Back to Basics

I got a few of my watercolour, collage & pastel works framed this week, and I'm proud of the result! Modesty is not a quality that I possess. My only problem is that we're running out of walls, and I have a good few paintings stacked in wait for the next rotation.

But never mind that. What I wanted to talk about today is drawing. I love painting, applying colours to canvas or paper - acrylics, watercolours, pastels. The brighter the colour, the better. But my problem is that I'm not very good at drawing. Or rather, I'm not very patient with myself when it comes to measuring lines and angles. The result is often less-than-realistic images. I work my way around that by tracing when needed, but that's not very artistic!

I can draw when I apply myself, though I'm not a neat drawer - I did complete the Betty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain workbook, after all. But I lack the discipline!


I came across this article recently that has inspired me to get back to basics and draw some more. So, I've cut my viewer out of a piece of cardboard (I've got 2 sizes - 12"x8" & 10"x6"), I set up a simple still life and I've started measuring and drawing, going step by step. The next stage is to apply the darkest shading. I'll let you know how I get on!

Note how I propped my viewer with a couple of low bowls. I hate holding a viewer while I'm drawing, as I can't keep it at the same angle and distance for long. What I should do is make little legs for the back of it, like an old-fashioned picture frame.