Time Flies

The time flies past so quickly and summer is passing into autumn already. It is my favourite time of the year though with plenty of things to draw and paint. I have 2 books now to catch up on here, Ida's and Julie's. They are both filling up with beautiful studies, each page different and unique; they are all going to be treasured.

For Ida's book I did a few Tregaron bog sketches as I went there rather a lot in early summer. I also painted a dandelion clock in white gouache on black paper.

Then for Julie's book I painted cow parsley in white gouache again on black paper. I also added a few items that I'd found on walks and in gardens over July and August. 

And to fill the gap I stuck in a skeletal Magnolia leaf.

Sketchbooks are for having fun!

As this project progresses, I’ve noticed that each sketchbook is developing it’s own little character. Although we all started out with the same black Stillman & Birn sketchbook, each one somehow carries some of it’s owner’s personality with it.

Julie Douglas's sketchbook is no exception- it’s creative, it’s fun and imaginative! Her sketchbook is already looking full, with bits of paper peeking out, and playful sketches by Julie and Ida in different mediums.
It dares you to be bold and step out of your comfort zone.

I decided to start with some daffodils (Narcissus). They’re such happy little flowers, and it’s been a while since I have painted flowers. Besides, yellow is always such a challenge, as there’s a very fine line between subtle shading and making a horrible muddy mess. 

I dug out an old sketchbook study of some daffodils which had my colour notes and began to paint.
You can read more about the process here.

The joy of working in a sketchbook is that you relax a little. You can make up the composition as you go along. You can be a bit more spontaneous, there’s no planning or tracing… just the pleasure of watching the flowers take shape on the page. The leaves were fun too. They’re nice simple shapes that pull the whole thing together.

However I wasn’t completely satisfied. It was still a bit tame and safe. 

Inspiration came to me in the form of a bottle of Winsor & Newton iridescent medium. 

Iridescent medium is something that I would rarely get a chance to use in botanical art. I had some shells from Galicia, and some nice blue paper. It was time to play!

 I drew the shells out in white pencil first, and then painted them with gouache paints combined with watercolour paints. Gouache is very forgiving and I found it quite meditative building up the layers and creating form. 

I tried using the iridescent medium with the paint on one of the shinier shells, but to be honest, it looked more like cheap glitter glue. It was time to go wild. I covered each shell in carefully cut out tracing paper, laid the page on some newspaper, got my husband’s toothbrush (I can get him a new one), and began to splatter. 

A few pieces of carrageen seaweed (Chondrus crispus) that have been sitting in my cupboard since God knows when, finished off the composition.

Oh what fun!! The best part was splattering the iridescent medium. It doesn’t really show up in the photos but it’s sparkly! Just perfect for Julie!

 I was happy. I had my creative buzz and I’m ready for the next sketchbook now.

Ida Mitrani- From the earth to the sea...A journey in the underwater world

When I received Julie Douglas's sketchbook, I was delighted to see how spontaneous and free her drawings were. It brought me right back to the college years, when I was an animation student. Life drawing was a major part of the course. We were pushed to experiment with lines and various materials (charcoals, pencils, paints, ink etc..). I remember quickly starting with a gesture line to capture the essence of the pose. I wasn't seeing the model as being naked but more as a living landscape.

 

Julie's trees and woods drawings inspired me to create my own underwater world. I wasn't too sure where I was going with it at first but things came to me gradually.

I first drew a small moon on the top right corner of the page. Then I decided to take some off white paper and glue it on both pages. I had to cut out a round shape in order to see the moon.

 

Then the fun began. I used several graphite pencils (4H,HB, 2B, 6B, 9B) and a carbon pencil for the very dark parts. I didn't want to draw any contour lines but instead work around the white of the paper and create my own negative space.

 

I could have stopped there but something didn't look quite right. I then remembered having done some small studies of sea creatures (some hybridised ones) in the previous year.

I cut them out roughly and added them on the drawing.

 

-Underwater double spread-

 

I've used elements of Claire Nouvian's book called : 'The Deep' mixed with some fine and brittle branches that I have in my studio. The photographic work in the book is sublime and it brings the viewer right down into the unknown territories of the sea.

                     

The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss

Claire Nouvian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PERNA CANALICULA

 

A few weeks ago, my Australian housemate, Liam, cooked some lovely mussels from New Zealand. I was absorbed by the vibrancy of the greens and copper-gold like colours of the shells.

 

First eat then draw!

 

Watercolour and Derwent Inktense pencils

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toe in the water...

sketch  (skĕch)

n.

1. A hasty or undetailed drawing or painting often made as a preliminary study.

2. A brief general account or presentation; an outline.

3.

a. A brief, light, or informal literary composition, such as an essay or a short story.

b. Music A brief composition, especially for the piano.

c. A short, often satirical scene or play in a revue or variety show; a skit.

4. Informal An amusing person.

v. sketched, sketch·ing, sketch·es

v.tr.

To make a sketch of; outline.

v.intr.

To make a sketch.

I was so traumatised** at starting this project that I decided to check the dictionary to see how Sketch is defined. I was quite pleased, as I felt there was enough scope there for me to at least qualify as an Amusing Person...

 I am a regular sketch booker, which perhaps makes this project even more daunting than if I were just beginning. I use my books for scribbling, for trying things out (trying on, trying out, trial run), for experimenting and for demonstrating things to students. A bit like a conversation with lines and blobs and arrows.. And the odd shopping list thrown in.

Being included with a group of botanical artist, whose work is simply delicious, exchanging sketch books, is an honour. I am not a botanical painter, but I do paint nature all the time. Maybe I'm a Nature-al painter.

But I warn you about my sketch books.. They're a free flowing jumble of lines and a place to declutter my thoughts, to unscramble the chaos and create order on my desk. They're not neat. So, dear ladies, when you receive it in the post over the months to come, I would be delighted if you welcomed it like a wayward child, home for some warm dinners before going off into the world again.

Front end papers (a photocopy of an oil painting I'm working on currently) - in colour on the back

So, I'm about Trees.  I just love trees and in particular, the shapes of in-between areas, the sky encased by branches and the patterns they make. I think we all have an affinity with Green, and walking outside (particularly in the woods) is one of the most uplifting things we can do for our creativity and for our Selves. I meet my self, while walking in the woods.

First page

Just after doing the tree above, I noticed lovely, tiny little bits of moss growing on the bathroom windowsill (on the OUTSIDE!) so stood in the bath to get a better view and included them on the side of the page.  Isolated like this, they look a bit like sweet chestnuts. Or pin cushions, or sea anenomes, or even a planet surrounded by stars.  They were only about 3mm in width.

Second page. Drawn on a google map, the trees from the location!

 A few days later I was at a meeting, and sat in the car afterwards drawing the trees in the car park, which were interesting for their patterns. I had forgotten my book (see what I mean about Chaos?)  (one rarely has all the right equipment for true spontaneity.. somehow, being prepared means we may never really feel like doing anything), so I drew on the google map itself, using the only pencil I could find lurking at the bottom of my handbag - a 5B, which was better than using lipstick anyway.

The back of the map, larger colour pencil of mossy windowsill, going onto dark grey card on the right. 

end papers at the back

** Traumatised: fiddling about in a book for ones own personal reference is one thing, but posting it off to another person for them to add to before sending to the next person in the list, is quite another. It's not only personal but public. Yikes. Even worse, I will receive theirs, and add my double spread of messy de-clutter to their personal patch. Mixing it up is scary. I think we're all VERY BRAVE.

I loved doing this, it feels different. There's a question here - what will I do that will provide something for me as well as contribute to the  others who will share it?

We'll see!
Julie