Tuesday 31 August 2010

A Face in the Crowd

Graphite, pen and coloured pencil

The next two pages on my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project.  Still going with the theme 'a face in the crowd', here are some more ways to hide your face.  The most simple of all....just cover your face with your hands.  Then if you're shy or don't want to be seen, you could try standing in the shadows.


Pen amd coloured/watercolour pencil

There's a lot of black pencil over watercolour pencil on this one, so I'm hoping it's not going to smudge.
I will leave the page opposite blank so that if any black  does come off it doesn't ruin the next picture.

If you want to know what the Sketchbook  Project is all about see here for an explanation and first pages.

Friday 27 August 2010

Sketchbook Project 2011, pages 14 and 15

Pen and coloured pencil


Another two pages added to my sketch book for the Sketchbook Project 2011.  My theme is 'a face in the crowd'.   These two pages depict how we can hide our faces, a balaclava and sunglasses to start with.

Graphite and coloured pencil


The girl who modelled the sunglasses is actually my beautiful daughter and I quite like this drawing, I'm tempted to keep it!  But nooo I'll do another one that I'll like even more!
The next pages will also be hidden faces or masks...I'm on a roll!

Tuesday 24 August 2010

The Washing Line


Everyday Matters 286 and 287 together! 
I was hanging out my washing and pondering on how the colourful pegs would be good for EDM 287, draw something colourful, then I noticed the shirt  in my hand..aha! EDM 287 too .  So that's a cheeky two in one challenge I admit my guilt!  I also made the washing a little bit more colourful just to keep in with the theme.
I think this is 'mixed media', there's a bit  of pen, watercolour and coloured pencil all in there.

Saturday 21 August 2010

The Sketchbook Project 2011, the next four pages....




The next four pages are finished in my little sketchbook.  It's getting bulky now with all the pages I'm sticking in...I have to sit on it to make it go flat!
The first page here I did while I wasn't feeling too well (sore throat etc), and I think you can tell....just look at all those miserable faces, but the blue hair was great fun!
I originally chose the theme 'Face in the Crowd' because I need to draw more people and I'm certainly doing that.  The rat was a nice change and I'm sure I can slip in a few trees here and there!

If you want to see the previous pages they are here  and here .

Wednesday 18 August 2010

Sun Lover

Pen and coloured pencil

Everyday Matters 285 - Draw something that loves the sun.

When I went to the Botanic gardens this turtle sat for the whole time on the edge of the water lily pool.
He sat so still, head stretched up towards the sun, that I thought he wasn't real...but then he blinked!
Definately a good life, sunbathing all day and no need for sun cream either.
I had a problem getting the shine on his shell...I think I should have left the lightest bits completely blank?

Saturday 14 August 2010

The Sketchbook Project 2011 (more pages)

I've finished another four pages of my little sketchbook. all of them drawn on Fabriano F4, sliced in half then stuck into the little book.  Why? See my post here to find out about the first pages and the Sketchbook Project.

The moleskine sketchbook is getting to feel like a small child's little cardboard book with it's extra thick pages but I quite like it like that.  It makes a lovely creaky noise when you turn the pages! 
I'm not sure where I'm going yet with the theme ' face in a crowd', I have a feeling that  it's more where will the sketchbook take me?  What will be our destiny?

Wednesday 11 August 2010

Cherry O Baby

Coloured pencil 16 x 7cms

I felt like doing something colourful and painterly so I had a go at these cherries.  Until  I actually came to draw them I didn't realise just how many reds and purples there were!  Guess what my favourite colours are?

Monday 9 August 2010

Sketchbook Project 2011


I signed up for the Sketchbook Project, it looks like fun.  I chose 'A Face in the Crowd' as my theme and my little Moleskine sketchbook arrived soon after.....gulp!



It's going to go to the Brooklyn Library after  the tour, I even have a library ticket and can keep track of my sketchbook once it's there and how many times someone looks at it.  Amazing or what?

So now all I have to do is fill it up!  This is a completely new experience as I normally draw what I see around me, but here I'm going to have to experiment a bit more.  That's a good thing (I think!)
I'm going to try and do 2-3 pages a week, hopefully finishing before the end of the year. 
The first problem I had was the quality of the paper..it's the flimsy moley paper that's in the little pocket sketch books. It doesn't take watercolour and isn't good with coloured pencil either, you can see through it!
Here are the first few pages.


Then I decided I couldn't go on like this! (A bit of artist dramatics allowed here).  So I cut up some of my usual paper and stuck it in, which I think you're allowed to do.   My pencils liked it much better.


Now  onto page 6 and 7, and I will try and perfect my sticking and gluing method.

Saturday 7 August 2010

Savage Harbour

Pen and Coloured pencil (14x9 cms)

This is Savage Harbour, Prince Edward Island for August's Virtual Paintout.

Each month artists get to explore somewhere in the world using Google Street View, then they choose a location or subject to paint or draw.   For the few hours it takes to find somewhere and draw it, I am a virtual tourist and get a bit of a feel for each country, island or city. 
All the artwork is posted on the Virtual Paintout Blog , hosted by Bill Guffey (the man behind Virtual Paintout).  It's fun to see the different locations chosen by other artists, sometimes I even recognise somewhere from my virtual travels!

Thursday 5 August 2010

A Silver Teapot


Pen and coloured pencil


Everyday Matters 283 - Draw something shiny.

I had a bit of trouble finding something shiny to draw, I just don't go for shiny new things (although I wouldn't say no to a shiny sports car!).   Due to my love of old or vintage objects I seem to have been nominated the family keeper of heirlooms and so on.
This is an old silver plated teapot that belonged to my grandma and it actually wasn't very shiny until I cleaned it!
Nobody is really sure where the teapot came from (there is also a matching sugar bowl),  although we know that Grandma bought it back from France after her holidays.  We always presumed she picked it up in an antique shop.   A few years ago I traced back all our family ancestors and found out that one branch of the family went to live in France at the beginning of the century, so perhaps Grandma was in touch with the French relations?  The teapot could be from the French part of the family, but then again it might not be...it's still a nice story.