Picture Gallery

Basques and False Eyelashes!

2011-12-16T17:37:00.002Z

We had a really fun time on Saturday, combining a SketchCrawl with a Dr Sketchy session recently - the first Dr Sketchy to take place here in Sheffield.

You can read more about the event and what we got up to on my main blog post about the day, but here are some of the drawings I did that didn't fit on that post. As you can see - it was a bit more racy than the average SketchCrawl!

Salford SketchCrawl

2011-10-09T18:40:00.001+01:00

Our latest SketchCrawl was a bit different - it was linked to my exhibition at Salford Gallery. I did a bit of a talk with Q&A in the morning, then the afternoon was given over to drawing. You can read more about the adventures of the day on my main blog, which is where you can see the sketches I did, but below is some of the fantastic work that was done by the other SketchCrawlers, along with some photos of us in action.

I have done my best with attributions, but did get a bit confused by all the photos I took on the day, as I knew I would! If your work is here without your credit or is mis-attributed, do please let me know.

Mike Kerins:

Lynne McPeake:

Andrea Joseph:

Gemma Parker:

Lynne McPeake:

Lynne Howarth?:

Angie Chan:

Anna Sims:

Diane Connell:

Glenys Walsh:

Heather Rostron?:

Janey Lilley?:

Thank you so much to everyone for coming - it was lovely to meet you all. Hope to see you all at future SketchCrawling events!

Sept SketchCrawl: in the sculpture park

2011-09-13T13:52:00.000+01:00

We had a good turn-out this time round, so there's a lot of work to show you.

We photographed the sketchbooks on the day, rather than leaving it to individuals to send their work across, which means there's more here, but I don't always know whose is whose! If you see your work, can you leave a comment, identifying yourself and you pics so I can pop in a credit?

My sketches will all be on the main blog in a day or so, but below are everyone else's. I think you'll agree, there was some fantastic work done! I'm still uploading them, so this is just what I've managed so far:

Sian Hughes:

Andrea Joseph:

Matthewl Midgley:

Thomas Forde:

Bryn Hughes:

Julie Clay:

A big thanks to everyone who came along to share the day. I hope you'll come again.

Here is the work from those people I haven't yet got names for (I think I know some of them, but don't want to risk mis-attributing!):

There are still some photos to come from Helen at the YSP, so there will be more added soon, but if after the next batch your work is missing from here, I do apologise - please email it across and I'll add it.

Sheffield Fayre - August's Sketchcrawl

2011-08-30T09:10:00.004+01:00

This year's Sheffield Fayre featured battle re-enactments, so there were loads of people in costume from all eras for us to draw, from medieval archers through to relatively recent combat soldiers:

Below are some sketches and photos from the day. You can see my sketchbook here on the main blog.

Sian Hughes:

Ediburgh Festival SketchBook

2011-08-24T10:56:00.002+01:00

I took a little A6 sketchbook to the Edinburgh Festival this year, to record what I could as I went along. I was only there for a day and a half, including the time I was actually working, but it took 4 hours each way on the train, so plenty of people-sketching time:

Here are the drawings I did on my way:

Here are some I did during my time at the actual festival (you can see more and read all about it on my main blog post):

And here are some I did on the way home again:

SketchCrawling

2011-08-20T12:57:00.026+01:00

SketchCrawling is the new, fun way to share your love of drawing. It turns a solitary activity into a group event! Sketchcrawls are open to everyone, whatever their age or ability.

There is no ‘teaching’: it is about the buzz you get from sketching alongside other people, inspiring and empowering one another. Anybody who enjoys keeping a sketchbook is invited to take part.

SketchCrawls provides an excellent opportunity to take those sketchbooks out into the world, as drawing amongst friends gives many people the confidence they need to sketch in public.

There are informal groups all over the world, but I organise a monthly SketchCrawl in Sheffield. We meet up at a pre-arranged venue, somewhere different each month, moving around together, stopping at various places for about an hour at a time to capture the things we see around us in our sketchbooks.

There are no rules - you can draw whatever takes your fancy, using whichever medium you wish (as you can see, we sometimes draw each other!)

We stop for lunch together midway, in a cafe or for a picnic. Some people carry on drawing even as we eat!

We try to finish in a café or bar too, where it is fun to pass round the sketchbooks, so we can share what we have created.

No art materials are provided: you will need a sketchbook (A6 – A4 are the easiest on the move) and your favourite media. Some people use coloured pencils, pastels or watercolour, but many of us are content with just a pencil. If you are new to SketchCrawling, I suggest you begin with whatever you're comfortable using, but you're bound to find yourself inspired to try new media next time!

You don't need much else - a brolly is often handy if we're outside (and warm clothing!) and you might want a pad to sit on, or a portable stool if you can’t sit on the ground.

In Sheffield, we are so keen, we have developed 2 spin-off activities: the Tour de Sketch, which is SketchCrawling on bikes:

...and the SketchJam: drawing live music:

I always write up our days here. If you would like to be on a mailing list, to be notified about up-coming Sheffield SketchCrawls, let me know.

The sketches here and on my write-ups are all from my own sketchbooks, but you can see some of the work done by other people here.

Sheffield's Walkley SketchCrawl

2011-07-26T14:42:00.002+01:00

We were really lucky to have a wonderfully sunny day for our SketchCrawl in Walkley. I know it's summer, but you can't take anything for granted!

We were also lucky to have Mohammad along, who took loads of photos for us. So, instead of me remembering at the last minute to snap half a dozen, if we're lucky, we have a smashing selection to choose from, of us drawing in all our locations from the day.

Thanks Mohammad for being so generous and letting me use them.

As usual, I will also post other people's sketches here, as they send them to me. This time people have been a little slow in emailing things across, but I guess I too have been a little slow in getting the gallery up and running this time round, so that makes us even!

So, now here are some sketches:

Bryn Hughes:

Jane Horton:

You can see some more photos, as well as the sketches I did, on my regular blog.

If you would like to take part in one of our future Sheffield SketchCrawls, drop me an email and I'll pop you on my mailing list.

Wet SketchCrawl!

2011-06-17T11:32:00.005+01:00

June's SketchCrawl was a bit damp. Well, I guess we can't complain: apart from a few showers at the end of the one in Graves Park, we have been very lucky with the weather so far (which, for England, is a miracle).

Were we faint hearted, when we saw that the forecast was so abysmal? Not on your life! We stayed in the cemetery as long as was practical (above is Porridge the dog, investigating Maya, our youngest, 7 year old member), then mid morning, when the skies opened, we moved to the Botanical Gardens, to the shelter of the glasshouses:

Most of us fitted into the few cars, but a handful trudged the whole way through torrential rain. We SketchCrawlers are made of stern stuff!

Below are some of the sketches that people did on the day. My work is on the main blog here.

John Birks:

Julie Whitham:

Bryn Hughes:

Afraa Yousef:

Sian Hughes:

Michael Lee:

Graves Park SketchCrawl Pictures

2011-05-06T17:09:00.084+01:00

Here are some photos and some of the sketchbook drawings that people did on the last Sheffield SketchCrawl.

We spent the day in Graves Park, where there is a Rare Breeds Centre, so we had fun sketching the animals. Unfortunately, Barbara only remembered to get the camera out later on, when we were drawing by a small lake.

Though on the whole it was a hot, sunny day, in these pics we were sheltering under the trees from the rain.

While we were there, a young girl came along the footpath with her mum. She was keen to see what we were up to. Les (above) lent her a sketchbook and she joined in:

I will be adding more drawings as people send them to me, but below is everything I have so far.

You can see what I came up with on my main blog here and here.

Work by Dee Barker:

Work by Barbara Morris:

Work by Sian Hughes:

Tour de Sketch: people's drawings & photos

2011-03-29T08:54:00.029+01:00

We had a really fun time on our first cycle-based SketchCrawl. You can read all about the day on the main blog post, but here is some of the sketchbook work that other people did. I will add more stuff on, as folks email images to me.

Kate Wells:

John Birks:

Jane Horton:

Martin Hinchcliffe:

Bryn Hughes:

SketchCrawl at Castle Market

2011-03-02T08:54:00.013Z

Yes, we have been out SketchCrawling again!

Above is a drawing done my fellow SketchCrawler Jane Horton (more or her work below). You can read a full account of our day in Sheffield's Castle Market, and see my sketches from the morning and from the afternoon on the main blog, but here are highlights from the sketchbooks of some of the other people who took part:

Maya mincher (age 6):

Jane Horton:

Jo Mincher:

As you can see from Bryn Hughes's drawing below, as well as the stalls and market traders, there were also some wonderful views to be had from upstairs in the market:

Bryn Hughes:

Julie Whitham:

I will add more of them as people send their drawings to me...

SketchCrawl 4: Drawing, Drawing, Drawing...

2011-01-24T13:56:00.029Z

Here are some more photos and sketches from our recent SketchCrawl in Sheffield city centre.

This first couple are at our lunch stop in Zooby's cafe in the Winter Gardens. We were all so keen, we did just as much drawing as eating!

These rest of the photos were all taken at the Crucible Corner bar, at the end of the afternoon, where we passed round the sketchbooks and looked at everyone's drawings from the day.

You can see the itinerary if the venues we visited here, or read all about how it went here.

If you want to go on a mailing list, let me know, then I can tell you when we are planning the next one. Everyone is welcome: any age, any level of ability.

These are just some of the sketches done on the day:

Sian Hughes:

Julie Whitham:

Jo Mincher:

Bryn Hughes:

Dave Green:

Abi Goodman:

Sally Jane Thompson:

Lynne Chapman:

I am adding new sketches to this post as they come in from my fellow Sketchcrawlers. The bulk of my sketches are on the main blog about the day.

Our First SketchJam!

2011-01-24T12:24:00.006Z

SketchJams are a spin-off from the SketchCrawls, and a new idea we tried out recently.

On Jan 13th, a small group of us got together to experiment with drawing musicians in the pub.

Sorry it's taken a while to put these photos up by the way - I forgot I had taken them!

The evening proved to be great fun, so we'll be doing it again soon.

Click here to read about the event and see some sketches.

Sketchcrawl no 3: Cafe's & Cathedrals

2010-12-07T09:53:00.021Z

Here are a few of the drawings that folks from in and around Sheffield did in their sketchbooks on Dec 4th's sketchcrawl. It's really interesting to see how various different people have tackled the same subjects.

Sian Hughes:

Abi Goodman:

Bryn Hughes:

Thomas Forde:

Jane Horton:

If you want to find out what it's all about, or read about other Sheffield sketchcrawls, there's plenty on my main blog here. Or you can visit the sketchcrawl home site created by the sketchcrawl founder Enrico Casarosa, to check out sketchcrawls in your home town.

SCBWI Conference - a Journey in Pictures

2010-11-18T13:40:00.001Z

I recently did a long train journey, down to Winchester, to spend the weekend at the SCBWI conference. Here's what I drew.

First leg - 1hr on the 15.23 from Sheffield to Birmingham:

Changing at Birmingham onto the 17.03 (except it's running 25 minutes late):

On the way back it's a mad dash and I'm just in time to catch the 17.50 back to Birmingham:

Two bits of bad news drop on me half way home. Firstly I find my hotel room key in my handbag (oops); secondly my connecting train at Birmingham is 20 minutes late, then 30, then 40... and finally arrives, 50 minutes late, so it's nearly 9pm before I get back underway (groan):

Whenever a train is late, twice the amount of passengers appear by magic from somewhere! It's so full I can't get near my reserved seat:

I get home just in time for bed at 10.45pm - what a marathon!

Weston Park Sketchcrawl

2010-10-18T12:57:00.009+01:00

Yes, the 1st one was such fun, we did it again almost immediately. As it happens, International Sketchcrawl Day was last Saturday, so some of the same folks as last time, plus some new ones, met up for another day of sketching.

We started in Weston Park Museum, drawing various stuffed animals, pinned insects and odd exhibits of all kinds:

Jane Horton:

Micheal Lee:

Cath Dunn:

Nicola Kirkman:

Louise Taylor:

Bryn Hughes:
Dorothy Rasen:

Lynne Chapman:

Sian Hughes:

We ate a packed lunch and then the boldest of the party braved the outdoors, to draw in the grounds around the museum:

Sian Hughes:

Bryn Hughes:
Louise Taylor:

Lynne Chapman:

Dorothy Rasen:

Of course, it rained almost immediately, so after a damp and rather chilly hour and a bit, we retreated indoors again for a final warm-up sketch:

Sian Hughes:

Micheal Lee:

Lynne Chapman:

We rewarded ourselves with a drink at the nearby University Arms and passed all the sketchbooks round. As you can see, one or two people still couldn't stop sketching!

There always exciting to see the variety of techniques and all the different ways people interpret the same subjects.

If you look carefully above, you can see that one person even brought an iPad instead of a sketchbook (Jane's iPad drawings are at the very top).

What an amazing day out. Please email me if you'd like to take part next time - everyone is welcome, whatever your age, experience or ability, and it's all free. What could be better eh?

Sheffield's 1st Sketchcrawl

2010-09-27T13:50:00.060+01:00

On Sunday Sept 26th, the Sketchcrawl phenomenon reached Sheffield with a bang. Over 25 people, most of whom had not met before, got together in the city centre and braved the cold, to spend the day together drawing.

Richard Bell

We toured round as a group, visiting various venues for an hour at a time, drawing what we saw. It was great fun and there was a lovely, supportive atmosphere.

Some of the group were professional artists of various kinds, but most were not, and one or two brave souls had never done any sketchbook drawing before - a HUGE well done to you guys!

Richard Bell

I am hoping that everyone will find a way to send their drawings to me for inclusion in this gallery, but these are the sketches and photos I've gathered so far.

Janet Lilley

I think you'll agree that everyone did a great job:

10.00am - travelling to / meeting up in town:

Jo Mincher

Lynne Chapman

Cath Gittins

11.00am: 1st real stop - the Peace Gardens and Town Hall:

Sian Hughes

Richard Bell

Krishna Alageswaren

Martyn Rotherham

Colleen Penny

Micheal Lee

Tina Spencer
Richard Bell

Jo Mincher

Ellie Price

Martyn Rotherham

Sian Hughes

Barbara Morris

Barbara Rimmington

Lynne Chapman

Barbara Morris

Barbara Rimmington

12.00: 2nd stop - the Winter Gardens (indoors - hurrah!):

Tina Spencer

Jo Mincher

Barbara Morris

Richard Bell

Tim Rose

Tim Rose

Micheal Lee

Barbara Rimmington

Julie Whitham

Martyn Rotherham

Sian Hughes

Barbara Rimmington

Krishna Alageswaren

Barbara Morris

Barbara Morris

Lynne Chapman

Cath Gittins

Dot Rason

1.00: lunch in the Millennium Galleries cafe (well earned, though 1 or 2 keen folks were still sketching I noticed...):

Cath Gittins

2.00pm: 3rd stop - inside the various galleries (warmth...):

Sian Hughes

Lynne Chapman

Richard Bell

Sian Hughes

Lynne Chapman

Cath Gittins

3.00pm: 4th stop - The Hubs and around (oh no - back into the cold!):

Micheal Lee

Sian Hughes

Richard Bell

Lynne Chapman

Janet Lilley

Sian Hughes

Cath Gittins

4.00pm: 5th stop - the pub!

If you are local, and are inspired to have a go yourself, email me and I'll send you details the next time we plan get our sketchbooks out.

If you want to hear more about how I draw, take a look at one of my short videos or take a peek inside some of my other sketchbooks, such as those from my travels, to countries like China, Namibia, Vietnam, Australia and various places all over Europe.

Meeting another Urban Sketcher

2010-09-07T09:45:00.013+01:00

I spent a fabulous day with fellow Urban Sketcher Liz Steel, talking about drawing, doing some drawing, looking at each other's drawings...

We did a lot of eating and drinking tea too. We had so much to talk about, we only had a short while to actually go out sketching, so we walked to the local cemetery, which is chock-full of tumbly-down tombs and huge, stone-slab gravestones, leaning at all sorts of precarious angles.

Above is Liz's sketch (you can just see me in the far left) and mine is below. We spent around 45 minutes on them, perhaps an hour. Liz uses pen and watercolour, mine is watercolour overlaid with conte line-work.

This is me posing with little Borromini Bear, who is accompanying Liz on her travels, all the way from Australia to America, and then round Europe:

Good luck on the rest of your adventures Liz!

Dressing in Glass

2010-07-29T10:24:00.006+01:00

Some more photos I took on my day off, of those exquisite glass dresses by designer Diana Dias-Leao. Apparently, she started out in the fashion industry, but didn't like the attitudes and the pretension, so moved onto the world of glass instead.

They are wearable (just about) - there are photos of someone in them at the exhibition in Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery.

Big Bad Wolf's Friends From Oz

2010-06-07T12:08:00.011+01:00

I love the internet: how else could I have been able to see my biggest Big Bad Wolf is Good fans, smiling at me all the way from Australia!

This is the lovely Peterson family, and here they are being sad with poor, lost no 5:

Great faces guys! I'm so pleased that you love my big, furry friend.

Train Portrait

2010-06-04T09:20:00.003+01:00

I came across this train sketch that never made it to the blog. I thought you might like to see her - what a wonderful Roman profile!

Fabulous New Young Illustrators!

2010-05-27T09:16:00.014+01:00

Here is a more detailed look at just a few of my favourites from the Nottingham Illustration Competition:

I was especially impressed with the winners from Fernwood School, who had put an extraordinary amount of work into their projects. They wrote surprisingly sophisticated stories, and not only illustrated them with loving care and delightful creativity, but bound them into actual books, complete with illustrated front and back covers and blurb!

All these illustrations were done by Y7 children - amazing eh? The work you can see here was done by prizewinners Amin Ahmadi, Laura Ajouz, Lucy Jennings, Parris Rawson and Ashar Burney. Well done guys!

There was some brilliant work done by all the children that took part and it was an excellent project, devise and organised by the folks at Quadrant C Leading Edge Partnership.

I'm sure you'll agree that there are some wonderfully talented children in Nottingham and very possibly a few future authors or illustrators!

Worldwide Sketchcrawl Day 2010

2010-05-19T15:23:00.010+01:00

Here are some more photos of us all hard at work, during the Wakefield Sketchcrawl on May 15th: Wordwide Sketchcrawl Day.

The one above is in the orangery garden at Beam, below we are loitering on a bridge, drawing each other and the Chantry Chapel:

This is my in my museum corner drawing the Victorian doll:

And here we are rewarding ourselves with a nice lunch in the sun:

If you would like to join up to take part in a sketchcrawl in your area, join the Sketchcrawl forum.

My goodness - don't look at that double-chin...

Thanks again to Dave Hanvey for the photos - we were all far too busy scribbling!

Wish You Were There..?

2010-05-06T09:57:00.007+01:00

John took this took this pic of me while we were in Italy, sketching the Centro Storico (old town), perched high on the cliffs above the bay.

I originally had the chair half in the water, so the sea lapped my feet (lovely...) but the chair legs sunk deeper in the sand with each wave, putting it at such a rakish angle that I nearly fell out into the water!

Sun, Sea, Sand and a Sketchbook

2010-05-03T10:28:00.005+01:00

More drawings from my holiday in Italy, the ones I couldn't fit onto the main blog about the trip:

Because I had a few days in one place on the island of Procida, I was able to do more sketching during the day, mostly sitting on the beach (jealous?).

The sea's a bit hard to do much with, so I mostly sketched the cliffs, although I had a go at the waves on the one below, and was really pleased with how it turned out:

The 90's film Il Postino was filmed on Procida and the two sketches above are in the bay that features in it.

Sorry - my funny feet, yet again. I always love to paddle, whatever time of year. The sand was gritty and very dark.

The one below was on the sister island, Ischia. The beach was divided in two by a rope: one half you had to pay for, with fancy loungers etc, the more scabby end was free. Being cheapskates, you can guess where we sat...

Oh, and here's one that escaped earlier, from the 'walking between mountain villages' part of the holiday:

Thanks for taking the time to look in!

More Old Men

2010-04-29T16:54:00.011+01:00

Here are a few more sketches from the first half of the holiday in Italy:

I didn't draw as often as I would have liked: the weather was a bit chilly and wet for sitting too long in one place, and we were walking most of the day anyway, and needed to get to our destination. No time for lounging about with a sketchbook!

As you can see though, I did capture quite a few old men, mostly either in bars or, more often playing cards in the evening.

I showed the sketches around when I'd finished, as I think it's a fun way of making contact with local people when you don't share their language. When they recognised their friends, there was much nodding, laughing and pointing.

The man's balcony was immediately above the two in the previous picture. I tried out my pen again, for a change:

If you want to hear more about how I draw, take a look at one of my short videos, or take a peek inside some of my other sketchbooks, such as those from my travels, to countries like China, Namibia, Vietnam, Australia and various other places all over Europe.

Margaret Beaufort School Workshops

2010-03-12T09:00:00.009Z

Remember my visit to Margaret Beaufort Middle School down in Bedford?

After my lectures, the children had a great afternoon, trying their hand at a whole range of different book-related workshops, and I popped my head in on as many as I could manage.

Mrs Wickins, who did a sterling job of organising the whole thing - a momentous task - sent me these photos, as well as a few pics of some of the results...

One workshop was to create silhouette book illustrations (lovely sense of movement here!):

Another was for groups to work on whole books. This was a 'touch-&-feel' picture book, with lots of collaged textures. Every page of this book is a different bizarre pizza topping, with a lift-the-flap comment:

Yet another project was for groups to make split-page books, where the reader can create crazy combinations while trying to match things in the right order:

Other children made lift-the-flap French recipe books, and maps and charts to illustrate stories. This is a painted book illustration. The children were given various poems and stories excerpts to choose from. Can you spot the evil creatures hiding in the woods behind the poor unsuspecting dragon?

Apparently Mrs Wickins and I did very well: the children declared it their 'best Bookday ever'! I was very proud to be a part of it. Glad you enjoyed yourself guys!

If you haven't already seem them, take a look at the comics some of the boys created.

Me!

2010-02-25T18:40:00.001Z

Here are rather funky portraits of me by Y1 and Y2 children at Emmaus Primary School in Sheffield:

Chewton Mendip Primary School

2010-02-22T16:00:00.003Z

Here of some more samples of the illustrated stories the children did as a result of my visit in January.

I really like the sense of space in this first pair of illustrations, by Scout Whittaker, and the exciting way the village has been drawn, curving round the waterhole. Beautifully done:

In case the words are too small to read, the story reads: 'Once there was a tall, gangly giraffe called Rufus. He wore worn, blue dungarees. He lived in the scorching hot Savanna, his village surrounded a sparkling, clear water-hole.'

This next one, by Jack Doman, reads: 'The little lion had no roar, so he tried and tried.'

I love the big sky and the way the pencil colours are applied, allowing your eye to mix the shades together, just like the way I showed the children I often work with my pastels. Well remembered Jack!

Orlando Fraser's Dance Duo reads: 'And they danced and they danced until the sun went down. When they didn't dance, they talked about being famous.' Fabulous colour, again cleverly blended for the sky, and what a wonderfully striking composition, with the animals drawn against the huge, setting sun!

This next one, Sports Day by Anna Hester, is written in such beautiful clear handwriting, I'm sure you can read it yourself. Poor Tony - he sounds about as good as me at games! I'm so curious to know the rest of the story, to find out why he is smiling, despite his troubles...

This last one is called 'The Work-out Bunny' and is by Isabel Lee. Great facial expression! Love the design of the bug character too:

'In the dry, dusty Savanna there was a lazy, boring rabbit. One day he was looking for food and found a small bug. Just as the rabbit was about to eat the bug it then talked: "Don't eat me, I can help you." "How?" "I'll be your coach and help you get fit and sporty," said the bug. "Okay." "Stay right there, shouted the bug as he ran behind the tree. He came out holding a headband and water bottle. "Put this on, hold this and follow me," said the bug.

Really lovely stuff, don't you agree? Well done guys, I'm really proud if you!

Nottingham Train Overflows...

2010-02-10T12:10:00.002Z

Yes, I'm back on trains again. If you read my main blog, you'll know that I've been doing quite a few trips back and forth to Nottingham.

Here are some of the sketches that I couldn't fit into that post.

This woman above was strangely intense looking, mostly I think because of her quite harsh makeup.

I spent some time playing in Photoshop with this next one: yes, the seats really are that red!

Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to play with colouring most of them yet. Maybe later. I always enjoy that bit and find it rather therapeutic. Actually, the whole 'sketching-on-trains things is rather Zen: such intense focus concentration, it's almost meditation!

And Again...

2010-01-31T19:51:00.000Z

I've been playing around in Photoshop again! You can see the original, unsullied, black and white pencil drawing on my main blog here.

And In Colour!

2010-01-31T18:18:00.003Z

Had a go at colouring the last train sketch I showed you, tinting it in Photoshop as I often do. I'm rather pleased with it!

Train Portraits

2010-01-29T08:25:00.000Z

These are a couple of train portraits I did on my way home from Bristol this week.

If you'd like to see the ones I did on the way there, pop in on the post about my trip to Chewton Mendip Primary School.

Ice Sculptures

2009-12-14T10:36:00.010Z

Here are some ice sculpture photos I took at the Festival of Angels in York at the weekend:

The sculptures were a complete surprise, and so even more of a delight to discover.

They made the first batch for Saturday lunchtime, but their features had melted by the end of the day, so they brought out new ones on Sunday.

Gala Day pics

2009-12-10T11:10:00.008Z

Though I took my camera to the NCBF Gala Day, I forgot to get it out, so I've had to wait for other people's pictures.

This is a nice one of Julia Jarman and I, signing after our event. Love the face painting, especially that cute tiger!

"D'ya know what it is yet..?"

Here is Julia, leading the pirate singing, during our Class Three all at Sea storytelling:

While she was doing that, I was unfortunately looking like this:

Big Draw in Corby

2009-10-30T12:00:00.001Z

Here are some of the brilliant drawings done by families in Corby, celebrating the Big Draw:

We had a great time, decorating the floor of the big hall at the Kingswood Children's Centre, which we covered in huge sheets of card:

Everyone mucked in together on some pictures:

Families worked together on others:

Or groups of friends, or siblings:

Some children worked on their own:

And so did some adults:

I'm not sure what this is, but it looked really interesting:

Working on the floor, we had some problems with footprints, as you can see, so after a while we put away the charcoal sticks!

A great time was had by all - you can read more about the day on my main blog.

Back on Trains Again:

2009-10-13T18:30:00.005+01:00

I'm sure you will have read my tales of woe, regarding my last batch of school visits, done under the influence of a lingering cold, and finally ending in laryngital-imposed silence!

Well, the good news is that I at least didn't get a runny nose til later, so I still managed to get quite a few sketches under my belt.

These are a few of the ones that I couldn't fit onto the regular blog. Mmmm - I just realised that they are all men. I must admit, I like the craggy, hairy, boney nature of men's faces. We girls can be a bit fresh and gorgeous!

Edinburgh Festival with Julia Jarman

2009-08-30T11:27:00.006+01:00

If you read my blog on the festival, you will remember that my camera died almost immediately, so I got very few pics. Fortunately, Tom Breslin, husband of author Theresa Breslin and a friend of Julia Jarman, took photos.

This is us on stage, as the audience are let into the theatre. Doesn't Julia make a dashing pirate?

When the event finishes, you are taken to the festival bookshop, where you do your signing. This is also a lovely opportunity to chat to people who enjoyed the show enough to buy a book.

You only hope you're not unlucky enough to be signing on the next table to someone like Julia Donaldson: every author/illustrator will at some time suffer the humiliation of sitting like a lemon, trying to look busy, while their more famous neighbour slogs through a queue stretching 3 times round the block!

As you can see though, Julia and I had a great time, as we always do when we perform together. We are both as giddy as each other.

Thanks Tom!

Wicked, Eh? That's Brill!

2009-08-25T14:00:00.002+01:00

I just got a lovely parcel of feedback forms from Stockport Art Gallery, where I did a day of workshops recently, based on Dragon's Dinner.

I'd like to share some with you, as well as these great photos taken on the day by local amateur photographer Ian Benson. Thanks Ian - they're smashing!

"Wicked. I really enjoyed drawing the dragon and I have learnt how to draw character, and that you can express their emotions through the picture, not the use of speech bubbles. Very interesting art lesson."

"It was brill because I learnt a lot. It was the best!"

"I thought it was really good. The bit I enjoyed most was when Lynne gave away her pictures she drew. I also enjoyed when she let us try it ourselves. The whole if it was really good!!! Thank you."

"Utterly amazing!"

"I think it was really fun. I have always wondered how to draw a dragon, a SCARY dragon."

"Very very very very great. The best in the world."

Isn't that just lovely? Makes me feel all warm and squishy. Thank you to everyone who came and worked so hard. I'm so pleased you had fun.

Cancelled Train Drawings

2009-08-12T10:09:00.004+01:00

I arrived at Sheffield Station, on my way to do a workshop in Stockport Art Gallery, to discover that all trains to Stockport were cancelled, due to a broken down freight train blocking the line.

The only way to get there was to travel all the way to Leeds, then pick up another train to Manchester, then a 3rd train to Stockport - a nightmare which made me an hour late!

The up side was that all that extra travelling meant more time to sketch. Every cloud...

A Sunny Weekend at Last!

2009-08-10T09:05:00.006+01:00

At last, some sun! It was so nice to be able to potter about and just sit with my feet up in the garden late Saturday afternoon:

Then on Sunday we went for a lovely, long walk along Stanage Edge in Derbyshire.

John celebrated the good weather in his usual fashion, as you can see.

As we were resting thus, on the flat rock on the cliff edge, a head suddenly appeared just 12" from John's head: a climber coming up from the below!

Dancing the Night Away!

2009-07-31T12:40:00.004+01:00

Regular visitors will know how much I like jiving. I did this pen & ink drawing of my favourite, 1950s dancing dress a few weeks ago, and have been waiting for an opportunity to add the colour.

It was hanging on the wardrobe door, because I was just about to get dressed up to go to a big ball in Stockport.

You can see what the dress looks like in action here.

Drawing Micheal

2009-07-24T14:18:00.003+01:00

I did some lifedrawing last night. It's been a while - last time I went was back in April.

Luckily the group has moved from the cupboard-room, and is trying out a new space: my friend Tim's new studio in town, which sounds rather swish, but is actually very basic and still not exactly massive, but miles better.

Micheal is a great model who keeps very still, and is wonderfully long and bony, with a really dramatic profile. We started with some 10 minute poses, like the two above, mashed some tea, then did an hour long pose: the drawing at the top.

Compost Bins

2009-07-21T08:55:00.003+01:00

Before it got all foul and wet (like it is right now!) I grabbed half an hour at the end of the day to sit in the sun and draw.

John said 'Why on earth would you choose to draw the bins?' I don't know, I thought they were rather nice squatting there in the corner of the garden, minding their own business!

Just Time to Whip Out the Sketchbook!

2009-07-03T13:00:00.001+01:00

This is a sketch I did sitting on the grass in on the edge of the playground during my visit to Lound Infant School. If you are a regular visitor, you'll know I've got rather into playing with tinting my drawings, either in Photoshop or with watercolour, and this was no exception. You can see the tinted version on my main blog.

When I got home from the school, I had time to sit in the garden for a while and so did this sketch, looking back towards the house. I love these incredibly tall poplars and the way the sway in the breeze. Again, the tinted version is on the main blog.

Beg, Borrow and Steal

2009-06-24T12:33:00.004+01:00

Well luckily I didn't have to steal, but I did beg and borrow. I thought you might like to see the miraculous outfit I cobbled together for my friends' Czech wedding.

I was a bit of a disaster zone... Not only did I very nearly set fire to myself during the groom's speech, but I managed to leave my dress hanging on my wardrobe door, back in England! I didn't discover it until the day before, and only had combat trousers and t-shirts.

Instead of being freaked out, I saw the funny side. Fortunately people rallied round, rummaged in their cases and gave me lots of bits and pieces to try on. Incredibly I managed to look fairly acceptable in the end. Phew!

I touched up the sketch I did of the bride and groom, with the aid of the wedding photos, and made it into a post-wedding congratulations card:

Red House Award Prize

2009-06-12T09:00:00.005+01:00

Here are some more of the lovely drawings from my lovely Red House Children's Book Award presentation book for Lark in the Ark. Peter Bently and I got one each for being shortlisted this year.

You can read more about the book and our nomination for the award on the main blog, but in the meantime, here are some more of my voters' illustrations:

Good eh? Thanks to everyone who voted, and an especially big thanks to everyone who did me or Peter a drawing, or wrote a review for our book.

Such a shame I didn't get to meet those of you who were lucky enough to be at the ceremony. I'm sure you all had a good time!

Rainbow Class

2009-05-21T09:00:00.002+01:00

As part of Birmingham's Young Reader's Festival recently, I got to meet some of the children from Blakenhale Infant School who, as you can see, love to paint and draw!

They had been reading some of my books and gave me a selection of lovely paintings, drawings and pieces of writing, based on When Your Not Looking! and Giddy Goat.

I thought I'd share a selection of them with you. Aren't they great?

So, a big THANK YOU to all the children at Blakenhale Infants, especially Rainbow Class - I had a lovely afternoon with you!

I will be writing about the visit on my main blog later today, where you can read a little more about the storytelling afternoon we shared.

Views in Pen & Ink

2009-05-10T10:13:00.001+01:00

These are sketches drawn on Friday, from the windows of my current studio, in the attic.

If you've been reading my daily blog, you'll know that I am trying my hand at pen and ink. I'm experimenting with various different approaches to it, both with the linear mark-making and the possibilities for adding colour.

The sketch above was drawn while standing on a stool to look out of the velux window. I spent quite a lot of time next day experimenting with colours and textures in Corel Painter until it looked like this:

This next one is from the same window, but hanging out and looking to the right. I had to do the sketch in several short spurts as it was mad weather: every few minutes it would pour with rain, really hammering down, then clear, then do it again!

I fiddled around with the sketch in Photoshop, using different light settings with several layers. Not as successful as the last I don't think, but fairly interesting.

The sketch below is looking out of a side window in the studio, towards the front road where they are building a new house. In an attempt to return to the casual sketchbook spirit, this time I tried simply picking out areas with limited tints, again in Photoshop:

Views From the Window

2009-04-23T13:12:00.011+01:00

I have always been a little fascinated by the way a window pre-selects a picture. Over the years, I have done many drawings of the views from the various windows in my life.

These were all done from my studio window (not the one I work in now, but the previous one, on the first floor). I looked out over the neighbours' back gardens, receding down the hill - a perfect viewpoint.

I was interested in the patterns created by the dappled sunlight on the branches, and the shadows on the different shaped foliage. I was trying to get the energy of new growth into the drawings.

I particularly liked the fingers of the hedge in the one above, feeling their way up towards the sun, so I translated it into colour, using oil pastels for a change. I wanted it to feel whimsical, rather then be a realistic representation:

Here is another oil pastel ones. It's still the same view, just focusing on a more distant section, rather than the immediate neighbour:

Believe it or not, the sketchbook I used for all these, an A4 bound book, nearly an inch thick, with pages of buff sugar-paper (perfect for oil pastels, it turns out) was one I bought during a student trip to the USSR, over 25 years ago! It's been sitting on a top shelf, forgotten until now!

Not sure why, but I like stuff like that!

Roy Orbison's Secret Twin

2009-04-06T15:18:00.006+01:00

Nearly forgot to show you this - a portrait of me (pencil in hand!) done by a Reception child at Yew Tree Primary School.

Do my arms really look like that I wonder..? I like the waspy waistline though.

Yew Tree Primary Pictures

2009-04-06T13:28:00.012+01:00

I recently did a day of storytellings at Yew Tree Primary School in Dukinfield, near Manchester.

They were a keen school, who had been reading my books in advance of the visit so, at the end of the day, I was presented with a lovely book of some drawings the Reception children had done, based on my various picture book characters.

These are some highlights. Aren't they good, given that Reception children are only 4/5 yrs old? Well done Yew Tree Primary and thank you!

Costa Rica

2009-03-22T17:06:00.003Z

I promised to show you some more pictures from Costa Rica. Sorry it's taken so long, but I've hardly been home since I got back to England.

Most of the paintings are on the main blog (see I'm Back!), but there are still a few left to show, including this one. This was my first watercolour attempt in Costa Rica, and the first page of my brand new moleskin, so rather daunting all round. I painted it sitting on a big, flat rock, beside a river. It had taken me ages to choose a subject, as the forest is so intense that I was struggling to isolate a detail from the tangled mass of green stuff!

I also took my A6 sketchbook for pencil sketches. As you can see, the beaches were horrible:

The drawing below, also done on the beach, was one of those spur-of-the-moment ones, where I only had a few minutes to spare:

This next one was even more so. We were in a minibus, travelling down from the mountains, when the traffic was suddenly stopped: high winds had blow large trees onto the road and men with chain-saws were busy clearing the way.

On a whim, I jumped out of the bus and ran as close as I could get away with. I only just managed to get it done, as they were incredibly efficient and cleared the way in under 10 minutes.

I had a bit longer for this one. We were waiting to be picked up, near a little aerodrome on the south coast. There happened to be a little plane on the tarmac:

By chance, this turned out to be the very same plane we flew out on a few days later. On that second occasion, I decided to sketch the ticket office, as it was so wonderfully laid back, compared to New York, where we'd come through:

It was lovely too, spending only about 45 minutes hanging around, compared to the hours you get stuck in a regular airport. This one was done waiting for our flight out, at Manchester Airport:

We had a 4 hour delay, on top of the 3 hour check-in, which is why John is looking so cheesed off here:

I didn't get to draw the animals in Costa Rica, though we saw loads of monkeys, sloths, turtles, crocodiles - all sorts. But they were all too fleeting. So, here is a photo of me holding an iguana, rescued from under a car outside our hotel in La Fortuna. I have no idea why I'm looking so anxious - I love iguanas!

Archive 5: Czech in Colour!

2009-02-09T11:28:00.002Z

I also took my coloured pencils and A3 drawing pad to Czechoslovakia.

I mainly used them in a rather elegant town called Bardajov, where many of the buildings where painted in lovely colours, and some were also prettily decorated.

The day I visited was bright, sunny and hot, which provided perfect contrasts and shadows.

It is such a long time since I have done this style of drawing, but I imagine each of the sketches would have taken perhaps 30 -40 minutes.

One of the reasons I prefer to work smaller these days, is that simply standing and supporting an A3 pad on your arm for that long is hard.

Doing it in bright sun only makes it more exhausting and I do remember getting rather tetchy doing the one on the right.

I know a lot of Urban Sketchers use travelling stools to get over this problem, and I did toy with one once, but you already have so much to carry, what with the tin of pencils, the pad and all your normal day-trip stuff, that I found carrying a stool too was just a thing too far!

This last is from another small, historic town in the same area, called Tabor. I seem to recall only having a couple of hours there, so only managed the single drawing. That's the one drawback to sketching - it sucks up all your time and if you're not careful, you don't get to do much else!!

Archive 4: Czechoslovakia in Black & White

2009-02-07T18:14:00.019Z

I travelled in what was then Czechoslovakia, immediately before Poland (see Archive 3). I like to get off the main tourist routes if possible. It was sometimes tricky: neither my friend nor I could drive, so it was all done on trains and buses.

That in itself can be an experience though. This sketch was done on a bus between villages. Many older woman still wore traditional dress.

Liptovska Teplicka, where the bus was headed, turned out to fabulous for drawing. It was a little, farming community, set amongst pine-clad hills, and apparently uncontaminated by the uglier side of modern life.

The buildings were traditional and mainly wooden. Big white ducks waddled the streets and yards were stacked with woodpiles and farming paraphernalia.

I spent a couple of very happy hours wandering about with my friend, sketching this and that. There were not all that many people around, but those we bumped into seemed surprisingly unsurprised to see us, although I felt as though we stood out almost like time travellers.

Another, even tinier village I'll never forget, is Sumiac. There was nobody about, so my frined and I were standing sketching outside a really interesting old wooden house. I had nearly finished, when I spotted the owner in the doorway. He was an old man. Although I worried he might be upset at us, he just smiled and sat on the porch to watch.

When we had finished, we showed him our drawings and we got into one of those peculiar, mainly mimed conversations. We told him we were from England, and he told us that he was born in the year 1900.

He had such a brilliant face, I asked if I could draw him. While I was drawing this portrait, another very old man came shuffling down the hill, dressed in what I thought was a much-faded military uniform, but turned out to be his old tram-drivers uniform.

In part mime, part Czech, he was obviously telling us we shouldn't bother with the first man and his grotty old house, we should be drawing his place instead! He then grabbed my arm and dragged me up the hill. He made us wait while he set up wooden stools in the dirt road, then 'told' us to get on with it!

I am very sad that I can't show you the drawing, as he was obviously desperate to keep it, so I had to give it up. One funny thing - he had a 'page 3' pin-up in his front window. I tactfully left it out, but he would not accept the drawing until I had drawn it in!!

Using a Sketchbook: Drawing in Vietnam

2009-01-15T09:00:00.017Z

It can be nerve-racking, plucking up the courage to whip out your sketchbook for the first time in a public place. It's best to just get it over with: once you've started, it's fine. Here's what I was sketching in the photo above:

Any attention you get is generally very positive. Remember: most people don't draw at all, so however worried you are about your efforts, most on-lookers are likely to be impressed.

And you do get used to being observed. I now really enjoy the opportunity to share the moment with strangers, particularly if we don't share language, so wouldn't otherwise 'meet'.

These photos were all taken in Vietnam. The first time I found the nerve to draw people close-up, the lady above came and watched, with a huge grin. When I'd finished, she seemed to be asking me to draw her, so I did, then I broke my usual rule and gave the drawing to her.

Here, I'm sketching some roadside poultry traders: the baskets on the backs of the scooters were full of live chickens. Some hung from their feet from pushbikes, like panniers. Women crouched on the floor, weighing tethered chickens with hand-held, metal scales. I started on the periphery, but quickly got drawn in by people’s attention. There was much giggling about those I had drawn.

I sat beside a river in Hoi An, to draw some squatting women working on a jetty (eclipsed here by my onlookers). It must have been the school’s lunch hour, as I quickly attracted a handful of little boys in uniform, who talked animatedly to one another, obviously about me. I wished I could understand and talk to them.

This photo was taken a couple of minutes later...

I showed them the rest of my sketches, then tried to draw one boy, although he seemed to have no idea that he should keep still!

This last is in the Mekong Delta. I'm the one in the conical hat. I'm looking through the dark opening bottom right. More than fifty people were sitting in the shade of a palm-thatched roof, surrounded by flat, woven trays. These were 2-3 feet across and contained round things, the size of marbles, which they were shelling with paring knives.

I soon had an audience, as you can see, peering over each others' shoulders to watch me draw. Somebody indicated that the marbles were ‘longan' (he wrote this carefully in the corner of my sketch) and gave me one to taste. It looked like a tiny, discoloured lychee, with less flesh but a more concentrated flavour.

To see more of the sketches I was doing, and more photos, see Illustrator Eaten by Python!!! or go to the Vietnam sketchbook on my website.

If you fancy having a go, there is a post on my main blog, with loads of 'hot tips' about drawing people in public places.

If you want to hear more about how I draw, take a look at one of my short videos, or take a peek inside some of my other sketchbooks, such as those from my travels, to countries like China, Namibia, Australia and various other places all over Europe.

Archive 3: Poland 1991

2008-12-28T15:40:00.003Z

These drawings are once again from the period when I used to carry a big A3, spiral-bound pad and a huge tray of coloured pencils around with me. I wish I had the dedication to do it now, as I do like the way the colours add depth to these older sketches.

This one was drawn in a cobbled street of the beautiful city of Gdansk. This was such a surprise to me: those who were around in the early 1980s like me, probably still associate Gdansk with the TV images of the austere, concrete shipyards (and huge moustaches) from the Solidarnosc uprising. But the city itself is full of old, very ornate buildings that reminded me of Amsterdam.

Just after I finished this drawing in the tiny village of Wodzitki, a stork arrived and circled the spire of the lovely wooden church. I think he was eyeing it up as a possible nesting spot: we spotted several massive nests, always perched precariously atop tiny pinnacles.

I don't remember fully appreciating it at the time, but I was in Poland during a very interesting period - immediately after the Warsaw Pact was dissolved, in the summer of 1991. I was travelling around by train and do recall noticing many people on the move.

I stood in the street in Krakow to sketch this - fortunately devoid of traffic. I was drawn to all the subtle colours in the shadows and the over-stuffed notice board.

I also took my A6 sketchbook for quicker work. This is also Krakow: one of the flower sellers under her market awning in the main square.

I particularly enjoyed getting off the beaten track too, taking local buses out into some of the villages, where time seemed to have largely stood still:

I was also struck by the number of massive churches, even in fairly small towns.

One place that sticks in my mind is Prezmysl, where there were so many huge churches on top of one another, it was astonishing that they still required loudspeakers outside, to relay services to those who couldn't fit inside!

By the way: the name Prezmysl is pronounced something like 'P-shemish'. No wonder locals looks non-plussed when I was asking for the right platform for trains to 'Prez-mizzle'!

Walking at Chatsworth

2008-12-16T12:30:00.001Z

There is a big stately home called Chatsworth House just outside Sheffield, belonging to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. I've never been much taken with the house itself, but we often walk in the massive grounds, where there's a lovely wide river and you can watch deer and sheep grazing.

There's also a rather unusual hunting lodge, high on a hill. We stopped for a breather beside it, and I drew this rather smart cannon:

Changing the Telegraph Pole

2008-12-14T12:00:00.010Z

A while ago, I heard lots of noise outside the house, so I stopped what I was doing and ran to find out what was going on. There was a massive lorry parked up right outside, and several men in hard hats milling about. They were replacing the telegraph pole directly in front of our house!

Now, I'm always partial to bits of machinery in action, and men at work, well, you've got to watch haven't you?

It was a sufficiently unusual occurrence, that I thought it warranted documenting, so I rushed back upstairs and got my little sketchbook. I was so glad I did.

It went on for ages, so I was able to do sketch after sketch, peering out at them from our front bedroom window, the perfect vantage point. Everything was continually moving, so I had to be pretty snappy, which is always excellent practice.

And the proof of that, is that I think you can see from the sketches (which I've put in order) that I'm getting better as I go along. These final two are much the strongest of the series - I definitely warmed up!

This last is them finally lowering the new pole into position:

Archive 2: On to Inner Mongolia

2008-12-09T15:00:00.000Z

As an extension of my time in China (see Archive 1), I took a long-distance bus into Inner Mongolia, to stay in the lamasery village of Taersi. I was a little apprehensive about how the monks would take to being drawn. Would they consider it an insult?

The streets were mud but the temples were all very impressive: high walls broken by huge, decorative gateways with great, studded doors, through which you passed into a series of painted, wooden buildings and stone courtyards. The spaces were full of monks and pilgrims praying and prostrating themselves to the accompaniment of much chanting and banging of gongs.

To my delight, nobody seemed to mind me sketching, not even when I drew them. In fact I was occasionally offered brief smiles between prostrations, and those who came to watch gave me the 'thumbs-up' sign: very odd coming from a robed monk!

These monks were in the middle of a ceremony, wearing bright yellow, woollen caps with high mohicans on top. I was sitting just off the courtyard, sketching them, when another monk came over, smiled a greeting and gave me a single walnut. Later on, a different monk also made me the gift of a small pear. I felt honoured and rather thrilled to be accepted.

In another courtyard, I found lines of brightly decorated, red barrels suspended from a beam with axles through their centres. These were prayer-wheels, sending up a prayer each time someone gave them a spin.

This long, low building was set apart from the others up a hill. Inside was a single long hall containing the monastery's yak-butter sculptures. They were intricately carved and brightly painted, making it difficult to tell they were made of butter, were it not for the uncomfortably clammy, sweet smell that filled the place, making it difficult to stay for very long. Hence no sketch!

Venice Sketchbook

2008-12-06T16:27:00.005Z

This time last year I was in Venice. It was my first time and we spent a whole week just wandering the streets.

It was of course perfect for sketching, although I was a bit intimidated by the fact that everything had been drawn so many times before, and so very beautifully!

I think this one of my favourites from the trip, drawn from Ponte S. Polo. Just a simple detail: sometimes that's easier to tackle than anything too grand.

We found a tiny local bar, called Ai Artisti, where we spent several early evenings, before finding a restaurant for a meal. We liked the fact the locals obviously used it.

This is my hubby John, well half of John anyway.

One night we messed up and couldn't get a meal, so just stayed and had a very decent pasta in the bar as well: simple fare, simply served, but in many ways much nicer than something more fancy.

We took the obligatory ferry trip out to the islands. Most people know Murano, because of the glass, but there is also Burano, with a fascinating lace museum. I loved the modern, very illustrative lace samples, as much as the traditional styles.

There was so much to see, but I was drawn to three elderly ladies hunched in the window, actually making lace in the traditional way, over a bolster. I signed 'is it ok?' and then drew this portrait.

They were bowled over. They fetched the security guard to take a photocopy of the sketch to keep, that they asked me to sign. It was one of those lovely bonding moments that you sometimes get with sketching, all the more poignant when you don't share language.

This was the water-bus driver, on the run from to Burano to Murano. It was freezing and took ages! My favourite things on Murano were the glass chandeliers. They were bonkers - very colourful and completely over the top! We chanced upon some men blowing the glass and watched then through an open workshop door for a few minutes, trying to guess what they were making.

Of course, no sketchbook would be complete without at least one gondolier! They were dreadfully tricky though, as they never seemed to stand still. The call was: 'Gondola, gondola, gondola!', so fast it was one word.

There are a few more Venice sketches on my Flickr page

Archive 1: Colour Sketches in China

2008-12-02T09:11:00.015Z

Nowadays it is rare for me to work in colour when I am out and about, but there was a time when I used to take a big tray of coloured pencils and an A3, spiralbound sketchbook out with me. It meant I could do gloriously rich drawings, compared to the simple pencil sketches I do currently, but it did involve being loaded down, so ruled out drawing on a whim, or surreptitiously.

These are drawings done on site during a trip to China in 1987. The top is of course a gate in The Forbidden City in Beijing. The one above was a butchers shop in the city of Chengdu.

It was a very interesting place to draw, not just because it was so colourful and so visually different, but also because the Chinese people were absolutely fascinated and crowded round to watch. This proved to be one of the most challenging aspects though: within seconds, whatever I was trying to sketch was always obliterated by onlookers!

For this reason, I was pleased that I took my little A6 book too. This was a street cleaner in Wuhan. Again though, I was lucky to get the secret viewpoint of a hotel window, which had a handy view down onto a main street.

This last was in the city of Xi'an. I was looking down on a lunch restaurant, from a vantage point on top of the Drum Tower. I got several minutes of peaceful concentration before somebody looked up and spotted me.

I would very much like to go back to China 30 years on, as I know many things will have changed beyond recognition. It would be interesting to see if more contact with the West has diluted bystander interest at all!

On my website, there are more drawings from China, or take a peek inside some of my other sketchbooks, such as those from my travels, to countries like Namibia, Vietnam, Australia and various places all over Europe.

Plus, if you want to hear more about how I draw, take a look at one of my short videos.

Stockport Schools Book Award

2008-12-01T09:33:00.004Z

I just got sent this lovely photo, taken by one of the Stockport SLS librarians, of myself and Julia Jarman with the book that won. It was taken after the award ceremony, relaxing in the bar (hence the wine!).

If you want to read more about the award ceremony, see I Have Won An Award!!!

Experimental Style

2008-11-17T16:04:00.003Z

When you are trying to draw in poor light, you often can't make out detail. I was experimenting here with a slightly different, looser technique, looking more at light and shade, and general shapes, than at lines, edges and detail.

The result is more impressionistic than my usual approach and the more extreme markmaking adds a certain drama I think.

Sketchbook Work

2008-11-15T15:42:00.010Z

If you've been reading my main blog lately, you'll know that I was excited to discover Urban Sketchers recently. If you haven't seen their site already, do take a look.

Seeing their work has inspired me to post some more of my sketchbook drawings here. It does seem a shame to have them all trapped in closed books on my shelf. I will scan a few in from time to time, when I have a moment.

These 3 are from a visit to Riveaux Abbey in North Yorkshire. Riveaux is a roofless ruin, but with enough interesting stonework and walls still standing, to make it really atmospheric and fun to draw.

I sketch in a 3B pencil. I don't add anything to them later, though now I've seen some of the interesting colour work on the Urban Sketchers site, I might experiment...

Unlike some of the Urban Sketchers, I am insufficiently committed these days to sketch in the rain, or in seriously cold conditions, so these were done in the summer!

A Picture From Amelia!

2008-11-10T16:06:00.003Z

I have just been sent this fabulous illustration of people queueing at a bus stop. It has been drawn by a very talented little girl, Amelia, from Rivelin Primary School. She is just 7 years old. Is it in oil pastels Amelia?

Impressive eh? I think I will soon have some competition, don't you? Thank you so much Amelia!