Cornwall (and Whip Up!)

Sorry for the lack of updates, came back from London and then went off on the loveliest camping holiday to Cornwall. Didn't do much drawing - took a lot of photos instead. Here's some drawings I DID do ...

(click on images for larger view)

Also, got back to lots of comments on this post ... Then worked out that I'd been featured on one of my favourite craft blogs, WhipUp ... hooray!

Next month and a half will also be quiet as I'm in and out of the country. Hope everyone is having a good summer ... :)

Guache portrait

Of Sunshine for Miss Stacey's summer school project 1. Almost didn't make it ... having been feeling ill since Friday ... but painting was actually a good way to distract myself from being ill. Not as happy with this as with my skin tone experiments, but hey ... onwards for the next project!

Abbu

Spent the weekend in London visiting my dad who was in the country ... I showed him the portrait and he said, "it doesn't look anything like me!"...

I beg to differ ... Mum, I know you read this ... what do YOU think? ;)

Embrace the colour ...

I think I'm finally beginning to get to grips with painting and colour ... well at least I've begun to see what combinations I actually like to work with. This has been such a steep learning curve.

Happy Birthday Sunshine

A birthday present for Sunshine .... "Us"

Drawing in Tone

Amidst the panicking over the book/ship project, we've also started our 5 week life drawing module. It all happened last Thursday, but I've only just got my act together to take photos and post ... so here goes ...

First, some warm-up 5 minute poses

Then a couple of longer 15 minute ones (the two images are 90 degrees to each other - ie one the model is lying down, and the other he's sitting forward).

After this we had a break to have a look at everyone's drawings and talk about how most of us have our model out of context and usually done in line. So our first task was to put the model in context - ie put a frame round, and fill in a background. Also, to do the drawings in blocks of tone. The one below was 60 minutes.

After lunch more practice: A 45minute full body

And a 45minute head and shoulders.

Homework for the week (which I did today) was to do two more portraits, one in daylight if possible, and one in artificial light, ideally trying to make some kind of dramatic lighting setup. As it was a sunny day, I sat out in the garden with a mirror (which seemed to freak the neighbourhood cat out) and did a self-portrait. I took a 'before' photo, before putting in the tonal values.

And this is the final one (the arrow shows the direction of sunlight). No I'm not angry, just squinting because of the light and for not wearing my glasses ;)

Then after Sunshine came home I enlisted him to be my model. I knew he had work to do so I suggested he does his work and I do him lit by his screen ... quite pleased with this one actually. I drew under candle light and he also had his screen on full power and four little tealights for extra illumination and contrast.

Tomorrow there will be more tonal work, but we'll be using paints!

And fear not ... I WILL take lots of good photos of the ship soon and upload ;)

Sue

Sunshine's mum left us to go visit her other child, my sister-in-law-to-be, in London today. Before she went, I had to do a portrait ...

I think I managed to capture her eyes - not sure about anything else!

Sunshine

My lovely Sunshine :)

Faces in the crowd

I feel I've had a bit of a breakthrough this weekend. After spending a long time fretting about drawing people and drawing in public, I forced myself to carry around a small A6 sketchbook and a 2B pencil all the time with me this weekend while we were in London. I didn't care about what the 'finished' pieces looked like, I was just going to draw people, on the tube, in the restaurant, in the cafe, every chance I got.

And above is most of what I did - they were all done in just a few minutes and more importantly, without fear ... hooray! I actually really enjoyed doing the portraits, but my best one has to be the 'alcohol casualty' at the bottom; and even more the three girls that kept looking over my shoulder and giggling uncontrollably while I drew him ;)

Portrait Birthday Party!

I've been wanting to have a 'Portrait Party' for a long time. Some of my course mates and I have also been planning a little get-together before everyone left for the three week Easter holidays (spring break). And with it being my birthday tomorrow, we though it would be great to make it all come together! So Alice, Rich, Jennie and Luke all gathered at ours yesterday for an evening filled with fun and laughter and plenty of drawing, eating, drinking and being silly. It wasn't as well organised as Rama's, but we were having too much fun to really care :)

Alice, Rich, Jen, and I managed to draw a lot ... we took it in turns to pose while the rest of the group drew the model together. At the top of this entry is the other's portraits of me :)

Below is everyone's portraits of Alice.

Then of Rich...

Then of Jennie ... Sunshine got in on the act too here.
He'd been playing host and providing 'entertainment' most of the evening.

So obviously we had to all draw him too ... (his entertainment consisted of finding us funny and silly web videos to watch between drawing sessions!).

Luke-the-lovely had offered to cook so was slaving away in the kitchen making Goan fish curry -YUM! - while most of the drawing sessions were going on. But as you can see he did get in on the act and draw Sunshine, and we all got to draw him lounging about with his glass of post-dinner wine.

And Luke also managed to do Jen, Rich and Alice all in a row on the sofa drawing me!
Proof that the Portrait Party did actually happen...

And a lovely evening was had by all!!!

Edit: Thought I's better tell you their full names so yo can look them up when they're all rich and famous artists! Alice Hyde, Richard Partridge, Luke Elston, Jennie Gyllblad, and 'Mr Sunshine'.