Day Four of the post three drawings for five days challenge. Yes, it's taking longer than five days. Way longer.
Today, I chose these three drawings because they are all linked. Obviously, they are, but I thought I'd expand on how they are linked. And, how I work sometimes. So yes, of course, I've worked with the same palette here. Incidentally, blues and browns are my favourite colour combination. I just think they work so beautifully together. They also work great with the cream Moleskine paper which is the sketchbook I worked in here.
I often have a few sketchbooks on the go. Quite a few in fact. A lot are
Moleskine, but not all. These days I'll draw on anything and everything. The top page is from what I call a 'spare sketchbook'. It's the kind of book that doesn't have a specific theme, it's just somewhere where I dump all of my thoughts, play around with images and compositions, practice my handwriting, file all those lovely juicy quotes and lyrics - that I happen upon - for future reference and make lists. Lots of lists. I love these kind of books. Everyone should have this sort of sketchbook. I can guarantee if I look through this book (this one is about seven years old now) I am reminded of and inspired by all sorts of things I'd forgotten.
At one time, when I was going through a drawing funk (they don't happen anymore by the way) and whining about it on my blog I was offered a piece of advice that I've never forgotten. I remember who gave me the advice too. It was
Felicity Graces who some of you may know - although she doesn't draw, or at least, post her drawings anywhere near enough these days. Anyway, where as other people had been telling me to look through the work of my favourite artists or contemporaries, Felicity said definitely do not do that but look back through my own back catalogue of work. It was good advice. That's where you reconnect with what you love to do and the things you love to draw and why you love to draw.
So, that's why I recommend having a 'spare sketchbook'. You'll find so much in there too relight your fire. And, so to these drawings. Both of the two (bottom) drawings came about from developing themes I played around with in the top spread. By taking the notes and ideas and pushing and pulling them in all directions.
And, another thing, the envelope spread is what can happen when something goes wrong on a page; collage. The best way to cover all of your mistakes.
Thank you for all the lovely, supportive messages throughout my month of sobriety during October. I raised over £300 for the charity,
Macmillan Cancer Support. All in all, I've been feeling rather chuffed with myself, for not only getting through the month but for really enjoying it. I've been feeling better than ever.
Then last weekend I somehow managed to drive over my new, uninsured, iPhone. I know, you really don't need to tell me; I am an absolute twonk. So, now I need to raise to money for myself. Over £300 just to pay off the trashed phone and then enough to get a new one (although this time it's probably not going to be a brand new iPhone).
Anyway, that is the reason that I'm selling off a load of original drawings. There'll be more going into
my Etsy shop over the next few weeks and I've reduced the prices of the originals already in the shop. Today this one went up for sale. I do like this one, actually. I may have changed the pens I've used over the years, and the paper, and the way I draw, but I can't imagine a time when blues and browns are will not my favourite colour combination.
You can get your paws on this original drawing
HERE.
It seems wrong talking about Christmas at this time of year. Quite frankly, I don't want to even think about it until next December, (December the 24th to be precise), but due to all my recent technology issues I never got to post the drawings from our Sketchcrawl Christmas lunch/get-together. We met on a Saturday afternoon at the
Harland Cafe in Sheffield. What a great little place. And, so cheap. I can't remember the last time I had a meal, dessert and a couple of drinks for less than a tenner. Plus, I had an extra portion of chips - which were amazing. But, this is what's known as going off on a tangent (it's the sort of thing I remember, though; good chips). Here are just a few sketches I made. I came home with absolutely tonnes of drawings. Some days are like that, though, right? Some days you're just unstoppable.
Anyway, I'd like to introduce you to a couple of our group;.
Harry has been drawing with
Sketchcrawl North for longer than me. Despite being one of our youngest members he is a veteran. I think he'd been scribbling away since about the age of ten (ish). His work is great now, so I can only imagine what it'll be like in a few years time if he continues at this rate.
Now, I can't pretend I know this baby. He, or she, was sat on a table close by. On these sketchcrawl outings I try to take a few tools that I wouldn't normally use, to change things up a bit. I made this baby sketch with one of my lovely old calligraphy pens. I really must use them more. I pinched a blue pencil, from one of the group, to create his, or her, rosy cheeks.
And, finally, another of our regulars Jane, in her lovely jumper. It's so nice I drew it twice. Here and in the top drawing.
Thanks for all the recent response about resizing vs watermarking images, etc. As you might be able to tell, from this post, I still don't have a bloody clue what I'm doing.
Happy Christmas!
Now, here's something I've been meaning to post for a long time. For a long long time. Since I had
my first solo exhibition over a year ago, in fact. After the exhibition I was commissioned to create two of these 'small blue thing' drawings. This one was for Sally, a surprise gift for her husband (it's a scarab, by the way, Sally), and the other was for the Hughes family. When I delivered the Hughes' drawing I was given this poem, below. Karey had been inspired to write it after visiting my exhibition. I read it often, and have been meaning to come up with the perfect drawing to post with it. But, as yet, that drawing has not happened and as this one has remained un-posted it seemed fitting. Plus, if I continue to wait for the perfect drawing I'll never share the poem with you. And, that would not be right. It's one of the most lovely, and humbling, gifts I've received.
Thanks, Karey.
strictly ballpoint?
No, there’s pencil, ink, gel pen, crayon, marker
even tippex, in your riotous attention to detail.Thousands of careful lines;such small changes of pressure, shade, direction. How much of your timeto draw all those buttons, coins, badges, tickets, hair grips? Even tiny cat claws.
Obsessive? Compulsive?I can’t look away.
I’m a voyeur reading your notebooks,a kindred detective with too many clues:
mass-produced, man-made, plastic, metal
or something natural, unique?
Any object is subject.
Nothing escapes a curious eye.
You rummage in the attic of my memoryto conjour your magic; a delicate, crazy art
full of surprises
like your quirky picture-title puns
from songs in your head,
now in mine, old favourites -
Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega.
A kind of give and takewhere nothing is too ordinary
or too personal
so you offer up your socks,
like fat birds on a wire,
even a black bra draped over a line,
and in “drawers” - knickers,
blowing in a breeze!
Clothes in a washing machine,half-submerged in soapy water -
you call it, “slooshy sloshy, slooshy sloshy”
Washed pots draining
and lots of shoes from all angles
and pages of doodles and travel memorabilia,
with whimsical thoughts in curly calligraphy:
“will it ever stop raining?”
“trying to keep out of the rain”.
You must be local. You make me laugh.
It takes time and close attentionto notice everything –
Like peering through a doll’s house window
and seeing my own life,
in every shiny detail:
I want to empty out my pockets!
Karey Lucas-Hughes 2011
inspired by an exhibition of art work called “strictly ballpoint” by Andrea Joseph at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery 2011
Above is a photo that I took at my show. For some really great photos check out
THIS POST by Pippa, which was another lovely gift I received after the exhibition. I really am a very lucky, ahem, 'girl'.
I've been working on some commissions recently, a couple of which were for visitors to my exhibition in the summer. I was very interested, during the exhibition, to know which drawings people liked the best; not for any particular reason, just for curiosity, I suppose. The drawings of collections of little things always seemed to come out on top.
This is one of two 'small thing' drawings I have completed since then. I love these drawings. It's kind of like doing a jigsaw. There's so much satisfaction in finding another piece that slots perfectly into the blank space.
There is one issue I have with being commissioned to complete one of these drawings though; the moment when I have to ask "would you like me to include the pube?"
When I made that humongous Moleskine post last week it took me back to France, to when I exhibited my Moleskines. Obviously I've been showing my sketch books online for the last few years. But before the exhibition in France few people had ever seen them 'in the flesh'. And, at first, I was quite reticent to show them. Specifically my 'spare' Moleskine. I had never ever shown anyone this book before. You might have seen a few of the finished drawings from it but that's it. The reason for that is because, apart from those odd finished pieces, my spare Moleskine is full of lists, quotes, lyrics, doodles and thoughts. And that's quite scary. I've always felt that peering into that book is a bit like finding John Nash's shed in the woods and opening the door.
But, to my surprise, many people at the exhibition really enjoyed seeing these pages. Yes, they commented on the obsessive content but it struck a chord somewhere with folk. So, I thought maybe I'd show you some here. The top spread is one of those pages. It's where I chuck everything onto a page for future reference. Then below are some of the drawings that came from those seeds.
Is this stuff of any interest to you? Cos there's loads more of it.
You know, there could well be a lot of posts this week because somebody is desperately trying to avoid doing their tax returns. So let me know if you want to see more.
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I love your work, this is how I would love to be able to sketch. Though I will not be commenting on all you posts I will be looking at each one.
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Kudos!
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Thanks so much, Polly. I remember looking at other artists work when I started out and thinking 'I want to sketch like that'. I never achieved drawing like them, but somehow found my own thing.
Cheers.