Portraits at Bluebell

So another aspect of the Bluebell Community Development Project is the breakfast club. I went on my own the first day, and lots of people talked to me, all so enthusiastic about art, and they made me feel very welcome.

This is Desmond, or Gerry. I'm not sure. Everybody calls him Gerry, but when I asked him how to spell his name he told me it was Desmond. A lovely man. He told me his age. He looks younger than his years, and I might have made him a little younger again in my quick sketch. In the few minutes we were talking, he told me about painting, tigers in Thailand and astrophotography. There was also talk of a fishing trip and a group trip to Bruges. Desmond, or Gerry, showed me pictures from Thailand, with big tigers, and baby tigers, a big snake and small crocodiles. And also wonderful photos taken by his son of nebulas and otherworldly galaxies. 

And here are my drawings from my second outing. Great atmosphere. There was 5 of us sketchers and we were busy. It seemed that everyone wanted a portrait done. The hardest thing for me, as someone who normally sketches in a book, was to give away each portrait to the sitter. So what I did when I got home was to print the photo I had taken of my sketch, and trace it and add watercolour and a pencil background. And somehow they look different, some better, some not. And I don't think I will have the time to do that every time, so I'll have to find a way. Initially I thought I would be able to sketch the same person twice, once on a loose sheet of paper and once in my sketchbook, but I tried and it didn't work. The sitter had enough and my energy was gone. So I might just have to live with just the photos I take of my sketches. If I had a printer that can take slightly thicker paper, like a light watercolour paper, that would work. I tried and I ended up with a paper jam. My previous printer was better from that point of view.

Here are my sketches, the one with more colour is the one I did at home in my sketchbook from the photo of the sketch I did on location. I'm not sure which is best, but time, or lack thereof, will be a factor that will make the decision for me!

While sketching, I was chatting with my sitters. Some were more talkative than others, but it was important to me to make this as natural as possible, just me getting to know the person who is sitting across the table from me.

This is Charles

This is Aisling:

This is Jasmine:

This is Pierrot:

And this is a drawing of me by the very talented Jasmine. I really see myself in this portrait! I hope she will draw again with us the next time I go.