Author Archives: Ed Mostly

About Ed Mostly

Enthusiastic daily sketcher based in Bath Uk

Daily Sketch-kit updated…

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Ed Mostly

There are a few changes since the last update (pencils!), all explained on this page here. One of the key aspects of sketching is having a range of simple and familiar resources, always accessible. My daily carry is pocket-sized, but has … Continue reading →

Posted in brush pen, coloured paper, inks, kit, Lexington grey, marker pen, pencil, sketching, technique, watercolour sketch, white pen | Tagged daily sketch kit, every day carry sketching, home-made palette, inks for urban sketching, Muji card-case palette, pens for sketching, portable urban sketching kit, tiny water-colour palette, water-brush filled with ink | 2 Comments

Livestock

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Ed Mostly

More rural sketching: haughty llamas, inquisitive young bulls and nervous Blue-faced Leicesters, all seen last week in Galloway, South-West Scotland. I’ve sketched sheep and cattle before, but never llamas. Their faces reminded me of camels and kangaroos, with pursed lips and striking eye-lashes, and they … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, coloured paper, farm, Galloway, line drawing, pencil, rural | Tagged blue-faced Leicesters, farm sketches, fountain pen sketches, Four Tops, llama faces, pencil sketches of animals from life, rural sketching, sketch of cattle, sketch of llama, sketch of sheep, sketches of animals | 2 Comments

Toys again

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Ed Mostly

Toys and models are ever-reliable subjects for a quick drawing. You can arrange them how you like, getting a range of angles rarely available in the real world. They’ve also removed any unnecessary details, doing most of the simplification needed for a sketch! Lexington … Continue reading →

Posted in airplane, animals, bikes, coloured paper, inks, line drawing, objects, toys | Tagged Chemical Brothers, fountain pen sketches, sketch of motorbike, sketch of toy puma, sketches of model plane, sketches of toys | 2 Comments

More pencil

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Ed Mostly

I’m still enjoying using the Grafwood 6B pencil, with no rubbing out so no hesitant and uncommitted lines! It’s very smooth, perfect for quick contour sketches of people, and can go from light to dark with the lightest touch. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Bath, buildings, eye, figures, line drawing, pencil, people, self-portrait, urban, urban sketching | Tagged Jr Walker and The All Stars, pencil drawings of people, pencil sketches around town, selfie pencil sketch, sketch of windows, sketching in Bath, sketching people, sketching people walking, urban sketching | 2 Comments

Stone faces

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Ed Mostly

Twelve of the fifty stone heads that gaze down on an original Magna Carta in the Chapter House at Salisbury Cathedral. They were carved in the 13th century, seem to be based on individuals, and capture a range of expressions that … Continue reading →

Posted in collections, coloured ink, Cordoba, death, faces, monument, sculpture | Tagged fountain pen sketches, Manolete's grave, medieval portraits, Salisbury Chapter House carvings, sketches in cathedrals, sketches of sculptures, sketches of stone carvings, The Only Ones, tomb of Bishop of Wells | Leave a comment

Hedgy

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Ed Mostly

Three stages of a monochrome hedge sketch (sounds stunningly dull, but bear with me…). First the initial pencil line drawing; then adding grey ink (which blends really well with soft pencil) for the leaf shadows, and white gel-pen for the foliage outline; and … Continue reading →

Posted in botany, comparisons, garden, kit, Lexington grey, line drawing, monochrome, pencil, sky, technique, white pen | Tagged Explosions in the Sky, foliage outline, high contrast sketch, pencil line drawing, pencil sketch of hedge, sketch of hedge, sketching technique, white gel pen sketch | 6 Comments

The bends

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Ed Mostly

Bath has a lot of steep streets, and lots of them have hairpin bends; so here’s one I pass fairly often (Streetview here). The first sketch was done in full sun last week (it’s followed by the initial line drawing; I added the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bath, cars, figures, line drawing, street scene, technique, urban, urban sketching, vehicles, watercolour sketch | Tagged Aretha Franklin, comparing sketches, fountain pen sketching, hairpin bend sketch, hairpin bends, line drawing, sketching in Bath, steep streets, street scene sketch, urban sketching, urban sketching technique | Leave a comment

Marker pen sketches

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Ed Mostly

A couple of late night selfies (smile!), washing up on the drying rack, sketches from a walk in the Mendips, and hands. All using my new favourite marker pen; it’s very different from using the 6B pencil, you can get some line variation in … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, boots, domestic, faces, hands, home, kit, line drawing, marker pen, monochrome, self-portrait | Tagged close up sketch of eyes, marker pen sketches, sketch of boots, sketch of washing up, sketches of cows, sketches of hands, sketching kit, sketching selfies, Supergrass | 1 Comment

Chim chim cher-ee

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Ed Mostly

More soft pencil sketches; Summer evening views over Bath chimneys and roof-tops to the trees beyond. There’s a couple of seagulls flying home to roost (?) in the first one, and more of the telephone wires I love in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bath, buildings, landscape, pencil, rooftops, seasonal, sky, urban, urban sketching, watercolour sketch | Tagged Bath sketches, distant trees, early Summer evening views, pencil sketching, rooftop sketches, rooftop views, seagulls flying, sketches of chimneys, Smokey Robinson, telephone wires, urban sketching | 1 Comment

In praise of pencils

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Ed Mostly

I’ve tried to like pencils, really I have. I love their woody simplicity, but never found one that felt right on the paper (too waxy, too smudgy etc). But a couple of weeks ago I tried a Grafwood 6B. It’s consistently … Continue reading →