Notan and Random Scribbles

I’ve been practicing “notan” style drawing (this is a Japanese word meaning light and dark illustration). I used a fine point a Pentel waterbrush filled with black acrylic ink (Art Spectrum but I think any brand would be OK)…so long as the brush is in use or tightly capped when not it doesn’t seem to dry up or clog the brush hairs which are synthetic….6 months now and no problem. I carry this brush in my bag with my regular sketch kit but do make sure it’s upright in case of leakage.

More quick notan scribbles….waterbrush and fountain pen….some with watercolour added.

Perth Royal Show 2015

Only a quick couple of sketches at the Perth Royal Show…I hoped to draw alot more but as expected got caught up in seeing as much as possible …It’s a really big show.

We always go to check out the chickens…very noisy barn with roosters showing off and hens clucking. Such a variety of birds…different breeds of hen, turkey, fowl, duck, game, pigeon and others.

Other favourite in the show is the “wood-chop” – strong men competing to fell or chop a tree trunk with razor sharp axes….it really is impressive but hard to sketch as they swing the big axes so quickly.

Spring time on the beach

Warm and sunny at the beach on this long weekend – Queen’s Birthday holiday on Monday in W.A. Lots of people down at City Beach….the Indian Ocean is very cold this time of year…won’t warm up for a few months.

Portrait Paintings

The above two portraits were painted last year in a live model portrait class taught by Drewfus Gates at the now defunct Claremont School of Art. We had each model for a total of 9 hours – 3 hours per week over 3 weeks.  I had completely forgotten about these pictures, and just rediscovered them….they look better to my eyes with the passage of time.

Oil painting – various brands

These are copies painted in acrylic of Nikolia Fechin works – I adore his portrait and people studies, he had a real connection with each of his sitters. The proportions of my paintings are not quite correct compared with his originals but they look OK as people pictures.

Acrylic paint – Atelier interactive brand

Neil McDougall Park, Como – Flora

 These are “Cosmo” flowers growing in part of the community veggie garden at Neil McDougall park. They are native to Mexico but have been planted widely across Australia as they are so pretty and easy to grow.

 

 

 

 

 

This is silver beet growing in a large polystyrene container with the words “Sea Harvest – produce of Seychelles” printed on the side….maybe that’s why the plants are growing so green and healthy.

Lamy Safari, EF nib, De Atramentis Archive Ink, various watercolours with waterbrushes.

 

Finally, a simple pen sketch of a very old and impressively knobbly gum tree with peeling bark hanging off its branches.

 

 

 

Sailor Fude Fountain Pen, De -Atramentis Archive Ink Black

Tom Collins House Swanbourne

Tom Collins house in Swanbourne this morning with the Plein Air Painting group. This is the historical home (built 1907) of Australian author Joseph Furphy – better known as “Tom Collins” and now of the WA branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers. It’s a classical Australian weatherboard cottage set amongst native trees (Kookaburras laughing) next to Allen Park. I got about an hour to sketch and paint before a cold front arrived with a solid rain….Raindrop splashes in the foreground as I tried to keep painting.

Homemade sketchbook 225gsm heavy weight cartridge paper, Lamy safari with De Atramentis Archive ink black, various watercolours, Pentel and Kuretake waterbrushes. No pencil layout for this drawing….I thought the rain might arrive quickly so jumped in directly with ink.

Run Down House

Two versions of the same drawing… a rather rundown house with rusty roof and rotting gutters, probably once upon a time quite a grand house. The first picture is just drawn with ink (Mont Blanc Toffee Brown, Lamy Safari Fine nib). The second picture is after I washed some of the ink with water in a waterbrush (no watercolours). The washed ink is much warmer and softer that the original ink sketch.

Sailor Fude Pen – The Big Bearded Barista

Quick sketches of people in the cafe, a guy reading the paper, a lady looking wistful (I drew her forehead wrong), the barista had a very impressive big beard…..Using the Sailor Fude pen again….I have a love/hate relationship with this pen. Great to be able to produce such a variety of lines with the one pen….super-fine lines when the nib used upside down, very wide fat lines when laid on it’s 55′ angle. But to get a “normal”weight line I have to hold the pen differently to my usual drawing position…. more upright which just feels strange. I probably just need more practice….”a bad workman blames his/her tools”!

Sailor Fude Fountain Pen 55′, De Atramentis Archive Ink

Wild Flowers Kings Park

Beautiful warm spring day here in King’s Park, Perth. The wildflowers flowers are out in full bloom, bees buzzing loaded with pollen, the warm earth smells so good.

Canon G16 Camera

Blue Wheelbarrows – Neil McDougall Community Garden

Gorgeous winters day down at Neil McDougall park in Como with the Perth Plein Air Painters, blue sky and warm in the sunshine. This park has lots of grassed areas, bbq, toilets playground and lovely trees around a small lake. At one side a small community garden has been created by locals on the site of an old dairy farm (until 1946). Seedlings and plants in raised beds are nurtured by local families, sponsored by local businesses and managed by a dedicated committee of local people, it is available to everyone to grow.

These rusting cerulean blue wheelbarrows are parked in the middle of the raised beds with plants growing inside (tomatoes I recognised), a pair of floral gardening gloves were waiting on the handles of the nearest barrow. I used a new waterbrush for much of this painting, a Kuretake Zig “broad” brush which is actually more like a flat brush….very useful for large sweeping areas.

Next door to the veggie garden is Hazel McDougall House, a bungalow built in the 1930’s and restored in 1979…it’s the HQ of South Perth Society of Art and Craft.

Homemade diary of Westart heavy weight cartridge paper (225gsm), pencil layout (erased), Lamy Safari EF nib with De Atramentis Archive ink black, various watercolours with Pentel waterbrush broad and fine,  Zig Kuretake waterbrush broad (flat), White gouache.