My first outing in how many months? Since our staycation last September! It was two weeks after my first vaccination. And I booked an appointment to see Eoin Mac Lochlainn's exhibition at the Olivier Cornet Gallery. I dressed up, put on my makeup and drove across town. It was worth it. Those watercolours are gorgeous. And yes, I was early and I had time for a quick sketch of the church at the end of the road!
It's been a tough week. Not so much for me, but for my dad, who had two surgeries in 7 days. And he's not young. We're all doing our best. But we're not surgeons or nurses. And I'm not even in the country. So, all I can do is paint and draw as a form of mindfulness meditation, so I can keep a steady head and be supportive to all involved.
In these two pages, I just took my line for a walk, inspired by Charles Reid's continuous line drawings.
My musical tastes are quite varied. You could say all over the place. From Neil Diamond to Joe Jackson via U2, Nanci Griffith, The Clash, Dawn Upshaw, Mozart and Gorecky.
But this song came back to my mind recently - Against All Odds, by Phil Collins. Now that's a blast from the past, isn't it!
A proper painting is always harder than sktechy explorations! I feel the need to procrastinate again!
Work in progress:
Having played with ink, watercolour, brushpens, pencils, colour pencils, fountain pens, soft pastels, oil pastels, markers, gel pens, I have finally reached the end of that little A5 sketchbook! And some of my rooks still look like wood pigeons! That beak is so hard to get right!
Someone came up with the title "Corvid 19 diaries"!
And if after all this, I still can't draw rooks from life, I don't know! And yet, I still struggle in understanding the shapes and volumes! The last one looks like a wood pigeon, literally! But he's cute all the same!
Lovely podcast from Met HD. You might have to subscribe, now that I think of it. Dawn Upshaw. One of my favourites.
I knew I had seen rooks in Greystones before. It was at least two years since we were there. The abandoned LaTouche Hotel ("C'est Byzance!") is now a big block of seafront apartments. But yes, the rooks are still there, or probably the next generation! Thankfully, Brendan had his camera and was able to zoom in on them! I will have good source photos to work from. In the meantime, let's study heads!
I came across this mini-workshop on the Etchr Studio website which I had missed when it was broadcast live, and it really re-ignited my desire to play with watercolours. So much to practise!
Not even sure if it's called a beak or a bill, or what the difference is! So when I get stuck with a shape I can't figure out, I go back to blind contour drawing. It's such a good way to really look and to connect eyes, brain and hands!
Don't worry, I haven't given up on my crows, ravens and rooks. Well, you know me, why take the direct route when you can meander the winding path!
Before I continue on with the full body, I really want to pay attention to the head and beak (or bill?, it's going to take me a while to absorb all the terminology!). And just like a human face, there are some proportions I need to pay attention to! Compare these two attempts below, and tell me which one looks right! I agree - but I was too absorbed with diluted ink to really look at the length of the bill versus the length of the head. Time to go back to a simple line drawing, I think!
I didn't get to life drawing last night. But here is my output from last week! Another wonderful life drawing session with Dublin Drawing. This time Izabella used subtle props. I found it really good - sometimes, I think it's hard for me to focus during a two-hour Zoom session with just a model and a contrasting background. My eyes get so tired. The props helped me to focus. Plus it's fun!
I got my title for this painting, which also tells me I have decided on my focus - the foliage and the shadows caused by the trees!
I started the little postcard versions with a landscape format, but they were all over the place (Or maybe I was all over the place??). So, I thought, well, trees are vertical, so let's go for a portrait format.
If I remember well, this is a photo I took in Bushy Park. Which means it was morning (we used to walk Timber there in the mornings about once a week). So that explains the long shadows. Next, I need to think some more about how I will show the distance, and the detail in the foliage. I quite like the two versions I have down below here, but they're too abstract and two-dimensional. It's always a puzzle!
