This post is following on from my recent blog post about the benefits of regular life drawing. I’m aware that it’s not always easy or practical getting along to a life drawing class. However one simple thing that most of us can do is have a go at drawing hands. My “warming up” exercises vary […]
Umbria On our painting holidays in Italy we take our guests to the various hilltop towns that are a feature of Umbria. This sketchbook watercolour was painted on location in a picturesque town called Todi. We have been there on a number of occasions over the years. Using a combination of the sketchbook watercolour, this […]
Portrait Drawing There are no short cuts to achieving sound drawing skills. Regular practise at drawing from observation will pay off in most visual disciplines in art, whether it’s painting, sculpture, graphic design or even photography. Before working on a commission or a painting for exhibition I will often warm up for 10 to 20 minutes […]
As I mentioned in my previous post, I will often start my painting days with a warming up exercise. My usual practise is one or two portrait sketches of John Singer Sargent portraits in my Moleskine sketchbook. Last year I did a few time lapse videos of these portrait sketches to show the process of […]
When I have a painting day ahead of me I like to spend a few moments warming up in my Moleskine Sketchbook. The link on this post to Time Lapse Sketches shows my process. Usually, I’ll have a quick flick through my John Singer Sargent books and choose a portrait to draw. I’ll sharpen up […]
A few weeks ago I was asked to write an article for the website of a new initiative here in the North East called Drawing. Drawing? is a 6 month long, region wide programme of exhibitions and events. It aims to explore drawing in art and culture and also in other areas such as science, […]
I’m currently running a 6 week watercolour painting course at my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland. One of my top Watercolour Tips is to study the work of some of the great watercolourists. There are a some terrific books available which are a “must buy” for anyone wishing to develop their watercolour skills. Rowland Hilder […]
In April I was asked to do a watercolour demonstration for a painting/writing club. They were having a weekend away together in Bellingham. On the Saturday I went out with the group to paint various scenes of the local area. I’d read about Hareshaw Linn in the hotel guide book so I decided to make […]
For the last few weeks I have been continuing with my daily discipline of a sketch a day. I try to do this for 20 minutes to an hour, 5 or 6 days a week, usually in my Moleskine Sketchbook. Gouache Painting Most of my studies have been made with a charcoal pencil. However today […]
Every so often I like to set some kind of painting/drawing discipline to keep on top of my game. John Singer Sargent is one of the artists whose work I love to study. Good habits are hard to form and easy to break. Sadly the converse of that statement is also true! I tend to […]