Well, I never thought I'd get to the day when I could draw a pine cone! And it's not a fluke, I drew the same pine cone 4 times from the same angle to prove to myself that I could do it! And then I turned it around an looked at details from two other angles! Pine cone collected on one of our walks. Inspiration from Laura McKendry on Domestika!
Laura McKendry has an interesting course on Domestika. I don't really draw natures, as in flowers or birds, very much, but the techniques she teaches are more about loosening up, exploring tools and observing carefully, so that's always good. I pick up a few bits and pieces on our walks, like some leaves or a cherry blossom, and then I draw them with different tools. And now that I think of it, I've always shrunk away from sketching birds, and that's what I'm going to try next!
Trying to combine gestures and faces on these two pages. From The Enchanted Island again (Met HD on Demand). Very dramatic gestures and it's an opera I am happy to rewind again and again - Yes, I worked without using the pause button for these, challenging, but each time you rewind, you see something more and bit by bit you build the gesture. I need to work on hands and feet. That's the next job on the list!!
It's going to be a while before I'm comfortable sketching in the middle of a crowd again - still waiting for our vaccine - it feels like the whole vaccination program has crawled to a halt here in Ireland. Brendan got registered at the weekend, but has heard nothing since. I'm just keeping myself busy so I don't have time to despair! But I did get into town briefly early one morning at the weekend and I found a quiet bench in Dublin Castle. I had a small sketchbook and a pen with me. I added colour when I got home later. It's not much, but it's a start. We will get there. Eventually!
A couple of weeks ago, the theme from Dublin Sketchers was "Industrial". I did think of going to Poolbeg, but I had sketched it from a photo not that long ago, and I was not quite ready to be out and about sketching. Plus, I still have a lot of places I want to explore around Kasugai. I remembered the red and white chimney I could see from our hotel room the last time I was there. So I looked it up on Google Maps and found out it was a paper mill, covering a massive area. I would love to see it up close and sketch it from ground level! But until that's possible, Google Maps 3D gave me a good view!
Have you got a couple of hours to spare? Then you can watch my Pandemic Sketchbooks - I filmed all the sketches I've done since the start of the Pandemic and put it all up on YouTube. Be warned, there are 29 videos, but they're only a few minutes each. So why don't you make a cuppa, take your shoes off, relax, and see what I've been up to in the last 14 months or so! PS: I won a prize from Engineers Without Borders Ireland for this! Which encourages me to sketch and paint even more!
Even on my "off" days, I am grateful for the joy of what watercolour does best - its own thing!
A little turquoise, a pinch of olive green, some leftover phthalo blue, a dab of carbazole violet. And the secret ingredient? Hematite black from Schmincke. But wait, I will have to compare it to Daniel Smith Hematite Genuine, won't I?
I don't paint with ink very much. But playing with different tools and experimenting with mark making, that I can do! Best way to soothe the nerves!
Gathering bits and pieces from nature . Something I hadn't done in a long time. I think it will help revitalise my enthusiasm!
My practice pieces studying the head in space. I couldn't resist a little bit of watercolour! This was a lot harder to do than I thought it would be. Thinking of the back of the head in side view, and also how little of the eye you see in a 3/4 view. More practice needed!
Why am I posting this video of Gorecki's Symphony No 3? Because it's one of my favourite pieces of music and I was practising sketching people from it!
More people in action!
Applying the concept of line of action to moving figures was another big step. But I learned so much that will help me when we're back drawing on location! It was an action-packed lesson, where we also covered how to draw the head in space. Lots of practise will be needed to consolidate what I have learned!
Another life drawing session. Rob, from a couple of weeks ago. I'm still a bit rusty, but I enjoyed the interesting poses.
I feel I'm getting somewhere. I really should focus on my direct watercolour painting more, though.
But I am quite distracted at the moment. Just normal life. And this crazy pandemic. One moment our government says they are going to vaccinate by professional risk categories (meat factory workers, teachers, ...), the next it's by age groups starting with the over 60s (the over 80s are done and over 70s are in progress). And then all of a sudden, our health minister is asking the department of health to investigate the possibility of vaccinating the 18-30 age group next!!! Basically the ones who've been ignoring all the health advice, who've been partying through the whole thing. While the rest of us who put our lives on hold will remain stuck in this empty void for the foreseeable future! Well, let me just say that that notion ruined my day!!
Needless to say this wasn't painted today. Quarter sheet view of Dunmore Head - well, the field and the ocean with just a glimpse of the cliff at the bottom of the headland. I actually painted this during my Big Zoom Painting Adventure with Shelley (TM). And we chatted quite a bit. Which probably put me in the zone. I didn't tense up and worry too much about how this was going to end up. And I love it!
I was going to move to half sheet yesterday. But was too distracted. Next week. There's always next week!
I did do a lot of practise, some not so good, but some I was really happy with, like the group of people in the bottom right of that first spread.
More colour mixing, in gouache this time, to soothe the soul! Hearing that the government is planning to move the 18-30 party cohort up the list to be vaccinated after the over-60s has sent me in a down spiral! It might make sense from an epidemiology perspective, but talk about rewarding bad behaviour!!
Some days are just better be forgotten. Thankful for colour mixing that helped me retrieve the day somewhat!
When the theme for Dublin Sketchers was a café terrace anywhere I wanted, I knew instantly where I wanted to transport myself!
What better memory than Porto - Urban Sketchers Symposium 2018!
I still remember the buzz the day before the symposium, the city alive with sketchers, the anticipation, the excitement! And this was even before meeting my good friend Deb for the first time - we were friends online before Porto, and I can't describe how wonderful it was to spend time with her and Pat from Dublin Sketchers for those few days during the Symposium. Can't wait for those happy days to come back again!
