Finding it hard to sketch on this trip. Just not in the mood. It wasn't a "let's have fun exploring the world" kind of trip. And on the one morning I had hoped to go sketching around Brussels, it was pissing rain. Still, I got to sketch my mother while she was sleeping, which she does a lot these days. I did some colour swatches with a watercolour dot sheet I had brought with me. And I drew a plane!
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I’m travelling at the moment, but a black pencil was all that I needed to experiment with this Week 6 assignment! Infinite possibilities!
I'm getting to the stage when I want to start thinking a little bit more. Think about layers and pulling back. and also think about keeping that bright area that I love so much. another seven weeks to go, I'm enjoying the exploration without an end in mind. Full sheet diary painting.
I had to think about this one, process the information, listen to the first Q&A, and then I decided I wanted to combine various elements I have enjoyed in the last few weeks, week 2 and week 4 in particular. So here is the one with a limited palette (Mayan Yellow, Quin Gold, Carmine Red and Phthalo Blue red shade). I knew I would get some deep darks with phthalo blue, and that the Sennelier Carmine red is super strong. I wanted two yellows for a bit more variety. I also used yellow and blue Dermatograph pencils (they're essentially a resist). That's more or less it.
I definitely want to explore more of this after the course is finished. I don't have more time this week to pursue it further, but will make notes in my studio book. Squiggles, strong splashing, and lifting with a plastic card are three types of marks that feel very me, and yet, I would have avoided them in the past in my watercolours, as I felt that they were not "painterly" enough. Whose voice is that talking??
Close-ups
Sometimes I get into a funk. I feel different from people around me, I listen to them, they don't seem to even hear me. Then I just shut down. My sketch is a mess. And I leave, feeling defeated. Even within my tribe, some feel like family, some don't. That's life. That's ok.
Representational - crazy version with a lot of abstract marks and colours. Too much for me, and the colours ended up feeling too weak for my liking. I like strong colours.
It's always interesting when you know something intellectually and it still surprises you when you do it in practise. In this case, chaos with lots of colours versus chaos in a limited palette. Contrast and Harmony.
We have started our journey through Ranelagh. For our first outing, the idea was to sketch between Ranelagh Gardens and the Triangle. Most people don't read instructions. I know that. But I do. So here you are.
First sketch at the Triangle, where the profile of the roofs where the Spar and the adjoining shops are hasn't changed in a long time. The advertising on the wall was a recurring video. I chose Aer Lingus's advertising of their direct Las Vegas flights. Some person thought it was a good idea to throw a slice of pizza on the ground. The pigeons descended. Surprisingly, it was still there when I left. It must have been pretty bad.
Second location, at the end of Ranelagh Gardens, Chelmsford Close, is it? Beautiful terrace of houses, but pretty tight car parking. Wouldn't like to have to park there every day!
Third location. I got so cold that I had to seek shelter in a café. It was one of those grey, dampish days where you feel the cold through your bones. I went to Urban Health. Lovely matcha latte. Maya was sitting at the window and I joined her. We sketched these 3 men chatting outside the gym nutrition shop. They were gone before we were finished, but thankfully, we had each other's sketch to complete the trio. Then I couldn't resist the coffee machine and other café bits and pieces.
Haven't decided if I will add colour to the last three sketches. I certainly need to connect them all better. I think we're going back there next week, so that might be a good opportunity!
This online session was on the 11th of October, but you know I'm always behind in posting, so I'm not very seasonal. Most people are thinking about Christmas already. Anyways, This was great fun. The photo I worked from was basically this orgy of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes and colours. I worked on an orange ink background (I had only partially covered my page). I drew and coloured with pencils and Neocolor, then added black ink with a Kakimori nib. It was all very enjoyable. And I don't care that I have very little structure. That's how I see the world.
This is what I do when I'm at the hairdresser's This time, no self-portrait. After struggling with sketching hands the previous day, I felt the need to look at my own hands. Not easy. I need to find some shortcuts that will enable me to sketch convincing hands without spending hours at it! Probably just need to draw a square or rectangle so I keep the hand confined to its proportions rather than growing in random directions!
The more I look at this exercise from our Inspiration week, the more I'm learning. So I went back to another of Uma Kelkar's beautiful cloud paintings. This time I didn't just think "I want to paint clouds like hers". I dug a little deeper and took note of things that I notice in a particular painting, i.e. hard edges, very light value, some white gaps, beautifully balanced grey mixes, and painting wet on dry. So I applied some of these items to a landscape from the West of Ireland - where our clouds are very different. I like how it worked out. Very different from the clouds I painted two days ago. By the way, the last few landscapes have all been inspired by our recent trip to the Dingle Peninsula, in particular Clogher Head, which is, literally, my favourite place on earth. It's all sky, ocean and bare rocks.
In the urban sketching side of my world, I would like to introduce more textures in my sketches. For this one, I was inspired by Suhita Shirodkar. I love the energy of her sketches, the colours, the squiggles. And also I noticed I loved how she sometimes uses one colour to connect all the elements together. Here is what I have done with this sketch in my exploration of these elements I am stealing from other artists! Thank you to my fellow Dublin sketchers who never mind how I disfigure them!
A new diary painting. I will need a bit of time to find my way through it.
Learning to let go
When masking fluid lifts the whole paper (Bockingford, too soft for masking fluid, why did I not test it?), and all that's left of my diary painting after 3 weeks is some cut-off remnants. We'll start again, and it will be different.
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| After lifting the masking fluid. It lifted a whole layer of paper. |
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| Before lifting the masking fluid |
This one wasn't so much about an emotion, but about the feeling of being in that place which is very dear to my heart. Watercolour on cold press paper, half sheet. Clearly didn't think about composition. A crop would definitely help here. When I have time, I will try a different version, with softer edges too where the rain kisses the land. Still, when I look at it, it brings me right back, better than the photo I used to inspire me.
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My four sketches from the Street View World Tour get together. I struggled a bit. Maybe I need to go back to drawing larger. Postcard size is really not me. Loved the little Ukrainian flag in the first one, a scene from Ireland (and not County Clare or Tipperary, which sport the same colours - this was County Roscommon). And another Irish connection with the last one, a shop in New York importing Irish goods. I liked the green horsey in the window - my view was different from others, as I had moved around on Google Street view and the shop window was completely different. Also interesting to see the different styles of street lamps in 3 of the 4.
We were supposed to be sketching the old Grafton Cinema, long gone, now the White Company (a very nice shop). But a digger came along, and you know me and diggers! Simply couldn't resist! Added the colour at home.
Another day, another feeling, this time representational. Watercolour, quarter sheet, Lamp Black and Grey of Grey, on cold press paper. From our recent trip to the Dingle Peninsula. Looking back towards Mount Brandon, always hidden in the clouds.
Another day another feeling. I used watercolour and ink for this one. And yes, it feels completely different if you rotate it. But this is the way I felt it expressed my feelings best when I woke up that morning.
