Ballpoint Sofa

One last sketch for 2015….got a new book…”The Art of Ballpoint – Experimentation, Exploration and Techniques in Ink” by Matt Rota from the Subiaco Bookshop (great bookshop by the way). Exploring illustration and fine art using only the humble ball point pen…something that we all have lying around at home or work (although all ours seemed to be out of ink!). I got inspired and bought a cheap pack of coloured ballpoint pens from Officeworks (Staedtler brand $6.10 for 10 colours) and did a quick sketch of the sofa. Hmmmm…. still love my fountain pens but this was fun too.

What a difference a year makes…

What a difference a year makes….I do think drawing/sketching every day has improved both my drawing and watercolour technique and more importantly composition and story telling. Comparing the above 2 sketches the first one from January this year, the second only last week in December, there is more confidence, surety of line and colour….there’s hope yet!

Looking forward to more scribbling in 2016…..

Happy New Year.

City Beach Bathing Belles

Busy sketching day today….. a late trip to City Beach for a cooling dip….39’C today (it’s not as bad as it sounds….some like it hot). Lots of folk lolling about in the water and catching a few waves. A trip to the beach reminds me of the great variety of shapes and sizes of the human figure. No one looks like the figures shown in magazines, not many anyway…. those that do have “perfect” bodies don’t seem to actually get wet…. maybe too worried about their micro bathers riding up or perhaps their cozzy is so small jelly fish stings are more of a problem!

Lamy Safari EF nib, De Atramentis Document Black, Pentel waterbrush with Liquitex Acrylic ink, Watercolours: Raw Sienna, Winsor Yellow, Quin Burnt Scarlet, Winsor Red, Perylene Maroon, Permanent Rose, Cerulean, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Indigo. Pentel Waterbrush.

Judoka

Judoka at practise, I could only draw when they’re resting or watching the sensei giving instructions…. Randori and newaza has far too much action and changing body position for me to capture.

Christmas Day 2015 City Beach

Quick gestural scribble of kids digging in the wet sand at City Beach today ….Christmas Day.

Lots of people at the beach…. mainly tourists, new and first generation Australians… those who don’t have family commitments or for whom going to the beach on Christmas day is still a novelty (Manchester forecast for today top of 12’C and rain). We arrived around midday and plenty of families had a full party set up with deck chairs, gazebos, table cloth covered camping tables laden with festive foods. Stubbie holders in many hands (neoprene bottle or can holder to keep the contents cold and the owners hand warm). Lots of red and white “santa” hats. The sea breeze was blowing quite hard and whipped up some large waves….not so much swim as dive through the waves and throw yourself into the surf…good fun. Even better…. all the jellyfish seem to have disappeared from a couple of days ago.

Merry Christmas where ever you are….mince pies on the beach or by a warm fire….enjoy the moment…..

As the late great Dave Allen always said…”may your god go with you”.

39’C days…summer is here!

Summer has arrived at last….39’C yesterday and today. Went for a swim both days – Claremont pool and City Beach…..both lovely cool water although there were a few “stingers” (jellyfish) in the sea. Very quick scribbles in my A6 sketchbook – the Claremont pool sketch with coloured ball point pens, the ocean sketches with mini paint kit (half pans in Altoids tin)…the watercolours dry really quickly in this heat.

Pilot Prera fountain pen Medium nib, DeAtramentis document black ink, Holcroft 125 gsm sketch and draw book

Brown Paper Bag Coffee Shop

Taken a leaf out of Evelyn Bach’s sketchbook….. this is drawn on a brown paper bag containing some  some itunes vouchers I had just for my kids Christmas present. I remembered how some other sketchers are re-using everyday items for drawing/painting…paper bags, cereal boxes etc…. it was liberating to just scribble on a piece of paper that would just be thrown out and recycled anyway…nothing to lose. This was a real quick sketch…about 10 minutes…got more shopping to do……

Brown paper bag, Lamy Safari EF, De Atramentis Document Black, Faber Castel watercolour pencils, Uniball white gel pen, Pentel waterbrush filled with Liquitex Acrylic Ink Black.

Random scribbles

The above two drawings are my husband holding an empty glass and sleeping on the sofa….anyone who stays still long enough in our house will be drawn!

The below left picture is my hand holding my phone, the below right hand picture is drawn from the TV….just pressed the “freeze” button to hold the image for a few minutes whilst scribbling…I can’t remember what I was watching.

  

Lamy Safari EF with De Atramentis Document black, Pentel fine waterbrush filled with Art Spectrum Acrylic ink, various watercolours on Quill 120 gsm white cover paper 

Chimney Pots

Chimney pots…looks like the owner either couldn’t decide on one particular style so bought one of each…. or they were a job lot on special offer….I love the eclectic look. I took this photo earlier this year somewhere in Manchester in the UK – unfortunately I don’t remember where…unlike my sketches where I always log the location.

Canon G16 camera

Dome Cafe Coffee Drinker

Fellow coffee drinker deeply engrossed in the day’s paper.