Drawing Portraits in Charcoal can be a very rewarding experience, especially when you are working from life. When I have a portrait commission, especially if it’s a child, I find it helpful to do a quick study in one of my moleskine sketchbooks. Usually children these days don’t like to sit still for even just […]
Tag: charcoal
Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss
In my previous post I described how I went to the National Gallery in Edinburgh to see Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss. It’s a famous marble sculpture. I made a couple of sketchbook studies in charcoal then an A6 watercolour. After analysing my studies, I decided to do a 14″ x 10″ watercolour of The Kiss […]
Rodin’s The Kiss
Rodin’s stunning marble sculpture The Kiss is currently on view at the National Gallery, Edinburgh. It’s on a year long loan from Tate Britain. Last week I decided to pay homage to one of Rodin’s most famous works. I find that one of the best ways to really appreciate art is to draw it so […]
Italia! Magazine
I’ve recently been asked to write some responses to the Questions & Answers section of the Italia Magazine. Readers are encouraged to ask any questions they may have about Italy. From time to time, questions about painting in Italy crop up. Here is one from the March 2013 issue from a lady called Valerie in […]
John Singer Sargent
Richard Ormond The American artist John Singer Sargent died this day in 1925. As well as being an outstanding artist, he was a gifted musician and fluent in French, Italian and German. I’ve been a great admirer of his work for many years. I often spend time deeply engrossed studying the many fine books written […]
Portrait in Charcoal
Charcoal I’m currently undertaking a number of portrait commissions at the moment, mostly in oils but some in charcoal. Emanuella was one of the portraits I drew when studying portraiture in Florence in 2011. She was drawn from life. Dominic was commissioned as a present for his 50th birthday in December 2011. I managed only […]
John Singer Sargent
Sketchbook Tips TIP 11. Studying the work of other artists is a great way to improve your artistic skills. However there are a number of different levels of study that one can tackle. I’ve recently purchased several books about the American artist John Singer Sargent which I have studying. My initial approach is to quickly […]
Charcoal Portraits
Watercolour Since this blog post was first written in 2011, I’ve found myself doing more drawings with Charcoal. I often do a 10 – 20 minute charcoal drawing in my Moleskine sketchbook if I’m warming up for a portrait. I’m best known for my watercolours of cityscapes, landscapes and seascapes. However, I’ve painted a number […]