Category Archives: coloured ink

Cafe life

People watching in cafes, mostly this year in Bath, but the last one’s from Istanbul a couple of years ago when I was using a marker pen. If you can get a good table a cafe’s a great winter sketching location; strong light sources, sheltered, … Continue reading

Posted in Bath, cafe, clothing, coloured ink, coloured paper, figures, from life, Istanbul, Lexington grey, line drawing, marker pen, monochrome, people, urban, waiting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Pan, pancake, lemons and sand-paper

A week late, but here’s a kitchen scene from Shrove Tuesday. The fresh pancakes were too delicious to sketch mid-cooking, so I saved one after we’d eaten our fill and drew it once the pan had cooled. It was the scorched patterns on … Continue reading

Posted in coloured ink, food, from life, home, inks, kitchen, Lexington grey, seasonal, technique | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Busted

A fine pair of portrait busts from the upper floor of Bath’s Victoria Gallery (you can see both of them in the linked photo). First there’s Sir Cloudesley Shovell (honestly), a famous C17th admiral and guitarist. Then George 3rd, king of Britain for 59 … Continue reading

Posted in Bath, coloured ink, coloured paper, exhibitions, faces, figures, inks, Lexington grey, line drawing, monochrome, museum, objects, sculpture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Skullduggery

Some more of a favourite subject. This time the skulls are from a sheep (I think), and a fox (possibly). Whatever animals they used to be they offer beautiful mini-landscapes to sketch, with lots of hills, cliffs, valleys and caves. Their … Continue reading

Posted in animals, coloured ink, coloured paper, death, from life, Lexington grey, monochrome, sketching, skulls, white pen | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bootylicious

My trusty boots drawn last month after the first (very light) snowfall of the year. Below is an earlier sketch of them, showing the change in my approach over the last two years; moving from black felt-tip lines and watercolour, to fountain pen and dilute ink washes. … Continue reading

Posted in boots, coloured ink, coloured paper, comparisons, from life, inks, kit, sketching, watercolour sketch | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Wiry views

Drawn at dusk, sat on the bottom steps of The Shrubbery (previously), looking down Harley Street in Bath. My eye was caught by the telephone wires and chimneys silhouetted against the winter sky. I was sorry that I didn’t get … Continue reading

Posted in Bath, buildings, cars, coloured ink, from life, grisaille, Lexington grey, line drawing, monochrome, sky, street scene, urban, vehicles, waterbrush | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The life of stuff

I’m looking forward to more outdoor sketching in Spring, but in the meantime here are some well worn shoes (previously), a phone recharging, utensils hanging in the kitchen, and a bag waiting by the door… Everyday domestic scenes, the stuff of … Continue reading

Posted in coloured ink, coloured paper, domestic, every day matters, from life, home, inks, kitchen, Lexington grey, line drawing, monochrome, objects, waterbrush | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Two Dogs

First there’s Skip, who sat beside me while I sketched people on a beach in Tenby. She was poised and alert, watching a gap in the fence where a rat had just appeared and vanished, but I had to be quick! Then there’s 3 … Continue reading

Posted in animal, coloured ink, dogs, from life, line drawing, monochrome, pencil, pets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Yet more toys

It’s cold and dark outside, but there are always toys to draw…. Here’s Henry (a mild mannered janitor), some Airfix 1:72 scale knights, a Playmobil vulture, a shire-horse, a grass-hopper, and The Thing from the Fantastic Four. Pencil, Lexington grey in fountain pen and water-brush, … Continue reading

Posted in animals, collections, coloured ink, figures, insects, line drawing, monochrome, objects, toys | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mightier…

…than the sword. A quick post following the Paris attack where people were killed for publishing offensive cartoons, for drawing pictures that other people didn’t like. This was a direct attack on freedom of expression, and the right to challenge and mock authority. … Continue reading

Posted in coloured ink, coloured paper, from life, hands, line drawing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments