110626 It’s All Go!

Well, what a week. I am well and truly cream crackered but happily so. I have participated as much as possible in the inaugural Literary Festival, reading out my own satirical piece as well as someone else’s where I played the Queen (as One does) as part of the Worcester Writers’ Circle Lampoon evening at Drummonds last Wednesday, read my short story “Whistler’s Mother” as part of the Sinister Shorts evening at the University on Friday, as well as run a Picture Book workshop with children’s book author Karen King in the very beautiful St Swithun’s Church ( I have lived in Worcester for twenty three years and am ashamed to say this was the first time I had stepped inside this beautiful interior).

As well as “performing” I have also enjoyed hearing Tony Judge talk about the writing of his first novel Sirocco Express in an interview with Peter Spalton, attended a mesmerising book binding workshop where I hand stitched two small booklets under the expert eye of Angela Sutton, heard about the writing of the play “Elgar and Alice” about Elgar’s life by Peter Sutton at the Swan Theatre, and nearly, I repeat nearly, heard William Cash talk about his book about Graham Greene’s affair which inspired “The End of the Affair” (unfortunately we turned up not realising he had cancelled. Gggrrr, William Cash, gggrrrr!)

This afternoon I am off for cake and bubbly to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Worcester Writers’ Circle and shall no doubt read a few of my haiku, and tonight I am off to read more haiku at Malvern Theatre as a member of Malvern Writers’ Circle. Today and tomorrow are the last two days to catch our Literary Portraits exhibition here at our Battenhall studios. Oh! and I’ve got toothache. It’s all go!

So what now? Well, I have started writing a non fiction book about life drawing so watch this space and I’ll keep you informed. If and when it’s published you’ll be the first to know and I’ll encourage you to buy a half a dozen copies to keep the bare wolf from this door.

110415 resting nude

sketch book study in medical dictionary: Comrie, J.D 1931 News Chronicle Home Doctor Morrison and Gibb Ltd., London

110414 seated nude

 

sketch book study in medical dictionary: Comrie, J.D 1931 News Chronicle Home Doctor Morrison and Gibb Ltd., London

110408 standing figure

This is a two colour drawing in grey and brown wash created with a brush. I began the study in the lighter colour then changed to the dark for key accents. I think the essence of the standing pose is captured effectively with little interest in detail.

This evening went to a private view at Worcester City Museum & Art Gallery. Interesting talk by Lucy Bayley of the Contemporary Art Society and Nathaniel Pitt of Worcestershire Contemporary Artists. Images and videos were interesting, wine was flowing, the crowd were good, canapes even better, what’s not to like?

sketch book study in medical dictionary: Comrie, J.D 1931 News Chronicle Home Doctor Morrison and Gibb Ltd., London

110404 feet resting

I had a student once who had a thing about feet. She couldn’t bear to look at them for any length of time so would do a quick sketch then focus on the hands or another part of the anatomy. I could sympathise. Other people’s feet are never easy to study for any length of time.

This sketch gives equal importance to the shadow as to the feet, and is not concerned with any detail. Rendered in Prussian blue it is built up out of lively brushmarks which capture their essence only.

sketch book study in medical dictionary: Comrie, J.D 1931 News Chronicle Home Doctor Morrison and Gibb Ltd., London

drawing 10712

drawing the figure

drawing on experience

drawing time to share

seeing 10628

drawing every day

not just looking but seeing -

practising her scales

Quentin Blake inspired.

Today I finished a book of drawings or should I saysomeone else’s book- The Story of the Mind by J.M. Baldwin- is now filled with my reed and ink studies of the female nude. I drew on every second page leaving the interim as text only; the endpapers were drawn on too. The book is 263 pages long so there must be approximately 70 images altogether. This weekend I hope to photograph the drawings so that I can upload one onto each blog. In time order you should be able to note a miniscule development of the drawing style; the artist becoming used to a previously unfamiliar medium: the reed pen. Inspired by the beautiful drawings of Quentin Blake I shall continue to use this wonderful drawing instrument.

It is a relief to feel the book is complete; it feels substantial to hold and flick through. It works in a limited way as a flick book; glimpses of different poses viewed as the pages flip past. Ideally I would draw on every page but I was conscious of the ink coming through the old pages which I wanted to avoid . I now have to find another book to work with, another one to fill,  which I know will take over and become equally addictive. Oh! the creative mind: a ne’er fulfilled state.

I can imagine this book on a shelf long after I have gone. It is like the illustrations waited one century to arrive; the new and the old coming together. Some of the drawings are rough, expressive and complex whilst others are more slowly crafted, simple and calm to look at. I like working in both ways and the approach is usually governed by time available; a one minute study will always be different to five minute study.

I have an impatient fast style and find two minutes more than enough to complete most drawings. I am alaways astonished to see how slowly most of my students work even with me egging them on to draw faster and faster. They have sketch books on the go and regularly work on ten, five, two and one minute studies. I enjoyed starting the book and finishing it but the middle was riddled with angst as the project  was incomplete.

Sadly I  have to ask the question what was the point in the exercise? Why did it feel important for me to draw over someone else’s tome, someone else’s pride and joy? This I cannot answer except to say I find the end result interesting and believe it gives a dusty old book – destined for the skip -  a new lease of life. I would say I was also compelled.

Having filled numerous blank page sketchbooks I see this one as a new departure since it was not only conceived and executed within a week but also on previously printed pages; a “seven day wonder” making the style consistent and giving it a particular momentum. I look forward to a family of books of similar ilk emerging in all shapes and sizes. I have to say I’ve enjoyed the small intimate scale; this book with its blue cover is just 10cm x 15.3cm, published by George Newnes Limited, Southampton Street, Strand, London in 1902, and printed by Cowan & co., Limited, Perth. It is a link with the past, a link with the other side of the world; a link with life itself.

taking a line for a walk

The thing about working in reed pen and ink is that you have to be decisive. A bit like life really. Before pen touches the paper you’ve already decided on scale, composition, and viewpoint. Then as the tip touches the paper you have to keep going, a bit like driving a car with traffic behind you; don’t stop, press on! You can vary the pressure to alter the weight of the line but being a low tech method it is always going to be a little bit hit and miss, but I quite like that aspect.

I go with the flow and if I get an ink blot I make something of it. Today I made a BIG mistake so painted it out with white acrylic paint. It looks alright, but only just; it really looks as though I went over board with the Tippex, or it snowed in through the studio window onto my drawing. I think pentimenti is the correct term for mistakes, then covering them over and reworking, I’ll have to check. My drawings are full of mistakes which like blemishes on the face give character and should be seen as a positive thing; occasionally I get the whole drawing right at the first sitting but that is rare and it can look too perfect anyway. Personally  I quite like the messy look which probably says a lot about me.

Drawing is addictive and once you have a sketch book up and running it can become obsessional; this is partly because each study naturally leads to the next and because en masse they can be seen as a whole, a book, as well as individual sketches. If you’re anything like me, you always imagine the next study or sketch book will be better than the previous one. Sounds like I’ll be creating a whole library.