Ipswich to Felixstowe

Drawn on the train, yesterday.

Melancholy Woman

New Hat!

I finally got me a new hat for when I’m sketching on sunny days, so it seemed only right to sketch it

New Hat

Crap background – this is on hot press paper which is awful for washes but I’m trying to use up the sketchbook so I can move onto paper I like!

Ongoing stuff

Re-fill

'Try beetroot juice, it's yum!'

I did try it, but ‘yum’ isn’t quite how I described it!

Sketches from a work in progress, both drawn with a continuous line.

Peter’s Ice Cream

Peter's Ice Cream

More from Felixstowe

Landscapes

Since moving out to the village where I am now I’ve been thinking about sketching landscapes. This is not a subject I have ever been drawn to (ho ho!) and I found that I had to start by returning to basics producing some rather dull and straightforward sketches intitially. And so far I’ve produced nothing I feel is worth sharing. However this morning I did this watercolour sketch – not from a local scene, but actually from a photo I found posted online specifically as a reference for sketching – and felt like I’d suddenly found a way I wanted to approach and explore landscapes. At least for now!

Shaky lines

Drawing on the bus is hard, so I thought I’d make it even more difficult and do a continuous line drawing…

Another Wet Bus Ride

I also added the colour using watercolour pencils on the bus.

Since I had to take a photo of the sketchbook I used above, as it’s too big for my scanner, I also took photos of these too.

Trouble with ears

Sketching both of these people I initially put their ears too far back on their heads – they looked very odd! Strange to make the same mistake twice.

Whilst I was sketching them I realised it’s not people I’m fed up with sketching, it’s being in noisy cafes to do it. Everywhere is just so loud and I find it stressful. I look forward to more warm weather so I can be outside.

I've got my shopping

The perspective on these seats is all skewiff, but I like how the chap on the left came out – there is a real sense of solidity and weight. I think the years of drawing people are finally paying off!

I read somewhere about the 10,000 hours rule. There were no deatails, just this rule mentioned in conjunction with drawing practise so I assumed it was just an arbitary figure meant to suggest the length of practise time you could expect to do before really getting anywhere with drawing*. I have no idea how many hours I’ve spent drawing over the last few years – not nearly enough most likely – but lately it has felt different, like I’m beginning to be ‘at home’ with drawing. If you are someone who never stopped drawing you may not know what I’m talking about, but for me, who stopped for 20 years, it was challenging to start again. I think what I’m saying is that drawing now feels like part of me, whereas it hasn’t in the past. It’s a good feeling and I’m really glad I have learned, and continue to learn, how to draw. It’s the most challenging, enjoyable, annoying and frustrating and stimulating and exciting thing I’ve ever done.

Everyone should do it

*If you know anything about it, please share.

Felixstowe

Well the sketchcrawl didn’t happen for me as I was ill, still I’ve got over my ‘bored with drawing people’ moment, and spent a bit of time sketching this afternoon in Felixstowe.

Beautiful Man with Horrible Children

The man on the right had really badly behaved children – or maybe they were just tanked up on sugar and Es (numbers, that is, not tabs). I sketched the woman whilst I was waiting for the train.

Cool shades

This woman’s sunglasses were fabulous!

Too Much To Read

This guy was reading his way throught a really thick pile of papers.

Hair

I have no wish to mock anyone, but this woman’s hairstyle was strange. It was even bigger than I’ve drawn it and very rigid – maybe it doubled as a crash helmet. It would have looked less odd if the fringe was a bit longer – it only came down about a quarter of the way to her eyebrows. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Yesterday’s People

Calculation

Light

Sad Man Eating an Almond Croissant Whilst Reading Wilbur Smith

You Should be Proud of Me

From yesterday. I’m taking part in the 22nd International sketchcrawl tomorrow – at least, if the weather is fine I am! This is good as I realised yesterday I was actually bored of sketching people. I never thought that would happen but it has. Tomorrow I’ll be looking at water, buildings, boats and houseboats and big sky. There’ll probably be some people about though.

Illustration Friday: Talisman

M is for Martha, the keeper of the Flame

This is a trial piece from an A-Z I’m working on – it seemed appropriate for this weeks Illustration Friday too.

Mixed media on HP paper, 28×19cm

Brown Paper

At last I’ve found a brown paper sketchbook I like. I’ve had one made of kraft paper before but I don’t like drawing on ridges – this one’s much better.