Drawing – How to Write About Art

Contrasting pencil

I wanted to do a precise drawing, to take the time to look closely and draw what I observed. I had a lovely stalk of wheat, quite small and very pale, but close up there were lovely shapes and beautiful detail. I took a photo of it, cropped the image to the shape I wanted,Continue reading “Contrasting pencil”

Time Was Away

It was the simplicity of line that drew me to this illustration on a book cover of a travel book, published soon after WWII, with drawings by John Minton. I loved the way he builds up the picture with layers of lines – and no better way to get to know a person’s style thanContinue reading “Time Was Away”

Patterns from Home

I loved doing this monochrome painting, copied from a cotton scarf I have. I drew the pattern first then used ultramarine watercolour, with a fine brush. And all the while I listened to Native American flute music! Very calming:). Happy drawing:)

Push and Pull

The food was great, and the colours danced before my eyes! This is a great example of Hans Hofmann’s push and pull colour theory.

Atmosphere

A sunny day and a drive to the beach was the perfect opportunity to do some sketching. A long cliff curves round the bay into the distance and one way of conveying this is by using stronger tones for things closer while using paler tones for things in the distance. The effect of the atmosphereContinue reading “Atmosphere”

Wildsmith’s Lines

I have pretty much always loved books, but this summer I became entranced by the illustrations you find on book jackets. Beginning with the marvellous book The Illustrated Dust Jacket 1920-1970, by Martin Salisbury I have really started noticing what wonderful works of art there are on the front covers of books. So I haveContinue reading “Wildsmith’s Lines”

Look Out!

What to do with line? I thought I would have a go at using pencil rather than a fibre-tipped pen to draw with, and I found a portrait photo by Trish Morrissey to be the subject. I really enjoyed using just one pencil, 2B, and trying out many different effects it can give: smudging, sharpContinue reading “Look Out!”