How not to sketch, take a picture!

Sometimes you want to sketch but it’s just not possible! Today has been one of those days.

I woke to sunshine and planned to paint. The children were off which dampened my style somewhat.

Solution?

Take them for a picnic! Happy children, happy parent and happy dog! What could possibly go wrong?

So, we set off for the woods - the dog, children et moi! Fully intending to sketch I took all my gear.

Le Grand plan:- To create one or more masterpieces whilst the children played blissfully throwing a ball for the dog! I either have delusions of grandeur or have watched far too many bad American movies/sitcoms. You know, the ones that are saccharin sweet and have a strong moral at the end. Then insult your intelligence by hammering it home right at the end? Usually in the form of a diary entry or letter.

Oh how naive I was! (laughs hysterically). Between carrying all the gear in a bag that kept falling off (I’ve lost my rucksack) and looking for the dog/children - I managed about 10 lines, before moving on.

All was not lost, I had a camera! So,  one subtle media change later and I continued photographing children and other points of interest. My obsession with brickwork and decay was very satisfied. The lighting wasn’t good but compositionally I like them. I loved this wall – the ghosts of bricks. Says a lot when the mortar is stronger than the bricks!

There’s some argument over which is better, working from sketches or photographs. And I’m still debating whether the camera should be on my gear list.

But there are times where it’s a godsend. Moving targets like animals and children are a case in point!

What’s your preference! Where have you found a camera essential? Or do you hold to the sketches only principle?

Leave a comment, I’d love to know!

Sketching on Holiday! – sketch a day challenge and life aboard.

I’ve always found a sketch helps me remember a place or location far more clearly and in much more detail than photographs. More so the with the advent of digital imagery.
We regularly travel on a canal boat and, on a trip last year, I set myself a challenge.To do a sketch a day in my Moleskine.
After a rocky start I settled into the routine. Those pictures were the unlocking of a key. I can’t quite describe how significant they are but I’ll try. I remember details about the weather, which way the wind was blowing, moments when I realised a shape was a roof or a pile of boats, where the errors are, which colours I chose, where I was sitting on the boat. I look at these sketches and I’m back where I was when I was drawing them. I’d finally mastered the concept of the quick sketch.
This year I set myself the challenge again. On Monday, we set off and are currently heading North on the Grand Union Canal. But what to sketch? It was too dark to sketch outside by the time things we’d stopped. So the bottle of beer I was holding became my subject. I’m not sure the quality really lives up to my standard. But quality has a tendency to decline the more beer is imbibed! Hic!

Yesterday morning I was surprised at breakfast by a swan appearing at the side hatch. I considered for a nanosecond I could sketch him…
But, he was looking for food and more than a little bit scary! You try eating you porridge with a swan’s head craning over the hatch opening - a hungry one at that… Beak at ear level! Who just happens to be testing everything to see if it’s food…Believe me you’ll appreciate my dilemma!
A photo opportunity seemed a safer option. I present the Evil Swan! (Pronounced Eeeevil as in Austin Powers Dr Evil!
 
I know, I’m a wimp but he reminded me of that sinister looking penguin in Nick Park’s “The Wrong Trousers” It’s the eye, it’s always the eyes AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!
So I wimped out and produced this little sketch! Sitting on the roof as the children climbed up and down. I spent most of the time expecting to hear a splash as one of them fell in. Several false alarms later I was finished.

Though looking at it now, I think I just stopped! It’s the same thing isn’t it?
What do you mean “NO!”

Warning - Artist networking at the British Library!

Today, I ventured out into the big wide world! Well, London at least. I’ve been living in the provinces so long it’s easy to forget how busy cities are. I joined “linked in” some time ago and joined the group women mean business and  networking meeting was arranged at the British Library. We met in the foyer of the British Library with the intention of going to the Cafe. An officious staff member informed us, rather rudely that we needed to have library cards to stay after 6.00pm. He chose the wrong group of women to mess with and the assertiveness skills came to the fore. We decided to relocate and ended up at St Pancras station instead. There were about 10 of us and we did the usual exchange of cards and introductions. Quite a mixed bag of skills and some interesting potential contacts. May well have been worth the effort.

Creative output today was acceptable. I have two paintings drying, just got to wait for the big reveal in the morning!

As for images…?

Yesterday I submitted my forms for the Stowe exhibition –the deadline was today. Only a little procrastination there then.Afterwards I went in search of my artistic muse. The river and snowdrops, my first subjects, proved something of a challenge. Snowdrops on a steep bank that led to the river. I negotiated that obstacle and produced some arty water shots with the snowdrops in the fore. All without getting my feet and, more importantly, the camera wet! I’m not posting those, however. On the road afterwards I was greeted by the sun on Buckingham Parish church, I had to stop the car and take this! This photograph is completely unedited!

Organised chaos!

As I predicted yesterday, today has not been rife with drawing. I’ve painted a little bit and am planning to sketch some boats now.

In the meantime I’m leaving you with this picture of my workplace. I was asked to submit a picture of where I create my art with the interview and thought it would be good to blog it as well.

The work in progress is on the easel. I try to do them in natural light hence stopping for the evening. In case you might be wondering, it is a cast iron sewing machine with a box easel on top. My art materials are stored in the various boxes and bags around it. We’re in the process of organising the house in general and I’m looking at storage options, but it has to look right as it’s in my living room. I also plan to get a studio easel at some point… blah, blah, blah. I’ll post a picture when it’s done. It will be the opposite of changing rooms. Several months to change a really tiny space. I just don’t want to loose my lovely sewing machine.

More photography…

A more productive day today. I’ve been progressing steadily with my paintings, but nothing is finished yet. Hopefully they will be dry by the morning so I can remove the masking. I’m posting now so I can continue with the artwork this evening.

As I’ve taken a few more pictures this morning, ice formations mainly, I’m posting one of those. They’re not my best photos, but I quite like them!

Photo Art

The snow saga continues. Children are off again and expecting me to entertain them… Rag rapidly being lost. It hasn’t been helped by the continuing teething problems with the laptop. I spent far too much time this morning trying to get the network connections sorted instead of updating my blog as intended. I finished far too late last night to upload then. Both older children are itching to get their grubby mitts on the laptop and “breathing” down my neck, waiting for me to finish! The realisation that normally this wouldn’t be an issue is painfully real! I want the schools to be open…sob! I finally abandoned the fight and continued with painting that wretched commission…sobs some more! I don’t know what it is about this one, mental block or something but it’s a real battle, yet it shouldn’t be!
Now, I really love my children so, in an effort to remove the frustration I was feeling, I headed out with the camera and took some arty shots. Most of them were “OK” but I managed a couple that I liked. These are my favourites

I can't stand it anymore!!!!!

Nothing drastic, but the level of mess at home has finally freaked me out. Spent a long time tidying and cleaning today - ugh! This photo of the cat will explain why!

Well OK, I just put it in because she's so darn cute! Dominic is feeling much better today so I could finally use the vacuum cleaner! I think I'd prefer dynamite!

I did allow myself a couple of hours to mono print in the morning and this is one of the nicer results. Some need some work as they haven't turned out as anticipated but that's all part of the learning curve.

Had a phone call from Google about website optimisation. Nice because he didn't rabbit on in techno-babble!

Do I LOOK happy?!!!!!!

This is one sorry dog. He's had his bandage removed but has to wear this for a week because he won't leave the stitches alone. When I look at him I imagine he's thinking "Do I look happy? First I cut my paw and am not allowed to lick it better. Next I get taken to the vets and have to stop Overnight. Then I have a purple bandage on it. That gets changed for one that rubs and give me a sore on the side of my thumb. Then I get that removed and have to wear this thing for a week!" He's been looking like this since we got home.

So, the conspiracy continues, I have the eldest sick again - sent home from school yesterday and I took the dog to the vet. I've managed to do some abstract work and I'm hoping to get on with a portrait this afternoon/evening - here's hoping!

I've been looking through the artist's yearbook trying to identify competitions to enter. Residences seem very appealing at the moment...!

Soooo tired!

Yesterday was a strange day. Spent the day in London as Siobhan plus approx 1700 other children from Buckinghamshire performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Time for a very proud Mum moment. In the big picture below, she's in purple on the right , very back row next to the gap. This was the balloon release at the end. The picture on the right was taken just as we arrived at 11.30am. often school performances can be dire but this was a really slick performance which was very entertaining. A very long day for all we left at 9.40am and returned at 00.40am the next day.
I went along for the chance for a completely child free day. Left them on arrival in London, saw them once or twice in Kensington gardens and joined up at the end of the performance.

I had a very busy day with lots of drawing done around the Albert memorial and Kensington Gardens. Also took lots of photos, some of which will get posted once I can figure out how to put watermarks on. Rather, when I find the time as I've a lot to do today and that painting won't finish itself! Here are some of my sketches. This first one was a five minute figure sketch, the plan is to include it in a painting.

The next is obvious, Albert hall from the Albert memorial -I spent longer on this one - about 45 minutes. I'm still fighting with my phobia of buildings. I get so daunted by the prospect and often feel overwhelmed by all the clean lines which have to be reproduced precisely if the image is to be effective. This one got a bit smudged in the drawing book.
This next one (right) is a detail from a marble statue. It looks a foreshortened, probably due to the angle it was taken but the sun was starting to get to me by this one so who knows. I know, there was sun!!!!!!!!
The last one is an ink sketch drawn from the cafe in the Albert Hall looking out the window. There is a fascinating, almost maze like garden, which caught my eye. I really think this one worked despite some - to my eye- major flaws - I won't draw your attention to them as you might not have noticed.
I've had a few onlookers, but not as many as I feared there might be, and all were very encouraging. With the photographs and sketches I've got plenty to keep me going for a while. I'm quite taken with the images I took of Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and I've some ideas for abstracts.