Category Archives: collections

The Wild West

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Ed Mostly

Guns, tipi pegs and keys from the recent ‘Gangsters and Gunslingers’ exhibition at the American Museum just outside Bath. Strange to see so many battered objects intimately associated with legendary figures. Dillinger’s fake gun was a particular delight. (Following a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bath, collections, exhibitions, Lexington grey, monochrome, museum, objects, pencil | Tagged American Museum, Custer, fake gun, John Dillinger, prison keys, revolvers, The Specials, tipi pegs, Tombstone jail, Wyatt Earp | 1 Comment

A toad, a giraffe, two elephants and a Gorgonite

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Ed Mostly

Toy figures are well-behaved models, holding their poses indefinitely. They also give the opportunity to sketch rarely seen creatures, and from unusual angles. Broad dip pen with Carbon black ink, water brush with dilute Carbon black ink, A5 White Uni … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, collections, dip pen, inks, Lexington grey, line drawing, marker pen, monochrome, objects, toys | Tagged baby elephant, Carbon black ink, elephants, giraffe, Gorgonite, mug, toad, Tom Jones, toys | Leave a comment

Life and death #2 Mostly dogs

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Ed Mostly

More sketches from the recent British Museum Pompeii exhibition. First the famously contorted death-cast of a guard dog, followed by a mosaic door sign (“Cave canem”- beware of the dog) found in the same villa; it’s hard not to see the sign as a portrait … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, collections, death, exhibitions, from life, Lexington grey, monochrome, museum, pencil, sculpture, sketching | Tagged British Museum, British Museum Pompeii exhibition, cave canem, death-cast, dogs, guard dog, hounds, House of the stags, hunting, Pompeii, stag, Talking Heads | Leave a comment

Life and death #1

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Ed Mostly

Some sketches of famous finds from Pompeii, recently on show at the British Museum in London. The exhibition contrasted Roman art that celebrated life, with plaster casts that documented agonising deaths. The death-casts are very emotive objects, both expressionist and … Continue reading →

Posted in body, collections, death, exhibitions, from life, Lexington grey, monochrome, museum, pencil | Tagged body casts, boxer pose, British Museum, death-cast, dogs, Hercules, mosaic, plaster casts, Pompeii, Roman art, Simon and Garfunkel, the muleteer, urinating | Leave a comment

Fork handles

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Ed Mostly

I found these in a cupboard while on holiday. I’m afraid a link to this sketch is unavoidable; homophones abounding. Uni Posca markers, water-brush with Lexington grey ink, blue and red Pigma pens, A5

Posted in candles, collections, from life, marker pen, objects, white marker pen | Tagged four candles, plate, The Two Ronnies | Leave a comment

Archeology Museum #1

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Ed Mostly

I spent a very hot afternoon sketching in the cool shade of the Istanbul Archeology Museum. It houses a wonderfully rich collection created during the Ottoman Empire, when Turkey ruled Egypt and the ancient lands of Mesopotamia, Assyria, etc. A large … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, collections, from life, Istanbul, museum, objects, sketching, white marker pen | Tagged Babylon, figure curves, Ishtar gate, Istanbul Archeology Museum, lion, Mesopotamia, small figurines, The Kinks | Leave a comment

Tea please

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Ed Mostly

Some of the many cups of black tea that I enjoyed in Istanbul, in a variety of media. Good practise for drawing ellipses; it’s very obvious when they’re right or wrong…

Posted in cafe, collections, from life, Istanbul, objects, sketching | Tagged black tea, drawing ellipses, ellipses, Istanbul, tea, tea cups, The Rutles | Leave a comment

Toy museum

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Ed Mostly

A couple of sketches from the wonderful and surprisingly large Toy Museum in Sintra, Portugal. The museum houses the personal collection of João Arbués Moreira, who was there on the day we visited, keen to chat about his favourite exhibits and … Continue reading →

Posted in airplane, collections, exhibitions, from life, grisaille, Lexington grey, monochrome, museum, objects, Portugal, sketching | Tagged doll's heads, dolls, Edwin Starr, heads, model plane, Sintra, staircase | 3 Comments

Serpent

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Ed Mostly

A serpent hung on the wall amongst many other instruments at Snowshill Manor, an eclectic and wonderful collection of all-sorts in the Cotswolds. Fountain pen with Lexington grey ink, watercolour, A6