Happily Drawing Nature
I’m liking the idea of having a kind of halo around things I draw…mainly in stippling technique. Stippled drawings can be so precise and stark against the white backgrounds. That can be clean and effective, but I do like the idea of softening the edges and pulling the object into a different realm, is it […]
A.K. Wilder has created a new Quiz on her website, http://www.akwilder.com. The Quiz let’s you find out which class of Phantom you are. (Healer, Ouster, Caller, Warrior and Alter.) They are from Crown of Bones, the first book in the Amassia series, due to be released early 2021. We worked together to make these images, […]
A quick drawing using only stippling, quite simple but right up my alley for fun.
I am unbelievably happy to have created chapter headers for AK Wilder’s new YA novel, Crown of Bones. It will be released in January 2021 (preorder is available through goodreads). I’m already a massive fan of Kim Falconer (AK Wilder is the Author’s pen name for YA work). Kim’s Quantum Enchantment series and Quantum Encryption […]
In creeps colour, just a small amount. This was a test to see if I like having a drawing with no collage in it, again. I always want to put a bit in but I’m not sure if it’s needed all the time. I like loose messy watercolour working with stippling, to make it less […]
This little faery has had a bit of a change. I felt like I wanted a bit more mood, drama. Backgrounds are still a bit of a mystery to me, I’m not sure whether it is a bit too dark? Maybe it’s just my love/obsession of Mary Delany that creeps in…
Tonight I finished a drawing, I’m glad it’s finished with pen but I’m not sure if it’s needing colour. The Raven drawing I feel definitely was more successful because of the colour (even if it was just blue and sepia). So… I think I’ll have a moment to ponder and maybe come back to it […]
My first response is AAARGH when I think about frogs. There’s no good reason for me and frogs not to get along but I just can’t develop a love for them. I thought I’d try drawing this one (who the family saved from an outside sink drainpipe). No collaging this time, just watercolour paint and […]
Wow. Life is moving at a much slower pace at the moment, yet somehow I’m busier than I normally am. Covid-19 is turning everything upside down. Art practice has had a teensy little window… but I’ve managed to finish a drawing I started ages ago. Here’s the Raven drawing… and in earlier moments…
What I thought would be a relatively easy subject turned out to be a bit confusing… but I think I like it. the beginnings and middle… and done…
I’m not entirely sure where the desire to stipple is coming from. On a practical level it’s a better way of turning very fine pen details into a decent print without losing all the ultra fine details (which has been happening with hatching). There is something deeper though, which I haven’t really got my head […]
Spring Equinox is here! (The mediums on this piece are charcoal, watercolour, gouache and conté pencils. The paper is 100% cold pressed cotton.)
This drawing is kind of a mess. Mess is what I want right now, so that’s okay. Backgrounds have been on my mind lately, I’m a little bored of having pure white background so I thought I’d experiment with letting loose with ink. This was black and sepia, although it reads more as black. I’ve […]
At last I have a good scanner! I can’t believe the difference it’s made. It’s a great feeling to know that I can continue drawing in the style I’ve grown to love, I was starting to think there wasn’t a scanner up for the job. Black and white, I (naively) thought would be so much […]
More nasturtiums, I’m starting to think my appreciation of them is getting out of hand! I keep telling myself that I’ll put some colour into my work but again it hasn’t happened. You’d be surprised how easy it is to get caught up in the moment of drawing dots. This was a pretty large drawing […]
Yesterday I spotted a #drawthisinyourstyle challenge on Instagram. It only had 24 hours left so I had to get cracking. The original illustrator was Laurabeedraw, who I watch on Youtube. There’s only three channels/people I watch on Youtube so far. Laura Bee Draws, Frannerd and Holly Exley. Basically they are my company when I’m drawing, […]
This woollen hat means a lot to me. It was knitted well but I decided to take a lot of artistic license when drawing it. Here it is … I don’t have it, which is a pity, it belongs to the Hospital where one of my children was born. It was lovingly popped onto my […]
At the moment I have two insectivorous plants, both are a type of Sarracenia, trumpet pitcher plants. I absolutely love them. There had to be a drawing of them, so here we are! Time is of the essence considering my track record for houseplants… hopefully they’ll survive but… just in case… And here’s a couple […]
I love Acorns. From traditional Celtic and Nordic symbolism of fertility, wisdom, strength and immortality… there is so much we have connected to these small objects. For me the appeal is also their shape and weight. While they are still connected to the tree, they look almost wrong, like their weight shouldn’t be holding them […]
It’s 1am and I’ve just finished a small ink pen and collage drawing. This was really hard to stop midway, so I made the most of these quiet hours and decided to finish it (with a little bit of company from Season 3 of Outlander)! I am so unbelievably tired but happy to see this […]
Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of fantastic drawings of crystals. Up until now I’ve never attempted to draw/collage crystals, I was hesitant as to whether my style could capture the translucency of clear quartz. Also the fact that I work mainly monochrome… but today I decided to give it a go, and the subject […]
I’m not sure if I’ve identified this plant right, but either way, I’ve had a great day drawing it.
I’ve just come across a collection of old ink pen/collage drawings. They were stashed away in a folio, shoved in the back and forgotten about. I’m going to give them a bit of daylight and fresh air, they look to me like a happy family of unremarkable natural objects.
This week I started a drawing, straight into dotwork with no real preliminary sketch (besides tracing a bowl for the circle of the moon 😆). I drew from an old photo, and took it from there. Pretty early on I thought I’d ruined it but kept going. This style is a very big nod to […]
Our household recently adopted two male kittens. One was a rescue kitten from a Vet, the other from the Animal Protection Society. . They have bonded with each other so beautifully. They play fight, sleep together, meow for each other if separated. I loved this photo of them both, I couldn’t not draw it. I […]
This was a watercolour collage I started about a year ago. I threw it in the WIP pile or possibly the NTA (never touch again) pile. Heh heh!
Here is the fourth character I’ve drawn from AK Wilder’s Amassia Series. First sketch was a little different, she evolved from a forward leaning pose… …to a more leaning back one. She wanted a direct gaze, she’s not afraid to pull the viewer in. I felt like she enjoys a challenge and expresses herself as […]
Marcus is another character from A K Wilder’s Amassia Series. There were a few rough starts, I think three attempts in total, which is rare for me. I don’t normally rip up drawings but working on Marcus was humbling! This guy really challenged me. I can’t wait to read about him when the books are […]
My latest ink pen and collage drawing is of Kaylin from AK Wilder’s Amassia Series. Kaylin was a really interesting subject. My eldest son did the initial posing, but bit by bit Kaylin’s own personality and appearance showed himself. There were a handful of very late nights drawing. In the quiet hours of the night, […]
One character study done, a few more to go… this is so much fun to do! I still really enjoy a drawing in the preliminary stages, the absence of detail is where the magic is sometimes. Here she is, Older Ash, at the beginning. and as early sketches… and all finished…
It was a few years ago, but this drawing was the first time I ever entered an Art Contest. My daughter came home from the City telling me about a competition she saw advertised in Koko Black. Only thing was that it had a cut-off for entries in two days time. So I had just […]
Today was a good day. I was able to squeeze in a drawing. It was over with way too soon but I’m happy with it.
Rough paper gives you a bit more of a challenge but I love the warmth and depth it gives. This paper is Arches Rough, 300gsm. It’s my favourite brand of paper. In fact it’s the only one I use anymore. I like the Smooth mostly, but every now and again I use the Rough. It’s […]
