Category Archives: from life

Some fillums…

Trying out timelapse sketching, using this goose-neck camera mount and this type of GoPro camera (when it was even cheaper!) which has a 170 degree very wide-angle lens. The films are fun to do, and an interesting way to reflect on your … Continue reading

Posted in bamboo dip pen, Bath, dip pen, from life, people watching, street scene, timelapse, urban, urban sketching, waterbrush | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Mothly drawing

A quick sketch of a dead moth for my three-hundredth post. Followed by some older sketches of other insects found in our garden for your further enjoyment… Lexington grey in fountain pen and water-brush, water-colour, tiny – about 10 minutes

Posted in fauna, from life, garden, insects, Lexington grey | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A slice of life

It was stone cold by the time I’d finished drawing it, and tastier than it looks. Mmm, jalapenos… Lexington grey in fountain pen and water-brush, watercolour, A5 – 30 mins

Posted in domestic, food, from life, grisaille, hands | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A pair of mugs

Late night cuppas and their shadows, as featured several times before. Just the usual three inks, and I left the table-top unpainted this time. Namiki Blue in fountain pen, Brown 41 and Lexington grey in water-brush, A5 – 30 mins

Posted in coloured ink, domestic, from life, inks, kitchen, objects | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Edding 30 marker pen

I’ve used marker pens before, reloaded with different inks, with some  mixed  results. I tried a new one when I went to London last week. The bold lines were great for very fast sketches, and the ink is water-based (so doesn’t ‘bleed through’ the page), fast drying and … Continue reading

Posted in figures, from life, inks, kit, line drawing, London, marker pen, musicians, people, sketching, technique, urban, urban sketching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Urban jungle

Following the weeds, here are some more urban plants around Bath… Monochrome foliage on a Japanese Maple, ‘sticky weed’ amongst nettles (including initial line drawing), and a couple of attempts at ivy (the last one using a dried up marker pen and tea). … Continue reading

Posted in Bath, botany, from life, garden, Lexington grey, line drawing, monochrome, urban, urban sketching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two wheelers

Enough of cars, here are some scooters, motorbikes and bikes seen around Bath. The curvy scooters are a real joy to sketch, toy-like with tiny tyres and complicated engine parts discretely covered (but the tilted oblique wheels are tricky…). The floating blue bike on the … Continue reading

Posted in Bath, bikes, coloured ink, from life, sketching, street scene, urban, urban sketching, vehicles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

En route

Fellow passengers on the way to Cordoba; waiting at the airport, sleeping on the plane, and passing time on the train. Pencil works well for larger and more detailed portraits, it can be hard for a face to recover from a poorly placed ink-line… (My previous post got … Continue reading

Posted in airplane, airport, coloured paper, faces, from life, holiday, journeys, monochrome, pencil, people, trains, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Near the Easter processions…

Back in Cordoba with people waiting for Easter processions to start, watching them from a balcony, and some band members recovering after hours of playing in the heat! I think drawing groups of figures is my default for ‘urban sketching’; I love picking out … Continue reading

Posted in coloured ink, coloured paper, Cordoba, figures, from life, holiday, line drawing, monochrome, parades, people, street scene, travel, Uncategorized, urban, waiting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Holy Week in Cordoba

Six Semana Santa processions in Cordoba, great practise for drawing spectators! Each one was subtly different, reflecting the brotherhood they represented; the colours of the pointed hoods, the scenes depicted on the floats, the specific music played. But all shared the thick clouds of incense, the … Continue reading

Posted in coloured paper, Cordoba, figures, from life, holiday, journeys, parades, people, street scene, travel, urban, watching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments