Pierre Bonnard

Pierre Bonnard

This was an interesting exercise – it’s based on one I found in Charles Reid’s book The Natural Way to Paint.

Firstly I did a continuous line drawing (which CR, confusingly, refers to as a contour drawing) of Pierre Bonnard from the photo in the book. Then, as Reid instructs, I squinted at the photo to see where tonal boundaries are strong, and where they are almost indistinguishable – I then erased the lines which divided the areas of the same or similar tone. Then I mapped out the areas of tone and added hatching.

Because I was working on brown paper I then finished with some white. Because the photo had little tonal variation, but I was working on brown paper, I found it almost impossible to give an accurate rendering of the tones, nevertheless I like the overall effect – despite the inaccuracies in the original drawing (I didn’t make any corrections when I was erasing lines).

Reid’s book is interesting – I like his approach – I also like the fact that he spends some time talking about brush handling and delivering paint to the paper – which he seems to do rather differently to many others. If you like loose watercolours with plenty of wet-in-wet techniques and would like to explore painting figures I recommend it.

This Weeks Everyone Can Draw Challenge…

…is to use something to draw you don’t usually use. I got out a brushpen for this. I do use this to restate lines in other drawings but it’s a long long time since I did a sketch with one. They are quite hard to handle – designed for Japanese calligraphy the brush head is long and very flexible. Of course this is also what makes it a joy to use – but I certainly need some practice to get the wonderful line variation Russ Stutler talks about here.

Bathrobe

This is Dave looking suitable oriental in his bathrobe.

When I get a little more comfortable I’ll see how some continuous line and direct response drawings look with the pen.

Red Bathrobe

I added a quick wash, though this is not the best paper for it as you can tell!

More Scenes from Swedish Outdoor Life

I’ve had rather an eventful few days but I’m keeping quiet for now!

Here’s some sketches anyway

Mr G

Direct Response, details added afterwards.

Mr G was the former King Gustav’s ‘tennis name’.

The Once Future King

A rather frightening drawing of another King also called Gustav. Mostly direct response but i forgot and peeked a couple of times.

Meeting my own challenges!

The challenge at everyone-can-draw this week is to sketch out ‘in the wild’ and I have been lax recently at participating, (which is bad since I’m supposed to be setting an example) so today I went into town for an hour and sat in a well known coffee place to meet the challenge. I could only manage an hour – I’m just not good at the moment, energywise, but lucky for me the bus picks me up outside my door and drops me off there too! I only had to walk a few hundred yards once I was there. I sound like an elderly woman, don’t I?! Well I have the (prematurely) grey hair…

Ruminative

Contemplative

A Man and His Son

The top two aredirect response, and the bottom one was supposed to be but I forgot halfway through and started looking at the paper. I added the brush lines and white pencil at home, later.

He’s so handy…

my love. He can do all sorts of things, including, as it turns out, splice rope. This is a direct response sketch of Dave splicing new rope handles onto the wicker laundry basket on Saturday afternoon.

I added a little watercolour wash but it is all too pale for my taste.

Dave splicing rope

Just some quickies

I went into town this morning and did a few quick sketches whilst I had a cup of tea – all direct response.

Monumental

I love the way the girls small head and large body make her look monumental, like a statue or a goddess.

The Thin Friend

Shortly after I drew the large girl her skinny friend arrived.

It's a Rum Old World

These two seemed to be contemplating the rum nature of all things.

Looks like the weekend may be fine here in the UK, hope you have a good one!

Just Dave again…

Last night I sketched Dave quickly whilst he was reading. My concentration wasn’t too good though: I have ME and tired doesn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling but the desire to draw was warring with the fatigue so I went with it.

Dave - Direct Response

Dave Reading

I was going to add a little colour to this one but after 20 minutes of drawing I’d had it and went to bed!

Three Pears and a Sari

More painting – in fact I did this the other day and didn’t post it. I didn’t quite achieve what I set out to do – paint someting bold, spontaneous and naive in style.

This was the result:

Three Pears

Well maybe I set myself too many aims! I certainly lost the spontaneaity and simplicity once I got to the pears. The fabric is a beautiful Sari originally from Malaysia, I believe.

I’m in love with the brilliance of gouache colours though – they also look great in reproduction which is handy.

That new pen again

You know I said I hated it? Then I sort of liked it? Well, I love it now. It’s well and truly broken in, I’ve got used to it, my converter has arrived so I now have waterproof ink and I may even be retiring the technical pens. I used the ArtPen for an illustration the other day and I was delighted with the result – until I smudged the not waterproof ink the next morning with a hand which I swear was dry…ho hum. Thank goodness for bleedproof white!

Anyway whilst I was still awaiting the delivery of the converter I was messing about with the watersoluble ink – which does have its advantages.

The Patriarch

The Patriarch mark two

The Patriarch mark three

Unfortunately the paper wasn’t quite up to two wettings. Never mind, I like drawing over the lines, anyway. The man is a distant relative, I’m not sure how he’s related, but his name was Whitehead, so I like to fantasize I’m in some way related to Alfred North Whitehead. I have a few photos of him and his family. Wonderful beard.

Finally at about 4.30 this afternoon my Great Art delivery arrived with the converter so I changed over to Noodlers Bulletproof ink,which I haven’t used before but have heard great things about.

Swedish Tennis Player

From a photo in a 1950s book promoting Sweden. Drawing was direct response with details added afterwards.

The ink is certainly nice and black and it is still water soluble until dry so it’s possible to add water for a wash effect. I’m really pleased, which is good since it was a £30 investment, altogether.

Right I’m off to get something to eat now. Have a good evening!

New Pen

So I bought myself a new pen. I usually use Rotring Isograph technical pens – I love them. The ink flows so freely and they just skate across the page. But being technical pens they do have limitations – the line is a consistent width, so it can lack expression. And because of this line consistency I carry two or three pens of different line widths so I can vary how I draw. Unfortunately they don’t carry too well either and can be a bit messy which results sometimes in the finer pens getting clogged up.

So in search of a slightly more expressive line and to reduce what I carry around with me I bought a Rotring ArtPen hoping for something like a dip pen but without the inconveneince. I quite like it now…but Uggh! When I first used it I couldn’t get on with at all. The ink did not flow freely, so when I reduced pressure to get a finer line I got nothing at all, it did not skip across the page, instead it dragged and everything I drew looked like I didn’t know how to draw.

However I am bloody minded, and as I’d spent almost £15.00 on the pen, another £5.00 on a converter for bottled ink and another £9.00 on waterproof ink I wasn’t about to give up on the !$%**&% thing. The problem with living so far from a really good Art Supplies shop is I have to get things mail order so trying new stuff is always a gamble. Anyway I persevered and eventually the ink began flowing more smoothly and I began to like it a little better.

I am not yet getting the variation in line width I want – a combination of the nib not being as flexible as I’d hoped and my drawing style which is fairly deliberate – to get the fine whispy lines one needs a light touch! So I need to play with it a whole lot more, and start drawing a little differently. Anyway, here are a couple of sketches – the converter hasn’t arrived yet so these were done with Rotring cartridges. The ink makes quite a nice wash if you add a little water: not too strong like Indian Ink.

Christchurch Tea Rooms

Direct response drawing

Best Wishes Mary

Photo of an unknown (to me) woman.