Drawing Prompt Week 10

Final prompt for Term 2

'Landscape'

That's right! Last week we got up close and personal. This final week I'd like you to step back and take in a view. Mountains, valleys, seascape, city/urbanscape - the larger picture. It would be preferable if you did plein air, but it is a touch cool at the moment so if you are uncomfortable outside then use a photo. Again, I would hope that this is a photo of something you have taken and seen, not a web image. Remember, a pretty picture from the web is a rather lazy cheat - the photographer has already done your thinking for you in compositon and lighting. 

Your medium should be 'mixed'. By that I mean combine a few things together. Watercolour (pencils or pans), colour pencil, ink (or inktense) , pens, charcoal, pastel. Throw on some surfactant like salt or alcohol if you like. Make a mess, push it back into shape, have fun. 

I needed to go to Bendigo this week, and on the way home I took a hike up to the top of Hanging Rock. Whew - thought I was going to die - that hill is steep! I got to the Saddle and wasn't too disappointed that the last 300metres to the Summit had been closed due to Covid. But while I was waiting for my heart to stop trying to leap out of my chest, I sat down and did a small landscape drawing of the rocks and view.

'Hanging Rock' by Linda Weil

Method: Initial drawing in Derwent 4B watersoluble graphite then washed to create tone blocks. Once dry Windsor Newton Pan Watercolour washes to add some colours. On top of that Adel Black pen that was also wetted to create interesting blocks of tone and finally, some dry Adel pen for details. Windsor Newton 300gsm Watercolour sketchbook, A5.  It took about 45 minutes and a cold bottom to complete.

 

This is the last prompt in this Term 2 series. I hope you have enjoyed it - I have certainly loved seeing all the works you have produced in this lock-down time. I will be returning to teaching at the Victorian Artists Society for Term 3, starting on July 13.

Drawing Prompt #9: Rosalie and KM

Magnolia Pod by Rosalie

Magnolia pods are wonderful things - the beautiful maroon pods and orange seeds dry up to interesting shapes and contours. This is the subjcet Rosalie has chosen for her observation of detail drawing. This work has been done on Fabriano HP 300gdm with HB pencils. It has a lovely shape with a twisted curve. The individual pods have all burst open showing their interior. The shapes of the pods are almost geometric in form and the arrangement has an abstract feel to it that Roslie has interpreted very well. It is an interesting drawing and the more you look into it the more you see. I would have perhaps have scattered a few of the seeds around, maybe 3 or so, on the left side, showing how they have burst from the pods. This could add a bit you tension and dynamic to the drawing.

A very pleasing work from Rosalie this week!

'Magnolia Seed Pod' by Rosalie

Claddagh Brooch by KM

I had to google what a 'Claddagh' type of jewellery was and discovered it is a 'traditional Irish (ring) which represents love, loyalty, and friendships - the hands represent friendship, the heart represents love, and the crown represents loyalty. KM has used 110gsm paper with Derwent colour pencils to draw the Claddagh brooch given to her by her sister. What a lovely gift!  KM has drawn the front and the reverse of the brooch, which is a clever thing to do. As KM discovered, the reverse of the brooch is just as interesting as the front. (Years of watching Antiques Roadshow tell me that this is a sign of a quality, well made jewel - when the reverse is created with the same care as the front!)

Both sides have been well drawn with great attention to detail, the symbolic elements clearly defined. The drawing of the back of the brooch is more circular that the front drawing - the front is a bit horseshoe shaped. How KM has used the darker values of chosen hues to create shadows, form and depth is very good. Nice observation, not too much, just subtle line work. Well done KM.

'Claddagh Brooch' by KM

Drawing Prompt #9: MP, Monika, Silke and Jean

Drawing Prompt #9: JD

Spoonlovin' from JD

JD's submission for this weeks prompt 'Up Close and Personal' is a lovely graphite study of three trophy spoons won by her mother in golfing competitions.  Not only is this drawing a closely observed rendering, it is very personal to JD!

This is a lovely collection of freehand drawings done in Faber Castell graphite pencils f/2H/HB/B/2B/4B on Windsor Newton 200 gsm heavyweight visual diary paper. So much tiny detail! JD tells me she was driven a bit crazy by the middle one as the detail of the golfer on the finial was so detailed. But I think she has done a good job on that one and on all three. The shapes are well drawn, the ovals are fairly even, the stems nice and straight with attention to the details and engravings well observed. The tones and values in the spoons are also good, JD has caught the darks and reflections well giving the bowls shape and depth. JD was concerned that she had made some areas too dark, but you need that very dark value to make the highlights pop and give the item the feel of metal. The cast shadows work well also, I really like the cast shadow on the right one, as you cannot tell that that spoon stem has a high arch from looking at it straight on. The 'bent' shadow informs us of this shape, visually telling the viewer of the height of the spoon.

JD, this drawing shows exactly what I was hoping to see this week; the close observation and study of form, tone and values, and precise detail. Well done.

'Mum's Trophys' by JD

*Note to all - spoons are a great subject, but remember, you can choose anything close up and personal.

Drawing Prompt Week 9

Theme: Detail - Up Close and Personal

This week I would like to see you concentrate on detail, get close and look at the intricacy of your subject. I am not talking about miniatures, but life sized small work. Choice of subject is up to you, but I suggest you keep it to A5 image area or similar.  You may choose to do a complete object study such as the spoon or marguerite shown here. Or you may want to try a part or section only of a subject, as the eye drawing below.

Use your favourite medium but remember that it needs to be able to handle a level of precision that detail will require. I am not looking for photo realism as that is not suited everyone's particular style, but I am looking for close observation. Use any and all methods in your drawing arsenal such as; indenting, lifting/erasing out highlights, paperstumps, a broad range of tone or hue, etc. I also suggest a hot press paper or smoother pastel paper is best to achieve more detail. Have fun, concentrate for a couple of hours on the detail and forget about the rest of the world.

'Spoon 1' by Linda Weil. 

Just completed this week as part of my upcoming Medallion Exhibition at AGRA, 5 - 23 August.  I used graphite pencils (F, HB, 2B, 2H) and Staedtler Mars Karat watercolour pencils wet and dry on A4 Lana 250gsm Bristol board. An insane amount of indenting was needed on this spoon!

'Marguerite' by Linda Weil

Graphite pencils HB, 2B and F on Lana Hot Press 300gsm  12 x 20 cm. Some paper stump work in the shading, but not too much. My middle mane is Margaret, after my grandmother Marguerite.

'Eye of the Tiger' by Linda Weil

Carbethello pastel pencils on Art Spectrum grey suede paper. Image area 10 x 10". Some soft white pastel also used for bright white highlights.

This will be the penultimate drawing Prompts for this term, Prompt 10 next week will be the final for this series. I will resume teaching irl on July 13 if all goes well. I hope those of you that will be returning to my class or any future workshop will bring your Prompt drawings in to show.

Drawing Prompt #8: JD and Rosalie

'Smeagol' by JD

Are you a Tolkien fan by any chance JD? I think this golden retriever is far sweeter than Gollum ever was! JD began this WIP drawing with me in class a couple of years ago but has not had the chance to work on it further since then. She has used Eraldo Hot Press 300gsm pad paper with Faber Castell colour pencils and some Faber Castell graphite in 2H/B & 2B. This was the first time (as I recall) that JD had used colour and graphite pencils in this method and it is quite good, but JD feels it is lacking and has asked me what she could do to improve the work. 

First I would like to say that this is a very good drawing in its' proportions. Placement on the page is good. The pose is endearing and the love in Smeagol's eyes shows. The paws are a bit unfinished and on the small side - but I will get to that. The eyes are well done. The shine and fur direction is very good and the nose, is pretty good too.  This work has a lot of potentional and plenty of good points.

'Smeagol' by JD

So I took Smeagol into my paint program and played around with it. If I was working on this, the first thing I would do would be to increase the hues and values over all the work. Work back over all the linework and intensify the values. You can do this with more line, or a soft circular fill. If you use a fill you will lose the linework however so be careful where/how much fill you use. I would avoid using too much more graphite, but you could increase the shadows under the muzzle and around the forward paw somewhat. The forward paw is probably a bit small in size in relationship to the dog, but I would leave it as is apart from increasing the detail and colour work on it. The rear paw is distracting. I suggest carefully removing a lot of it so it gently fades off the page - it is still there but not so dominating. And add a little white highlight to the eyes - you may need a pastel pencil here - but it will make them glisten.

Remember, this 'tweak' is a down and dirty modification in 3D Paint just to give you direction - don't take it literally! It only shows you roughly what I am talking about.

'Smeagol' tweak by Linda

The Lesson by Rosalie

A charming drawing of a little daschund puppy being disciplined is Rosalie's piece this week. The poor little puppy is being told off for barking too much. Rosalie has caught the moment well, the owner's strong hands cradling the puppy as it is gently admonished by a tap on the nose. The puppy looks concerned, but not terrified as it is quite secure in the arms - but it darn well knows it has been naughty! Rosalie has used Statdler Mars B & 4B on Fabriano 300gsm Hot Press with a touch of carbon black in the eyes. As the fur on this pup is so short and velvety a paper stump has been used to good effect. Both of the hands are very well drawn and correctly in proportion.  A lovely work.

I do have a couple of suggestions though. I think that the left arm has a bit of a plastic look to it and the tone needs to be evened out somewhat. As well, I would fade it off the page rather than running it to the edge as you have done. The cradling arm and  could use some darker tone to suggest shade and form. And the pup could also use a bump in tone, darkening the shadow side, inside of ears and rump.

Again, these are just suggestions Rosalie - you have a good work here already.

'The Lesson' by Rosalie

Suggested tweaks by Linda (a bit blotchy but you get the drift)

Drawing Prompt #8: MP, Jean and MEG

MP's cat, Truffles

Truffles is an eldery tortoiseshell Burmese has a  lot of attitude but loves nothing better than sitting on MP's lap and being petted. MP has used Canson 300gsm Hot Press paper with Prismacolour watercolour pencils to create light under washes and Prismacolour Premier pencils as over drawing. You will note if you enlarge the image that this Canson paper has a little bit of tooth to it, more so than other Hot Press papers. This gives a nice texture to the drawing and although it can be tricky to work with, MP had succeeded very well. I love those eyes! Extremely engaging - you can tell from his eyes that Truffles isn't going to stand for any nonesense and if you try, he will tell you about it! The ears are elongated and tall as typical with a burmese, but I wonder if they should have been a bit wider at the base? Also, from what little I know of the breed they often have a dark edge on their ears - but Truffles may not. I think that MP could study her cat's nose a little more closely next time he is sitting on her lap, it is not quite defined enough here on her drawing. MP's fur is nicely done, she has used the darks to create shadows and forms, allowing the lights to become hair. Proportions are very good overall. I think this a successful drawing and an engaging portrait of a beloved feline.

 

'Truffles' by MP

Jean

Jean has sent this WIP she has been working on - her niece's border collie pup. She has used 2B and HB pencil on Fabriano Hot Press paper. She has asked me for some tips on fur drawing and once again I would direct people to Mike Sibley's drawing TUTORIAL - it is a great place to start.  I think that Jean has done well with her fur generally. I can tell that she is now aware of working her line strokes to create darker shadow hairs, thus forming the lighter hair. I feel that her line work could be a little more random, as the pup looks like his fur has just been combed straight. One thing I am having an issue with is what I 'think' are the ears. I cannot really tell where the ears start and the head ends, it is sort of a triangular shape. I assume that the ears are folding over rather than upright, but the hair strokes just go straight out. If the ears are folded, then the hair should be curved downward to indicate this. As well, more shadow values where the ear flops onto the face would help to create that fold over feel. Perhaps Jeans reference was too dark to see this happening, but google is a wonderful resorce and there are many puppy images to find to assist in understanding how the ears work. I have just found this one HERE Again, I enjoy Jeans style of work and line strokes. Her linework is loose and free but has control. It suits this drawing well, and this is a very cute puppy. I have also just found a cat drawing video that shows a looser drawing style similar to yours you may want to watch - CAT.  Keep going Jean!

'Border Collie Pup' WIP by Jean

Where I think the ears should be/work

MEG

MEG began this drawing during our Thursday night sessions when we were all experimenting with Prismacolour style pencils. She has since completed the work on her own - and has done a lovely work. 

'Willow' is drawn on Arches hot press paper with a selection of Prismacolour pencils. I would also like to point out that MEG has done this freehand - no tracing or gridding - straight to the paper. Willow is very well drawn, MEG has incorporated violets and blues into the fur to add value and shading. The softness of the fur and short fuzz on the nose works nicely. The pose is good and the eye has an introspective feel to it, you can just tell that Willow is loving that pat!

What I am not too happy with is the hand. The blue caftan is overlapping the hand and to me this doesn't quite work as it visually changes the shape of the hand - maybe add some white highlight to the outward fold to bring forward from the hand. The dark outline around the nail of the thumb I would suggest taking back - in fact maybe all the dark lines in the hand should be lifted back slightly and some more flesh/yellow tone added. I think some extra light on top of Willows head would help and highlight on the ring. I don't know if MEG needs to work much more on this as it would be easy to go too far. I did do a little tweak in 3D paint to show what I am talking about. But MEG, this is a very good drawing as it stands, do not feel you have to do more on it if you do not want to risk it. It is good work.

'Willow' by MEG

Tweaks on 'Willow' by Linda - but maybe not quite that much highlight on the fabric!

Drawing Prompt #8: Lyndall

'Spud'

Lyndall worked with me last summer at Camp Creative creating this lovely drawing of 'Spud'.  The class was working on Strathmore Tan Toned paper with coloured pencils - Lyndall has used Derwent art quality pencils. She is showing her WIP here and wanting some suggestions on how to complete the work.

First I want to say to Lyndall what a fantastic job she has done so far. Her use of layering of line work and allowing the colours to blend and create form and texture is excellent. She has caught the cheerful expression of this dog's face very well. The pink of the tounge and mouth is very pink and perhaps could be toned down with a Derwent Grey/French Grey pencil to reduce the candy pink effect.  I love the blues used in the fur and nose, creating form and darks withouth resorting to black.

When Lyndall first discussed this work with me I was a little concerned about the pose. The head is very engaging, but I wasn't sure that the feet or body shape would work. She decided to proceed and see how it went.  After returning from the workshop and continuing to work on Spud, she began to feel that she didn't want to include the feet and body after all and has asked my for my help.

'Spud' WIP by Lyndall

I think the first thing that you need to do Lyndall is to try and imagine how Spud would look if he was sitting upright, not laying down. (see stick figure sketch in image below) That would mean removing the line on the top right that indicates where his back is in this pose. While you are at it, remove the legs.

Now that you are thinking about Sput sitting up, think how that pose would push his chest forward slightly. Visually crop the image to almost a square shape that will make this more of a classic portrait. Now you will need to continue the fur in a downward progression. See my rough Paint version below. You will see how I have pushed the chest under the chin forward a bit and then extended the body shape downward. I haven't tried to put in any shoulder forms or detailed muscluature.  Don't invent too much and keep the detail in the face and softer fur in the new area. I think you will need to add shadow tone (same blues) under the chin. If you like, you could also add a collar or chain around his neck to reinforce the neck shape. Don't finish off the fur in a hard edge, but softly allow it to fade away.

I think that could work! What do you think Lyndall? 

Suggested 'Spud' modification Linda Weil

Drawing Prompt #8: Silke

Gold star for Silke!

First submission - and a gold star ⭐ goes to Silke this week for a colourful and delightful drawing of fancy fish - guppies. She remembers these fish well, having spent hours watching them swim around and around her father's aquarium. Using Polychromo colour pencils in her Stilman + Bern journal, her fish are excellent, shimmering and colourful. The rendering of the scales is particularly well done, I think. About the drawing Silke says:

'I tried to build up the (background) colour to make it dark and the fish stand out, but hit a limit with the number of layers I could apply.'

Personally I think the background as it stands does that already. But it can be frustrating when you hit the limit of layers  and you haven't quite achieved the depth you were envisioning. All I can suggest you try is a light spray of fixative - this can create a new surface to add more colour to, but you will not be able to blend into the under layers after you spray.

Maybe the change from blue to green is a bit abrupt and the blue could blend further into the green, but it does make a nice division in the work. Two halves, two fish.  Great work Silke, thanks for showing!

'Dad's Guppies' by Silke

Drawing Prompt Week 8

Theme: Pet

Cat, dog, horse, fish, bird, reptile... your pet, your pet as a child, you kid's pet snake, your neighbors cat, your parent's dog - this week's theme is to draw a favourite companion animal.

I know several of you have been working on a similar work already on your own, so if you wish to show what you are working on, finished or as a Work In Progress (WIP), then please feel free to submit that as this week's work. Or if you have completed a work with this theme just waiting to be shown, then here is your chance to display it.

If you are going to start a new work for this week, I would suggest that you try a toned paper again, with a limited or single palette of colour. You could use colour pencil, or pastel pencils. But this is not a requirement and if you choose to use graphite or colour pencil on white paper or any other medium go for it and enjoy!

'Kitten' by Linda Weil

'Kitten' was drawn on Mi-Tiens Tex sanded paper, black, using white pencil, white pastel pencil and soft white pastel with blue, yellow and green colour pencil in the eyes. This simple drawing took about an hour to complete. 

'Girl' by Linda Weil

'Girl' was drawn on Art Spectrum Suede paper with soft pastels. This was a 4 - 5 hour work.

'Holly' by Linda Weil

'Holly' was drawn on Art Spectrum Suede paper with soft pastels. This was a 5-6 hour work

Drawing Prompt #7: MP, KM and Monika

MP

I am really loving all the different interpretations of 'Wet' people have been coming up with. This drawing of MP's is one of my favourite compositions so far. It depicts an idylic day at the beach with her daughter and grandson. There is a lovely connection shown between the two subjects - the mother looking at her child, hand ready to reach out to him if needed, and the son gazing into the distance in wonder, sand shovel waving in his hand. You can feel the sense of independance beginning in the child and the mother's watchful gaze, ready to let him go but standing by to help.

The figures are well drawn, with good attention to proportions and how the fabrics fall over the form. Compositionally it works well, a nice balance of negative and positive areas. MP has used Art Spectrum 300gsm cold press paper and a 2B pencil to create this work. 

I think the ocean needs a little more work, and the sky and sand could also use a tweak. Basically, the ocean needs a darker horizon line - MP could raise that line by a centimeter so it doesn't detract from the mother's head - and the pencil tone should be gradiated down from that dark horizon. The clouds could be a little darker, smudged with your paper stump, then white lifted out with an eraser. We did this exercise in class Monika, refer to your notes if you were there that week. And I think the sand could be more evenly toned darker. I found a good video that demonstrates these suggestions reasonalbly well- link below.

Overall I think this work has a lot going for it. A little bit of tweaking will improve it. And if you do work further on it Monika, I hope you send it to me so I can show everyone what you do!

'Looking out to Sea' by MP

This video from Circle Line Art School has some interesting tips - although he uses his finger for smudging (!NO! - use a paper stump please) and 3 pencil grades, it illustrates how to create the dark horizon and sand fairly well. Watch HERE.

KM

KM has drawn a dripping tap for us on 210gsm paper with a variety of pencils. Most of the drawing was done in a 3B, but she used a F pencil over the top to blend then sharpened up the dark lines with a 5B and added some bright white with a white pastel pencil. She has really caught the shine of the metallic surface well in this drawing. The dark lines and white highlights make a very believable aluminum surface. The drops are okay - I think the shapes are good however maybe they should be a little further apart and each one needs a bright white highlight added to the top.

KM was worried about the puddle below the drops. I think you need to think of the puddle as one big flat drop KM. I found another video by TutoDraw who has used similar pencils to you drawing her drops - you might find it interesting: HERE.

This is good work KM. I like what you are doing here and how you have created your tones and contrast. The shape if the tap is pretty good overall - but the oval of the opening is a bit too wide and should be a flatter oval to match the perspective of the join above.  But you are doing very well and keep up the good work!

'Dripping Wet' by KM

Monika

This week Monika has used an open sourced image of the Victorian National Gallery's Waterwall as the inspiration for her work. I hope Monika doesn't mind, but I will quote her explanation of her work process as it is interesting:

 'I used a 4B Staedler pencil in my visual diary, with some smudging of shaved lead underneath to get more of a grey background. That started to look a bit grubby so I didn't pursue it, even though the water wall looks much darker than my version.  At the end I tried lifting some colour out with an eraser (even though I then filled it in again because the result looked too stark).  I did most of it copying directly from the photograph, and then turned the image upside down so that it would lose the structured look I had unintentionally imposed.'

This has created an interesting, almost abstract drawing with a lot of movement to it. The composition is nice and the figures merging in and out of the water engage us. I think some of the water could use more dark and light highlight linework. Although she says she 'copied' from the photo, she did so freehand and also interpreted quite a lot of the forms and wash of water in a distinctive style. The horizontal format works well - but the waterwall is actually quite tall and I think Monika could have extended it a bit further. But that really depends on what her intention was - here she has shown the figures in stark black and white as distorted by the running water - the figures are her main interest. If she had extended the height of the drawing it would have changed the emphasis somewhat to the fall of the water and how the figures interact with it, become part of it.

What I am trying to suggest is to expand on the photo reference, build up from it and create from it. Don't let yourself be limited by what a photo tells you. 

That being said this is still an intriguing drawing that I really enjoy looking at. Well done.

'Waterwall' by MP

NOTICE:

Evening classes at The Victorian Artists Society will resume July 13. Information HERE

Evening classes at Mentone Mordialloc Art Group will resume July 16. Information HERE

I will no longer be taking any classes during the daytime for the foreseeable future. 

Workshops will be announced here on this blog and on my website.

Drawing Prompt #7: JD, Silke and Jean

JD

JD watched this container ship sailing from Point Lonsdale Back Beach coming through the the Heads and chose this as her subject for 'Wet'. She tells me it was too large a work to get onto her scanner, so I assume it is around A3 size or so. The paper is Fabriano 300gsm GSM with a Staedtler 2B pencil. Although the ship is placed centrally in the work, it doesn't dominate but becomes a focal point framed by the swirling water and a cloud studded sky. The roughness of the paper creates a lovely texture to the pencil work.  Working on this sort of surface in graphite can be unforgiving, but it is nice to see that JD has not forced it but used the texture to work with her subject. The tonal range in this work is very good, the dark horizon line of the ocean holding the ship well - and that horizon is nice and level. Perhaps the horizon line and ship could have been placed a centimetre or two further up the page for my liking, but that is a just me being picky. JD said she worked quite quickly and this has benifited the drawing - the fast linework and strokes translate very well into the chaotic shoreline and treacherous tidal surges of Pt. Lonsdale. The clouds in the sky mimic this linework, giving us clouds scudding by. There is just enough detail in the ship to pick out the stacks and funnels. This drawing has a lot of movement and emotion in it that works well and JD should be very pleased with the result.

'Container Ship at Pt. Lonsdale' by JD

Silke

Silke works with an urban sketchers group that usually draw on location, but for the past few months have been meeting online and using Google Streetview to create their works. This is Belem Tower in Lisbon, a 16th century fortification that was built on a small island near the Lisbon shore. Surrounded by waves, the wild water crashes into the walls. I am not sure what paper Silke has used, athough I assume it is the sketchbook she has used previously, and it appears to be drawn with a soft leaded pencil like a 4b or similar. Drawn in a circle or orb format there is some recession in the perspective similar to a reflecting sphere drawing. (Think of Escher's 'Hand Holding an Orb.) This makes for an interesting composition and design. To enhance this further Silke could have created even more distortion. The  detail and features of the tower are well observed. Good tonal range with shading showing building form well. Soft cloudy sky frames the building. The water is a bit flat in apperrance and Silke says she was a bit unsure how to approach it. I will send her the pdf showing how to create different wave and water  forms. A creative and interesting drawing from Silke.

'Belem Tower, Lisbon' by Silke

Jean

Jean has combined two prompts! An Maple autumn leaf with water droplets. She has used 300gsm Arches Cold Press with a 2B pencil. Jean says she struggled somewhat with the pencil on the rougher paper and 'lost' her indenting lines. I think that the overall drawing design composition is good. The leaf shapes are well drawn and typical of a Japanese Maple. The tonal range is somewhat limited however, the leaves are very dark overall. Arches CP is a very rough surfaced paper, scratchy and unforgiving for pencil work. A lighter hand to begin with, then building up with layers of graphite to create the darker areas. Jean could also use a bit of blue tack or kneadable eraser to lift some of the darker areas and restore lighter highlights to her leaves. Perhaps consider using a paper stump to softly blend and even the tones into the rough surface. As well, Jean may find working larger on this sort of surface will help, like JD has done above. A good attempt at indenting, it is a tricky technique to master and I have had to practice it quite a bit to get right and am still often disappointed.

Just a suggestion Jean - did you think of trying this with one of the pastel pencils? Say the red ochre with touches of white? That could be an interesting exercise. Why not give it a go, you have a good drawing here in pencil, excellent shapes and have met all the requirements of the prompt - now go away and have a bit of fun exploring the idea more in your own way!

'Drops on the Maple' by Jean

Drawing Prompt #7: Rosalie

Wet as a Tap!

Rosalie is our first submission this week. She tells me that she has been keeping very busy doing a Zoom botanical course plus some private pieces for family and herself. She has sent me a few of these works to see and has been producing some great art. She found a bit of time to do our prompt this week and has created a great observational work of her dripping garden tap. Using a 4B pencil and a paper stump on 300gsm Fabriano Hot Press she has captured the metallic look and shine very well. I see a bit of camera distortion that has affected her perspective a little in this photo, but I can tell that her shapes and recession are pretty good. This is a free hand work, no tracing of the object. It is good to see the tonal range she has achieved with the single 4B pencil and how she has used the paper stump to work in the softer tones. The little white highlights on the handle edges and other parts of the tap, as well as the droplets, give the work a third dimension and reality. 

A garden tap is a deceptively difficult thing to draw. It is something you see everyday and may not consider it interesting or even think it a boring subject. But the intricacies of the shapes are quite fascinating and tricky draw. Ovals, cylinders, bends and flats all have to work together and have the correct perspective for each part. As well, because it is metal the surface reflections have to be positioned correctly with the right tonal gradiants. On top of that, Rosalie has thrown in a few water drops just to make things more fun! As I am fond of saying, there is always something to draw around you - anything can be a subject. And Rosalie has done that and created a wonderful study of a complex object. Well done!

  

'Garden Tap' by Rosalie

Drawing Prompt Week 7

Theme: WET

Rain, water, drips, drops, dew, puddles, rivers, oceans, lakes... this week's theme is anything related to something wet. Children playing in the ocean or stamping in puddles. Ducks on the lake. Dewdrops on a rose. You get the idea.

I would like you to consider doing the drawing you choose on a slightly rough surface paper with one pencil or pastel or inktense or graphitint only. Experiment with the different tonal levels you can achieve with just one pencil.

My demonstration drawing for you this week is 'Dew on Nasturtiums'. I took the photos yesterday in the sunshine around 8am before the leaves dried out. The drawing is a composite of two of those photos. It has been done in my  A5 300gsm Windsor Newton watercolour visual diary with a 2B graphite pencil. Freehand drawing (of course), with a bit of kneadable eraser and blue tacking as required. Also indenting with a crochet needle prior to adding tone to achieve the white veins. It took about an hour to draw.

If you would like a pdf instruction on drawing dewdrops or wavy water please message me via the contact form on the right with your email address and I will forward it to you. (As trying to attach a pdf to blogger is a step too far for me).

Enjoy!

'Dew on Nasturtiums' by Linda Weil

Another sample of an earlier work:

'Coot on the Lake' by Linda Weil

Drawing Prompt #6: Monika, JD & Silke

Monika

Monika choose to stay warm and dry and sketch the Magnolia tree she can see from her window. In her visual diary she has used some light washes of Graphitint pencil with detail overdrawing of HB and B pencils. The buds on the branches are just begining to open and bloom and this is what her drawing shows. MP tells me she had trouble being able to see the tree against the light of the sky as well as the rapidly changing light conditions. 

This drawing has a good dynamic flow across the page. The twisted, angular branch describes the feature of a magnolia well. Monika has thought about the placement of the subject and although the bottom of the branch comes a bit close to the end of the page she has created an interestting composition. The hint of green on the leaves works well. The almost sillouhette shape has a nice contrast of dark against the light sky.

Although Monika says the lighting was difficult, understanding of the cyclindrical shape of the tree trunk can help with adding tone correctly even in dodgy light conditions. At the moment the trunk is too flat - remember that the trunk is basically a tube/cylinder shape and the exercises in shading that form apply here. For revision of shading shapes including a cylinder, this is a pretty good explanation HERE.

Another good piece from Monika!

Magnolia Study by Monika

JD

Well, Monika drew from her window... and JD drew from a photo! tsk, tsk. 😉 This succulent is a potted plant from JD's garden that she has taken images of to work from. JD has used her Windsor Newton 200gsm sketch book and a selection of Polychromo colour pencils.

The shape and form of this plant is very good, JD. You have captured the feel of the leaves and the curling central rosette very well. Also, the colour hues are well blended and nicely built up layers. I think overall you could have increased the depth of the hue further as this plant is quite deeply coloured. But the magenta edges work very well to set off the green fleshy leaves. I also like how you have used blue and violet hues in the outer leaves to create darks.

JD says she is not completely happy with this, she feels something is lacking. I think that JD could have pushed the contrast and shadows more. I often find that a photo will flatten out the tonal contrasts and it can be difficult to recreate depth in a drawing when only using a photo. JD could benefit as well by reviewing the basic shapes tutorial link above as she has drawn only the outline and surface detail of the stem of the plant, omitting any shading to create form. 

However, as a whole, this is a good work with excellent attention to shape and form. The colours work very well and it is a pleasing drawing to see. These plants appear simple in shape but are deceptively difficult to draw. Well done overall!

'Succulent' by JD

Silke

Unlike Monika and JD, Silke braved the outside! Not only that, she did so on her lunchbreak to create this fun drawing of a garden ornament sitting under her apple tree. Silke has once again used her Stilman and Birn sketchbook with Polychormo colour pencils and a Derwent indigo on the metal sheep. The work is nicely desgined and has a good flow in the composition. I like the way the eyes of the sheep are looking up, directing our attention to the apple tree. The shapes of the 'wool' on the sheep mimic the leaf shapes which is a nice touch. As mentioned in other posts, remember, you do not have to draw each individual leaf, but can work in groups and in 'clumps' of darks and lights. I am not sure if the garden bed edging was needed, but the perspective is good and works to reinforce the perspective recession of the sculpture. It is nice to see how Silke has used the dark of the planter barrel to create the positive white shape of the sheeps' head. No outline was needed as the dark creates the form. The light touches of background green helps to keep the entire drawing cohesive. I would have liked to have seen the indigo blue used elsewhere, certainly in the darker leaves of the tree and in the chip bark on the ground.  This is a charming sketch of a garden scene - and extra brownie points for working outside!

'Shaun and the Apple Tree' by Silke

Drawing Prompt #6: MP and Jean

MP was first!

When I sent out this prompt on Sunday night, the weather had been beautiful, crisp and sunny all weekend - and then in typical Melbourne fashion the clouds and rain arrived. I despaired of any of you being able to get outside and do some drawing.

But the miserable weather did not deter MP! Near her front door is a box of azaleas that she sees everyday, and noticing they were entering bloom she sat down and drew them. She sent me this drawing yesterday afternoon telling me that it was created in her A4 Canson drawing pad, 220gsm paper with Prismacolour watercolour pencil washes and dry overdrawing with Prismacolour Premier pencils.

This is a nicely composed work that is well balanced. The pot of colourful azaleas has been placed well on the page, not directly centered but offset in the left third. Attention to the background frames the pot plant well, placing it in situ. The horizontal lines of the bricks grounds the pot. MP has not put a background behind the top growth of the plant and I think this was a good decision. The white of the paper makes the bright leaves and pink flowers the focal point. Our attention is focused on the bright pink blooms, our eye roving over the plant and following the cascading branches up and back into the plant. The planter box perspective is good as is the shadow and shading over the entire work. The only suggestion I would make is to remember that you need not draw leaves individually, think of leaves as clumps of darks and lights to create bundles of leaves, and use detail where emphasis is required. MP deserves praise for braving the bleak cold weather to create such a nice work. Well done!

Azalea near the Front Door by MP

Drawing tips for trees and leaves by Diane Wright HERE.

Jean

Jean says she struggled to find anything of interest in her garden, but I think she is mistaken. The striking white and black bark of her silver birch trees is a great drawing subject. She has used The Strathmore Toned Tan 118gsm paper again with Staetdler Mars Lumograph and Carbethello pastel pencils. This drawing of two trees at the end of Autumn has a lot going for it. The contrasting white and black bark glows on the tan paper. I really like those last few golden leaves clinging to the branches for dear life. If you don't mind Jean, a few things that I think could have improved this work, from 'good' to 'great'. First, the black of the ground is too black and draws your eye to it. A lighter brown, a dark olive green or even a heap of golden leaves would, IMO, have worked better and not be so dominating. Second, the trees are both the nearly same height, by making the left tree a bit taller would create a more dynamic relationship between the two. And finally - more bare branches! See the link to Diane Wright above and her tips for drawing a winter tree.

Don't be discouraged by this critique. This is a good drawing and has a lot of drama and thought put into it. Your handling of the medium is instinctive and sensitve. These pencils really suit your style of work. It is nicely done, and you as well are congratualted for braving the elements!

Silver Birches by Jean

Anyone else?

It is a beautiful, sunny morning here down south. If you have not been able to get outside to draw due to the weather, today is an excellent chance! I plan to be on my drawing board for most of the day, but please post your efforts when you can and I will critque and upload tommorrow. Have fun!

Door to Door

Virtual Exhibition at artaviso

This work, titled, 'Toybox of Dramas', is my submission to the Door to Door virtual exhibition at Artaviso website. For full details go to the exhibition here. Each artist was given a page from the 1950's Newnes' Pictorial Encyclopedia for children edited by Enid Blyton. My page was entitled 'Dolls, Cars, and Toys That Move'. You can read all about my submission on the link above.

While you are there, have a look at a few of my favourite images:

(91) Mark Seabrook 'British Defence Uniforms'. Absolutely love this work!

(83) Benric Henderson 'Marooned'. Great line, white on black

(23) Carolyn Roberts 'Hedgerow Imagined'. Someone's been in the garden. lol. To inspire you for this week's drawing prompt.

Of course, there are many wonderful works there, have fun scrolling through and pick your favourite. Maybe later in the year when it becomes a 'on the wall' exhibition at the No Vacancy Gallery you would enjoy seeing the works IRL. 

34-40 Jane Bell Lane, Melbourne. November 2020 further information to be announced.

'Toybox of Dramas' by Linda Weil 2020

The No Vacancy Gallery is also doing a series of Stay-In-Drawing prompts on instagram if you would like to join in there as well.  More info here.