within a few minutes, but this time, I walked for at least half an hour before I decided. And nothing seemed to work out. I do like the orange church done with a tempera stick and neocolor 2! 

At the beach

I wasn't going to join this session, as I was feeling tired, but I'm so glad I attended. I felt energised by it. Sketching online with a small group of people is perfect for me. I really like the format of these sessions organised by Suhita Shirodkar - it always gives me freedom to explore tools and techniques. And I would never be at a beach where there are so many people in real life. Living in Dublin, I avoid the seafront on sunny days, knowing that the traffic will be hell, it will be too noisy. I much prefer our beaches in the winter, with noone around.

Also, couldn't resist this photo. Sometimes, it's challenging to photograph my art, as Sumi thinks that it's time for a cuddle on the bed!

Between a rock and a hard place

Still at the same place, same time. But zoomed in on a small space of clear water between two slabs of rock that plunge through the ocean. Love this interaction between land and sea, this idea of the energy of the rocks rising through the water, and the water eroding the rock, forever locked in their embrace.

These two pieces work better seen at a little bit of distance. One done on hot press, with Neoart as a resist to start with, followed by watercolour, then oil pastel. The other one on cold press, with a very loose watercolour wash, followed for oil pastel for highlights and detail. Loved how the oil pastel glides. Was very satisfying. Both are 26x26cm. I switched back and forth between them as I was waiting for watercolour to dry. I love some aspects of each. They're all my babies after all.

Neoart vs Neopastel

Trying Neoart (by Caran d'Ache), a "wax oil pastel". It will be interesting to compare it to my oil pastels. On first impression, the oil pastels I have (Neopastel, also a Caran d'Ache product - somehow I can't find any trace of me swatching the colours) glide so much better. But Neoart sticks might be a good option for my sketchbooks, where they might not transfer as much as Neocolor 2. I haven't done proper testing yet. Do I ever do proper testing?

Travel experiments with a waterbrush

Thank you to @earthsworld for the reference photos. I just don't seem to be in sketching mode when I travel to Belgium, so these images from Instagram were a great way for me to experiment with a waterbrush I bought in Lyon. I'm not a waterbrush fan. But these have a large reservoir and are easy to fill. Of course, I have no idea what brand they are. I got rid of the packaging, and I'm not going rummaging in my recycling bin! So, it was a good opportunity to test one of them while I was in my hotel room in the evening. Using them for portraits, not something I do in watercolour normally, is not going to lead me to final conclusions about them. But it was enjoyable. And frustrating.

Around Teeling Distillery

Great views from the Aloft Hotel rooftop bar. The area has changed so much since I last was there.

 

Sliver, Plunging, Gliding

48x48cm. On Hahnemulhe Cornwall hot press paper. One done on front of paper. The other on reverse. I like both. The paint behaved differently, and I need to take note. This is still inspired by the same sliver of a big landscape, where rocks plunge into the Ocean near Allihies. Or rather where the rocks are pushed out of the Ocean. I must check if Stabilo Woodies are acid-free and permanent. Probably not. But they are so smooth and gliding.

Pencils4Tea 19 June 2025

I'm hoping to have a few weeks without too much travel, so I can draw weekly at Pencils4Tea. I felt a bit rusty at this session (19 June 2025). But felt so good afterwards!