Owner: Dave's Blog URL:mothsblog.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 17:59:45 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Mainly about my efforts to learn to draw and paint in watercolour. Site statistics:Click here
Jesus College 2007-03-18 22:22:00 I was all set to go sketchcrawling yesterday (it was the 13th annual worldwide sketchcrawl). In the end, I only managed to get one done, as I was called home! Never mind, it was a bit chilly anyway. This is the entrance to the Principal's Lodgings in JesusCollege
, Oxford. I think this part of the College is 17th century; the canopy over the door is quite unusual. An interesting feature of Oxford Colleges is that the head of the College is required to live in. The accommodation is quite sumptuous, of course, but students aren't always the quietest of neighbours!
Essential mother's day supplies 2007-03-17 12:36:00 In the UK it is Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday) tomorrow, which is as good an excuse as any to get a bottle of champagne in! Here's a quick pen and ink sketch before it's been drunk. Now I've got to go out and do the shopping for the lunch I've got to cook tomorrow... Read more:Essential
, mother
, supplies
Daffodils 2007-03-14 23:31:00 I've been experimenting with some watercolours of daffodils, trying to keep them very loose. These are inspired by Jean Haines, a very talented artist. I'm not particularly happy with them, but I think this is a good exercise and, hey, they can only get better! Read more:Daffodils
Inspirational book 2007-03-13 17:29:00 The Epiphany Artist recently posted about books that have inspired her, which inspired me to do the same. I own several books by Claudia Nice, an artist from the Pacific Northwest who works in pen, ink and watercolour, a combination that has always greatly appealed to me. The first book of her's I obtained is called Watercolour Made Simple, but since then I have read several more. My favourite is Creating Textures in Pen & Ink in Watercolour. This is why I used pen and ink in the painting of the thatched cottage that I posted a few days ago. I wish I could post one of her paintings, but I guess that would be a violation of her copyright! Read more:Inspirational
Magnolias 2007-03-12 22:38:00 At this time of year Oxford is full of magnificent magnolia trees in full bloom. In fact, Oxford is probably at its best at this time of the year, with the daffodils out and some fruit trees starting to blossom. Plus, the students have mostly gone home for Easter and most of the tourists are yet to arrive. So, I was inspired to do some sketches. Here's one of some magnolia buds.
Leaves part 2 2007-03-11 17:33:00 I've put a bit more work into the drawing of leaves, trying to push the darks of the negative spaces in particular. The leaves aren't perfect, but I don't think I'm going to do any more work on this one. It is all graphite (2H, HB, 2B and 4B) on cartridge paper.
Leaves 2007-03-08 23:18:00 I'm working on a drawing of part of a plant. This isn't finished yet, but I thought I'd show you the progress so far. It's taking quite a long time, and there's still a lot to do, but it is fun. I like the strong negative shapes.
Distant trees 2007-03-06 09:48:00 Here's another watercolour. Unfortunately, I made a bit of a mess of trying to add some texture to the otherwise rather empty hillside in the middle ground. But the main point of this was to try mixing lots of different greens and getting the distant trees to be interesting. I'm not sure about their interest, but mixing the greens was useful. I'm starting to get very fed up with Payne's grey, as it lightens so much when it dries; I'll have to try some alternatives for mixing dark greens. Any suggestions gratefully received!
Thatched cottage 2007-03-05 23:31:00 Here's a painting that I did in my watercolour class last week. The thatched roof is textured in pen and ink and then tinted with watercolour. The hedge in the foreground is a bit of a mess, but it was fun to do that roof! Read more:cottage
Some studies 2007-02-13 22:39:00 I've been following Diane Wright's landscape drawing tutorials on WetCanvas.Here are some of the studies that I've done so far.
Not quite managed to do anything postable every d... 2007-01-09 00:11:00 Not quite managed to do anything
postable every
day, but I'm not doing too badly! This one I did as part of the Weekly Drawing Thread on WetCanvas. it's not really finished, but I'm not sure if I'll have time to finish it this week, so I thought I would post it as it is now.
Some sketches 2007-01-04 01:08:00 Four days in to the New Year, and I'm keeping to my resolutions quite well so far, even if I'm not posting every day. I'm watching a programme on the TV about the Old Grey Whistle Test at the moment...takes me back! They don't make 'em like that anymore. People also don't have hair like that anymore!! (This won't make sense to anyone who isn't old enough to remember the 70s and 80s BBC rock music TV show!)
New year's resolutions 2006-12-30 22:06:00 It's the time for making resolutions again, and this year I am yet again planning to draw and paint more regularly! It's not going to be easy, though, as my wife is about to start a new job that will involve her having to stay away from home three or four nights every week. But I will do my best. Just to set the ball rolling, here are a couple of quick drawings I did recently. The first is an Icelandic sheepdog puppy and the second is a misty river, which I did in about 20 minutes.Happy New Year everyone!
Woods 2006-10-30 23:56:00 This week we were painting trees. I managed to do four studies in a couple of hours; here is one of them. It was a fun evening! Read more:Woods
Art news 2006-04-11 20:02:00 For anyone living or visiting the UK, this site is great for listing what's showing in art galleries and museums. I'm very keen to get to the exhibition of drawings by Michaelangelo that's showing at the British Museum until 25 June. Read more at www.artuk.com/art_news....
New Forest Oak 2006-04-08 20:18:00 Here is a quick sketch I did on a recent trip to the New Forest
. It's pen and ink, washed over with water. I like the way the colours separate out when you do this.
Magdalen Tower, Oxford 2006-04-07 10:53:00 Here is another watercolour, this time showing a well-known scene in Oxford
: the tower of Magdalen College. It's a lovely spot, especially on May Morning, when the college choiresters sing from the top of the tower at dawn. One year I might actually get out of bed in time to hear them! Read more:Tower
Lake District watercolour 2006-04-06 21:37:00 I've not posted anything for ages...I hope that's going to change, as there are at least a few weeks when I'm not expecting to be quite as busy with work as I have been.Anyway, I've been continuing to try to get a bit better with watercolour
s. Here's a recent effort. The scene is in the English Lake District
.
Eton College Chapel finished 2006-01-24 00:03:00 Here's the finished painting. Lots wrong with it, but my best yet, so I'm quite pleased. Fiddled too much with some parts of it, but other bits work OK. Read more:College
, Chapel
Eton College chapel WIP 2006-01-17 00:00:00 I've started watercolour classes recently, and here is a beginning of an attempt to paint Eton College
chapel. This watercolour malarky isn't easy!
InkFinger: Blind Contour Friday 2006-01-13 16:48:00 I really like the drawings at InkFinger. The Blind
Contour Friday
is a great idea; here is a link to the latest one: InkFinger: Blind Contour FRIday 24.Here's a simple blind contour drawing of my own.I haven't been getting much artwork done recently, but I have started going to watercolour classes again. With any luck I'll have a painting to post on Monday!
Bushes study 2005-11-01 14:29:00 I've not had much time for artistic endeavour over the last few days, but did do this study of bushes in pen and ink a couple of days ago. This is thanks to Dave Sullivan who is running a foliage tutorial in the Pen and Ink forum at WetCanvas.
Sarah 2005-10-29 00:01:00 Here is a drawing I've done of my daughter, Sarah
. It's graphite (2B mechanical pencil to be exact) on cartridge paper. It was based on a photograph that was taken a year or so ago; she's now got her front teeth back! I'm going to send this to my mother (who is just about to go off on a month's cruise around the Caribbean, lucky thing!) for her birthday. Now my wife wants me to do another one with teeth!
Flatford Mill 2005-10-26 11:14:00 Flatford Mill Originally uploaded by mothsailor. This is my first attempt at a "proper" pen and ink drawing. It's a lot harder than the experts make it look! That's always the way, isn't it. :( Anyway, I was quite pleased with the foliage, but I need more practice (and patience!) with the bricks and tiles.
Tree root study 2007-03-20 19:52:00 I've always loved drawing trees. What's not to love? Strong shapes, texture, endless variation. Drawing the bark is my favourite part. If only I could paint them! Here's a quick study of the base of a tree.
EMD #111 - Bowl 2007-03-22 16:05:00 This is the first time that I've participated in the Everyday Matters weekly drawing challenge, which this week is to draw a bowl. So, here are some bowls, along with a few other random things that are on the same page of the sketchbook. The brown bowl is a first attempt to draw with my latest toy, Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watersoluble crayons. They're fun, but I think will take a bit of getting used to.
More daffodils 2007-03-21 22:41:00 Painting these things is addictive! And it's so good to switch between doing detailed pencil studies and very free watercolour painting. That way, doing both feels like an even bigger treat!
Dürer to Friedrich: German Drawings from the Ashmolean 2007-03-23 15:14:00 Yesterday I went to visit the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. It's an interesting museum, in fact the oldest in England to open it's doors to the public. I often pop in; it has, among many other treasures, an amazing collection of prints and drawings, including many by Raphael and Michaelangelo. Usually there are a few on display, though unfortunately the museum is currently undergoing major development and so a large number of its rooms are closed. However, they do currently have an exhibition of German
drawings from this collection, including some great works by Dürer, Grünewald and Holbein. Here's an extract from the museum's description of the exhibition:Highlights of the exhibition include Albrecht Dürer’s (1471-1528) Youth Kneeling before a Potentate. Watched by two men looking through a window, a young man in a turban kneels before an elder in a vaulted chamber. The youth is thought to be a self portrait of the artist while the theme of the drawing illustrates a biblical st Read more:Friedrich
Wytham Woods tree 2007-03-25 15:21:00 Wytham Woods
are about four miles outside Oxford and cover an area of 416 hectares. Much of the site is ancient woodland, though there are also areas of more recent natural woodland. It is owned by Oxford University, who use it as a site for ecological research. However, public access is also allowed, and it is a very popular spot for walking. Inspector Morse fans might remember it from The Way Through the Woods. Yesterday, I went out to draw some trees, but could only stay out for a couple of hours as it was much colder than I expected. Here's one study that I did (EDM Challenge #15).Technorati Tags:drawing, trees, graphite, wytham woods, oxfordGenerated By Technorati Tag Generator
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