Three members of Pentyrch Art Society came for a whole day’s painting on Tuesday and we ripped through the demos - producing four paintings each - it was a fast-paced day and I enjoyed their company and chat about all things art.
Here are some pics of the ladies in action!
Gwyn beginning the underwashes of her ladybird
Anne enjoying tackling one of the 4 demos…
Glynis almost finished with her ladybird.
Nitty gritty showing details of cherries and Blue Himalayan Poppies - well done all
I really need to be sketching more - days go without me even putting pencil to paper. So I got out one of my many sketchbooks the other evening and started drawing my foot.
I used the contour drawing technique as described by the brilliant Betty Edwards in her book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Have you got it? I’d get it if I were you - especially if you are doing anything creative - it helps get your right brain activated which is more creative than your dominant left brain. Click on the image to go to a listing to buy this book - you won’t regret it.
I had lost my well-read copy and so bought a new one last week.
The book that has taught me the most about seeing and drawing
Anyway - back to the foot. It was so relaxing to just concentrate on that ONE thing - right there under my nose that I then moved on to a nearby Swiss Cheese Plant leaf and then my purse on the table beside me.
All fueled up now I started doodling from my mind and there are the results above.
Doodling - putting your mental images onto paper - try it sometime:)
In a virtual frame but not quite finished yet…..
Always a satisfying subject to paint cherries are. I love their beautiful red, claret colour and the spindly curvy stems. They make a beautiful composition no matter how you place them in readiness to paint.
Brushes at the ready but I only used a 3 and a 6 round really.
Here is a group of 5 cherries with stems. I just used Arches hot pressed 90lbs paper and a Size 6 and a szie 3 round brush plus Cadmium Yellow Pale, Alizarin Crimson, Rose Madder Genuine, Olive Green and French Ultramarine to paint this simple study.
It is not finished yet as I have work to do on the shadow sides and to create more shine on the sunstruck parts of the cherries…watch this space for the final final result:)
I lifted the white “shiners” out with a clean dampish brush.
I was satisfied with this painting because it went well with the washes looking natural and the forms shaping up nicely. I relished in plunging the deep red/clarets into the wet washes to get the darkest part of the fruits shown.
This morning I had the urge to put pencil to paper and geese were on my mind. They appeal to me because of their associations with fairytales and golden eggs and a bit of magic. They also make good guard dogs and one once bit my father’s thumb really badly.
A real gaggle of geese! Pencil sketching for practice.
I use big A3 pads of cheap paper from Poundstretcher etc so that when I draw and doodle I’m not worrying about wasting good paper.
I used a Derwent Onyx Medium pencil to draw.
I fancied doing a few heads and one or two full bodies and this was a really good learning curve for me.
Drawing the first one I was totally drawn (excuse the pun) to her curvaceous and plump body and especially to her gesture as she stepped forward - her sweet webbed feet over-lapping each other …
The next one was a sweet looking goose with an angelic head.
After that I saw this old looking one with a great angle to his head. Fun to try and get that down on paper - some shape!
The last one I FORCED myself do as I would normally shy away from something so difficult.
Again - learning to see is the main problem - not learning to draw! To help with that I would recommend “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards.
You will come on in leaps and bounds - I know I did. You’ll love it - it really puts you into orbit about drawing and observing - such a phenomenal book. No wonder it has become a classic.
A while ago I took photos of real live geese near Caerphilly Caste not far from where I live. This is a watercolour I did of one of them. She was a real beauty.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these simple sketches.
Alison
Finally! Walked dog, done washing, cleaned kitchen and had lunch. What a marathon. Now I can sit down to paint.
Here is my earlier post about a white chicken’s head that I painted in watercolour.
https://eastwitching.com/2013/02/16/i-will-paint-a-white-chicken-if-it-kills-me/
This is how she has ended up - very early days yet - watch this space
Today I am starting afresh with a new chicken and am going to have a bash at painting her. I am pleased with the drawing which took me ages as I had trouble getting her pose just right. I really wanted to show her angle compared to the ground which is what appeals to me about her as she pecks for food.
Here are my basic steps so far.
But before I start - a quick clean up job on my trusty Frank Webb palette is needed. If you use tube paint I cannot recommend this palette enough.
I’ve had mine for over 20 years! Come back for more progress on this hen when you have a mo!
Close up of early washes on hens face
Now I am really hooked - been drawing more mushrooms this morning and painting their fragile, pulpy yet paper fibrous stalks - love them - so tactile and cute.
I love their random nobbliness and charm - carefree and child-like.
Here’s how I did them.
Paper is Arches Hot Pressed 90lbs. Unstretched as you can see.
I just paint on the paper and flatten it later.
Paints Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Scarlet, Chrome Orange, Cadmium Yellow, French Ultramarine, Sap Green, Cerulean Blue. Brushes No. 3 round.
1. I drew the mushrooms roughly in pencil 3B
2. I wet the entire surface (apart from some teeny dry specks which will be the white bits later) of some heads of mushrooms and added Alizarin Crimson/Cadmium Red here and there and let it run. I added a deeper mix of this colour on shadow sides of heads to start creating form. The shadow sides I have created are all on the left of the mushrooms.
I drew another single mushroom as a more detailed study and here you can see the wetness of the head ready to be charged with red paint.
Let the medium do it !
OK - back to out happy grouping…
Now I darken areas of the heads with a deeper red mix.
I also felt the painting was looking overall too cool and not appealing so I added a splash of Cadmium Yellow and Chrome Orange to the Left hand side of some of the mushroom heads and stalks to bring in some sunshine:)
Add some sap green to darken the red off.
Then I wet the entire stalks and added a thin line of grey made from French Ultramarine and Sap Green along the Right hand side and let it run into the wet part.
This creates a curved illusion on the stalks.
So this is where I am going to stop now as I need a cup of tea and the Jack Russells are getting restless!
Back to continue soon. I hope you found this interesting /useful? Any comments pop them below:)
Alison
