A couple of sketches from the peaceful Galloway coast, both done with pencil for line, dilute ink for shading, and water-colour wash for soft colour. First some smooth pebbles at low tide, and then a very still sea at flood-tide, with the Isle of Man wearing a cloud cap thirty miles away on the horizon.
6B pencil, dilute Lexington grey in water-brush, water-colour, A5 – 40 mins each
Carters Steam Fair (“100 smiles per hour!“) have been back to our local park. I didn’t draw the Steam Boats, as promised last time, but I did try sketching the merry-go-round horses; this was tricky as they kept setting off again every 2 minutes, hence the nightmarish multiple heads! I also drew other people there, watching the rides and taking photos, various dogs and birds, and I found a plein-air oil-painter at work (he was painting the Steam Boats…). At the bottom there’s a Helter Skelter from another recent fair, and a previous (better) attempt at the same ride.
Lexington grey in fountain pen and water-brush, 6B pencil, water-colour, all A5 – various times
I think a key part of urban sketching is depicting the stuff of everyday life, no matter how banal. So here are three quick views from the car while parked at motorway services during the trip to Scotland and back. That’s it, nothing to add!
Pencil, Lexington grey in fountain pen and water-brush, water-colour, A5 – 20 minutes each
St Nicholas’ Church in Burton, Cheshire, and another one of busy kitchen shelves, both sketches using fairly strong perspective, vertical and horizontal. The church was built out of sandstone in 1720 in a very plain style, and the clock only has one hand, dating ‘from a time when it was sufficient to know just the hour of the day’.
Edding 30 marker pen, Lexington grey in water-brush, water-colour, A5 – 30 minutes each
Stuffed and numbered birds on display at the small but wonderful Stewartry Museum, Kircudbright; I didn’t have time to paint all their glorious colours, so had to settle for ink-brush monochrome, concentrating on feathers and form. Then the head of a dead Gannet found while beach-combing (I put it on a stick to draw it). The gannet was fairly ripe, and the orange neck feathers had lost their smoothness, but the beak was still an impressive fish spear (the beak’s four inches long, and unlike most birds they have no nostrils so water doesn’t get forced up them when they hit the water at sixty miles-per-hour!) .
Lexington grey in fountain pen and water-brush, water-colour, A5 – 30 mins for the birds, 15 for the Gannet
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 enough variety to meet most demands. The internet’s an amazing resource for researching new tips and methods, so I’d encourage you to experiment until you find the pens etc that help you to sketch as often as possible; if there’s anything in your kit that discourages you from sketching ditch it!
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 managed to look both amused and mildly affronted at the same time!
5B Pencil, Lexington grey in fountain pen and water-brush, water-colour, A5 – about 30 minutes each
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 grey in water-brush and fountain pen, water-colour, A5 –
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 are people around town (I’m trying to catch more walkers as well as the easier sitters), the first floor windows of a restaurant, and another late night selfie.
Grafwood 6B pencil, water-colour, dilute Lexington grey and Namibia blue in water brush, white gel-pen, A5 – various times
Mostly drawing 