I thought I’d begin my first blog post of 2013 featuring Drawing Camels by wishing you all God’s blessings for 2013 and by sharing one of my favourite quotes from the American artist John Singer Sargent: “You can’t do sketches enough. Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh”. It’s a statement which every artist will … Read more
I’ve already made some studies in my Moleskine Sketchbook of this painting.
Yesterday I finished yet another Moleskine sketchbook by making some further studies of the portrait work by John Singer Sargent. I’m a great fan of the Moleskine brand and have a growing collection of notebooks, sketchbooks and journals filled with important notes, studies, ideas and thoughts that are documenting my humble career. The drawing on … Read more
National Portrait Gallery The BP Portrait Awards 2012 Exhibition is currently on at the National Portrait Gallery. Over the years I’ve received many a commission to do a painting of a client’s home. Sometimes this has been overseas in countries like Italy. I always enjoy travelling to see the property which is usually impressive and … Read more
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 … Read more
Sketchbook TIP 5 If you want to start adding watercolour to any line work you are doing in your sketchbook, then you will need one with a decent quality paper. I enjoy using the “little black book” now branded by moleskine favoured by artists like Henri Matisse. You can get one with a stiff cartridge … Read more
TIP 3 Be Inspired! If I’m ever feeling dry, I will spend a couple of hours browsing through my reference books of paintings by some of the great exponents of watercolour. Some of my favourites are Winslow Homer, Sir William Russell Flint and Joseph Mallord William Turner. More recently I’ve been studying John Singer Sargent, Arthur … Read more
Watercolour Paints Whether you are a keen painter or simply a beginner who has been given a box of watercolour paints for Christmas, here are my top 10 Sketchbook Tips to help improve your sketchbook work. Drawing is and always will be the main foundation of my creative process. Many visual artists and painters do rely … Read more