My parents’ terrier, Queenie, came to stay for a couple of days during Christmas. She was an interesting subject to draw, especially her back legs, but easier to sketch when resting in her basket…
Lexington grey water-brush and pen, white Uni Posca brush pen, A7 – 10 minutes
2B pencil, A5 – 15 minutes
Another sketch done while walking, this time behind family members on a Christmas holiday walk. The light ink-wash was added back home.
Pencil, Lexington grey water-brush, A7 – 2 minutes
I was given a Hyacinth bulb, potted in a tiny bucket with moss, before Christmas (thanks Daisy!) and started sketching it. I eventually captured two weeks growth in four pictures, a very primitive time-lapse sequence. In the last sketch the flowers were growing so fast that they’d moved again by the time I finished the picture…
Fountain pen and water-brush with Lexington grey, watercolour, gouache, A7-A4 – approximately 20 to 30 minutes each
Storms are battering the coast and flood warnings are in place across the UK after a very wet and windy Christmas. This was the sky above Bath at dusk yesterday, some of the clouds shedding rain as they pass.
Lexington grey water-brush, white Gelly Roll pen, watercolour, A6 – 30 minutes
And here’s the same sky seen from the back of the Guildhall in town, about an hour earlier, before the clouds rolled in…
Lexington grey water-brush, gouache, A6 – 20 minutes
1mm Pigma pen, Lexington grey water-brush, watercolour, A4 – 50 minutes
Sat by my daughter, feet up, looking out to sea from a cottage above Manorbier beach in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. Beach-combing treasures, a camera, binoculars, and holiday reading on the windowsill. A midwinter reminder of last summer. (I had to use a ruler again for this one…)
After a Christmas hiatus on the blog here are some old toys, mostly Matchbox and Whizzwheels, chipped and worn after years of play in the 70’s. Drawing these was good practise for full-size vehicles around town, especially getting those tricky wheel ellipses angled right… (My 150th post since starting the blog a year ago!)
1mm Pigma pen, Lexington grey water-brush, watercolour, A5 – About 10 minutes per vehicle
A quick monochrome sketch of a three piece dragon sculpture at the bottom of the garden. I’ve drawn it before, concentrating on the head section, but this time wanted to show the full serpentine body, apparently swimming through the ground.
1mm Pigma pen, Lexington grey water-brush, watercolour, A6 – 10 minutes
A slightly tired lemon from the fridge, with some zest sliced off for a cake. Note the tiny red bug accidentally squashed between the pages.
Blue and brown Pigma pens, water-brush with Lexington grey water-brush, watercolour, A6 – 20 minutes
And another lemon sketch, from 2 years ago. It looks like my ellipse drawing hasn’t improved…
Fountain pen with Lexington Grey ink, watercolour, white correction pen, A6 – 25 minutes
A quiet street near the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul on a hot summer Sunday morning, a pool of dappled shade slowly moving across the tarmac. I love the strong contrast produced by gouache on coloured paper, very useful for (relatively) quick sketches that include the sky.
Water-brush with Lexington grey ink, gouache, A5 – 20 minutes
And below are two more quick Istanbul sketches using white Uni Posca pens on the same paper; swallows flying around the eaves of a block of flats, and tourists waiting outside Hagia Sophia.
White Uni Posca pen, Lexington grey water-brush, gouache, A5 – 15 mins
White Uni Posca pen, Lexington grey water-brush, A5 – 10 mins
Electric kettle, mug, tea-infuser, and a hazy reflection of me sketching while the tea brews. This was done a few weeks ago, when I was starting to appreciate the versatility of pencil, and the way it allows lines to shade into form.
Pencil, water-brush with Lexington grey ink, white Uni Posca pen, A5 – 20 minutes
Mostly drawing 