Holiday Project completed

 The Owl Mask is done!

I used Liquidtex Professional Acrylics to color the mask then let dry for 3 days and coated with liquid gloss varnish. Pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Holiday project in Paper Magiclay

 Happy Holidays to you all! Hope you have a wonderful and creative season.
What are you up to during the holiday break? Don't let all that food, drink, family and festivities distract you from your art - but don't stress either. Maybe have a play with something fun and new... like this...

Tina gave me a packet of Paper Magiclay to fool around with and I decided to create a mask as part of a series of works based on the books by Alan Garner I am working on for an exhibition at Blarney Books later in the new year. For my first attempt with this Magiclay I decided to create a mask of an owl, referencing the fourth book he wrote: 'The Owl Service'.

The Magiclay is rather different to work with than air dry clay or traditional clay. It has an interesting texture - sort of like nougat without being sticky.  It is a very soft, lightweight molding compound. It is quite elastic to use and not at all tacky, but it adheres well to surfaces that are either wet or dry. Once dry the clay is very lightweight and feels like paper. It is very clean to work with and dries quickly. Because I had a thick blob of it to create the beak of my owl, I let it dry overnight, although the bulk of it felt dry after an hour or so.

Here is the current state of the mask - Starting with a plain white mask (thank you Tina for this as well!), I trimmed the mask of the high forehead and mouth and jaw sections to create a reduced size mask. I began with the beak first using a large blob of the stuff and molding it into shape and sticking it into position. Next, I made some thick 'worms' that I rolled flat to create layers of clay that were progressively placed into position on the mask to start forming the feather structure. Each layer was scored with the clay pin tool. I found that the Magiclay did not quite create finer details as well as air dry or traditional clay and I wasn't totally happy with the effect as it didn't quite look so feathery. But seeing that the Magiclay was so elastic I started to snip the edges with nail scissors which worked a treat! You can't do that with air dry clay! Continuing to build up form and layers of feathers I molded and snipped and layered until I ended up with a reasonable facsimile of an owl face. 

Here is the current state of the mask. I have sealed it with a layer of Golden acrylic gesso and once that is dry, I will start to paint it with acrylics. It is very light and seems quite strong.

So that is my holiday project! Once I have it painted up and sealed with gloss media, I will show you the final result. In the meantime, wishing you all the very best with this vintage card I found by my favorite Australian artist, Lionel Lindsay:

Fragmentation

 The Mosaic Association of Australia and New Zealand is holding a group exhibition at the No Vacancy Gallery here in Melbourne from the 13th - 24th of December.

Mosaic artist and friend, Gayle Whyte, attends my Thursday drawing class and has a work showing titled 'In the Frame'. She has used an interesting mix of materials including bark, beads, glass tiles, smalti and stained glass; this is a clever composition featuring koalas that are being observed. A lovely piece that explores the different textures of the materials to create the mosaic images.

There are many other interesting, clever and innovative artworks in this exhibition. Mosaic is an underrepresented art form, and this show has some very original and imaginative uses of the medium. It would be an exhibition well worth seeing in person, but you can view a catalogue of the works here: Fragmentation

I was lucky enough to receive a tile mosaic from Gayle this Christmas - that of a wonderful blue wren on a red background. These tiles tie onto a trellis or climbing frame and make a real highlight in the garden. 

'Blue Wren' by Gayle Whyte. Smalti glass on tile base. 2022

You can see some other works by Gayle HERE

A Highly Commended!

 Here is a bit of fun - my somewhat silly and whimsical sculpture, 'The Drunken Mermaid' won a Highly Commended award at the VAS Maritime Exhibition this afternoon.

It is to laugh - such a silly little sculpture. It was fun to sculpt, and I enjoyed making it as kitsch as possible using pearlescence paint and touches of gold leaf. I just entered it into the show for a bit of a giggle... and I am still grinning over the recognition. 

The judge was very sweet, and he told me he really wanted to also give me a HC for one of my steampunk maritime drawings, but he only had so many awards to give out, so the Mermaid made the cut in the sculpture section instead. His name is Claude Ciccone, and he does some fabulous boat sculptures from found objects and wonderful tonalist paintings. 

You can see some of his works on Instagram or Blue Thumb

'The Drunken Mermaid' by Linda Weil©

Winner!

I attended the opening of the Australian Artists of Execellence Awards at AGRA this afternoon and was very happy to receive the Terry Collins Award for my presentation of 3 works! The judge, 
Denise Keele-Bedford, said some very nice things about my works. Apparently, I was only 2 points off the major award (darn it!), but I am very pleased to win this award. This is the second time I have won the Terry Collins and it is a big honor. Thank you to AGRA. 

This is a wonderful exhibition with 30 or so artists showcasing their best works. Well worth the visit!

'Voyage of the Maelstrom' one of the three winning works at the AAEA
© Linda Weil

AAEA Opens tomorrow

 Member artists of the Australian Guild of Realist Artists who have won a major award in the past three years are invited to exhibit at the annual Australian Art Excellence award (AAEA) - which opens tomorrow, the 23rd of November at the Camberwell Galleries. The official launch and award ceremony will be held this Sunday, the 27th of November at 2pm. The AAEA features works from 30 of our best local artists - each artist submits 3 works to be judged for the major prizes. Guess who is on the list!

I hope you will have the chance to view this Exhibition, there are some outstanding works - I did a sneaky look in the holding room when delivering mine. The gallery is located at 1 Inglesby Road, Camberwell Victoria, just next to the Camberwell Town Hall. Plenty of parking nearby. Hope to see you there!

Camp Creative returns in 2023!

 After a 3-year Covid hiatus, Camp Creative resumes this January, 2023! Running from the 9th to the 13th, Camp Creative is a vibrant summer school, retreat and creative community that springs up every January in Bellingen, NSW. 

 It is a week filled with a variety of over 80 creative courses - art, music, dance, crafts, singing, photography, writing, drama, lifestyle and wellness. Plus, there are courses designed especially for handypersons, kids and teens. Camp Creative is a great week for the entire family with something for everyone. Camp Info

It doesn't matter if you are a novice or professional artist - Camp Creative will spark your creativity and inspire your new year. Come join me and Colour it with Pencil!

Colour it with Pencil - Camp Creative

A permanent resident in the ladies' loo at Bellingen High School 

Highly Commended!

 'Manglerfish' was awarded a Highly Commended at the VAS Inaugural Edward Heffernan Drawing Exhibition 2022. I am very pleased with this award - the judge was Warren Cossett, winner of the 2015 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, and many other notable awards. I encourage you to have a look at his website HERE. It is nice to have my somewhat strange drawings recognized!

'Manglerfish' by Linda Weil ©

I hope you have the opportunity to view this exhibition before it closes on November 7. And if you do drop in to see it, make sure you go upstairs as well to view the delightfully imaginative works from the Art Academia Creative School. Works by young people 5 to 16 years. Fabulous stuff! enjoy!

Inagural Edward Hefferman Drawing Prize

VAS DRAWING EXHIBITION 2022 Viewing from Thursday 27 October 2022 until Monday 7 November 2022 Opening Night, Wednesday 2 November at 7pm Cato Gallery & Mackley Members' Room

The 'Edward Heffernan Drawing Prize' is awarded in honour of Edward Heffernan, past president of VAS from 1977 to 1980. He served on the VAS Council for 12 years and was also awarded the Distinguished VAS Service Award, Honorary life Membership, VAS Fellowship and the Order of Australia Medal for his services to the Arts.

Drawing by Edward Heffernan

This Exhibition is made possible through a bequest from the estate of his wife Maree Elizabeth Heffernan, who was the proprietor of the Gordon Edgerton Gallery and assisted Edward with editing the Victorian Artists Society’s Journal.

'Cleft; Hawley Beach, Tasmania'

 

'Cleft, Hawley Beach, Tasmania' by Linda Weil©

If you have been to Wilson's Prom in Victoria, you will be familiar with the granite boulders and rock formations that feature there. The Prom is the exposed link in a chain of underwater granite mountains that continue southward to form islands across the Bass Strait and on to eastern Tasmania.

This small graphite drawing is a study of just such a jumble of granite rocks I observed while walking on Hawley Beach, near Devonport in Tasmania. I was taken by the similarities of the geology in the area to Wilson's Prom and Flinders Island and did several small on-site sketches before completing this studio drawing later.  It is created with graphite pencil on Saunders Waterford 300gsm Hot Press paper, A4 size. Some indenting was used to create pock holes in the rocks, and a bit of smoothing out using a paper stump to create the stains and water washed rock surface. The rest of the work was overdrawn with graphite pencils ranging from 2H, F, HB, 2B and 4B.

This work is for sale, and you can view it at the upcoming VAS Art School exhibition at the Victorian Artists Society, 14-24 October VAS 

Correction - this work has been held over until the Little Treasures exhibition 2 - 13 Dec VAS - alternate works have been selected for the Art School exhibition - still worth viewing!

Opening night for the Art School exhibition will be Tuesday, 18 October at 7pm. VAS 

Upcoming events for your diary!

A few things coming up, so get out your diary and take note!

Grimm Visions at Tacit Gallery closes this Saturday at 3pm, so if you haven't seen it yet, get your skates on and zip in now!

VAS Art School Exhibition, 2022.
14 October to 24 October.
Opening night, Tuesday 18 October at 7pm
This exhibition showcases the range of artistic practices and mediums that are taught at the VAS Art School. Encompassing oil, watercolor, pastel, drawing, acrylic, gouache and sculpture, both students and teachers works on show will reveal the diversity and creativity withing the school.
Come along and see what my class and I have been up to! VAS

The Inaugural Edward Heffernan Drawing Prize will be held at The Victorian Artists Society 27 October to 7 November. Opening night is Wednesday, 2 November. Check out my art featured in What's On in Melbourne page.

23rd Australian Art Excellence Awards
23 November - 10 December (Opening to be advised)
This is one of the best and most popular exhibitions, with a great selection of artworks from prize-winning AGRA artists. To be part of the AAEA you must be an AGRA member and won one of their previous seasonal or online exhibitions within the past 3 years. AGRA​

Term 4 begins next week at both MMAG and VAS. These classes have wait lists, but you never know, there is often a drop out and a place can become available. Contact the society via the links for more information or join the waitlist. 

Can't get into one of my Melbourne classes? Why not consider joining me at a workshop holiday in beautiful Bellingen, NSW at Camp Creative this January 2023! It is a lovely part of Australia, with lots to see and do, and Camp Creative is fabulous week of art, craft, dancing and music. Information

Hope to see you all at some of these events.

Tomorrow at 2pm!

 Meet and Greet at Tacit Gallery! Sunday September 25, 2022

191 Johnston Street, Collingwood.

I will be there from 2pm until 4. Hope to see you there.

The Golden Bird by Linda Weil©

Meet and Greet

Grimm Visions opened this past Wednesday night at Tacit to a fairly packed gallery - which was great to see and say hello to those who were able to come out on such a cold, wet Wednesday night. But if you could not make the opening, I hope you will have the opportunity to view this exhibition during the run 14 September - 1 October.

If you would like to come and talk with me about the works, I will be doing a Meet and Greet session on Sunday, 25 September between 2 and 4 pm. Tacit Gallery Level 1/189 & 191 Johnston St. Collingwood. It would be fun to catch up and show you my works in person.

'Grimm Visions' – TACIT GALLERIES (tacitart.com.au)

Grimm Visions Opening: Wednesday 14 September

 I hope I will be able to greet you tomorrow evening, September 14 between 6.30 and 8pm at Tacit Gallery, 191 Johnston Street Collingwood. 

Should be a great night - come along a view my works along with the wonderful Merrian Dennis, Paulo Gil and Lloyd Pereira. Kevin Foley will also have a redux exhibition that should not be missed! See you there. TACIT

'The Golden Bird' by Linda Weil ©2022

Door to Door in Berlin

 In March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic and Australian lockdowns, Art Aviso Artist members were invited to participate in the Door to Door - Art in the Time of Covid19 event. This project began in Australia and then was shared across Europe.

Artists were supplied via email with a page from the Newnes' Pictorial Knowledge 1950's Childrens Encyclopedia to use as inspiration and a basis of an art piece with the prospect of an exhibition once the pandemic allowed. Planning for any exhibition was difficult, and the Melbourne show in February 2021 was cut short due to a snap lock down. Online exhibition continued, but up until now there has not been the opportunity for a physical show.

This week the Australian Artworks have arrived in Berlin to join the European Art Aviso Artists in realization of the concept that began over two years ago! So, if you have family or friends living in Berlin or travelling there, please invite them to:

LiTE-HAUS Galerie
Mareschstr. 4 VH, Berlin
Berlin, Germany
Exhibition dates: 8 September to 24 September, 20ss
Join us for the Vernissage on Thursday, 8 September, 6-8pm

For those unable to travel to Berlin at this time, you can visit virtually at:
Door to Door 2022 | Art Aviso

And you can see my submission at (click the image on the page to flip):
Plate 92 | Art Aviso

Grimm Visions Preview

 I do hope many of you will be able to come visit Grimm Visions opening on 14 September. So to whet your appetite, and give my international viewers the opportunity to see these works, you can now preview the exhibition online at Tacit Gallery: HERE

Please enjoy, but really, to see all the detail come visit in real life if you can!

Grimm Visions comes to Town

 I am very pleased to announce that Grimm Visions, an exhibition of exquisite drawings based on the stories collected by the Grimm Brothers, will be on show at Tacit Gallery from 14 September until 1 October, 2022.

Those who were unable to view this exhibition early in the year due to distance (Port Fairy) or Covid lock downs can now see this here in Collingwood. 14 works in total, including several new works will be on display, showing that not all fairy tales are sweet!!

Would love to see you there on opening night!

Hakea Laurina: Cranbourne Workshop #2

 Hi all! Well, this Wednesday past was another great day at Cranbourne Botanical Gardens with the Botanical Illustrators Group. This workshop was a continuation from the previous Wednesday and artists developed their graphite techniques further, building up to an A3 drawing on Hot Press paper. I was really impressed and delighted with the results all the members created. From absolute beginner to quite advanced exhibiting artist, each seemed to enjoy experimenting and developing their technical and artistic skills with graphite. 

My workshop demonstration was of Hakea Laurina seed pods. The reference was supplied to me by the Group from their treasure box of botanical bits and pieces:

Photo of Hakea Laurina reference
(ignore the Coastal Banksia cone in front, not included in the drawing)

Part of the lesson from week 1 was to sketch your subject and create a composition. I had done this during the workshop and decided to 'trim' a few of the the branches, remove a few leaves and added the little seed cast by the pods. An outline drawing of this sketch composition was created which was then transferred onto Art Spectrum 300gsm Hot Press paper.

I began drawing the work before the 2nd workshop so I would have progress and techniques to show the class. But boy, did I struggle! Although I had really enjoyed working on that paper with the little banksia cone in water soluble pencil (see last post), with dry graphite I found I was fighting with the paper. I didn't like the grain mesh that was appearing, and I felt the paper wasn't holding a line as sharply as I liked. So after 2 hours of drawing I abandoned that work and began again!

My second attempt uses Fabriano Artistico Hot Press 300gsm and I was much happier with the feel and result. I was able to complete the far left pods, stems and several leaves before the workshop. This gave me a good demonstration piece to show the students while explaining and demonstrating on the rest of the work how I had achieved those results. I was able to continue working on the drawing off and on during the day with the group, finishing the work bar the cast shadow. The cast shadow was added in my home studio - and here is the final piece:

Hakea Laurina by Linda Weil © 2022

Anyway, I hope to show this in the upcoming AGRA AAEA show in November - probably along with the little banksia as well. So watch this space for notice of that show when it comes up.

And thank you to the Cranbourne Garden Botanical Illustrators Group for a great workshop!

Coastal Banksia - RBG Cranbourne workshop #1

 This past Wednesday I had the great pleasure of  running the first of two workshops with the Botanical Illustrators group at the Cranbourne Royal Botanic Gardens. This group meet every first and third Wednesday of the month in the Elliot Centre at Cranbourne and are an integral part of the Friends of the RGB. 

The theme for this two day workshop is 'Nuts About Graphite' and is exploring all the different ways and techniques to use graphite pencils in your botanical drawing. Our subject is 'nuts and cones' - primarily things like Banksia, Hakea, Casuarina, etc - but no eucalyptus or gum nuts due to the danger of bringing the Myrtle Rust fungus into the gardens. It was a full class of 12 which is great to see - and although it was a little squishy room-wise, everyone gets on well and are wonderful artist friends.

We began with a series of basic exercises in different graphite techniques including both 'dry' graphite and water soluble graphite. I did a little demonstration work to show how these can work together:

'Coastal Banksia' Demonstration in 4B w/s graphite, Graphitint and graphite pencils on Art Spectrum 300gsm hot press paper.
by Linda Weil ©2022

 From there we moved onto discussion of our subject, composition and planning. To scale planning sketches were created in our workbooks at A4 size to be transferred to A3 300gsm hot press paper. Next week we will proceed with this finished work using all the graphite techniques we explored during the first day. I will be working on a hakea laurina drawing based on a specimen supplied by the Group.

This is a fun collection of artists who are very involved with the Gardens and its' conservation. They have several workshops a year featuring different artists - Geoff Sergeant will be doing a color pencil workshop in Grevilleas there soon. If you are interested in botanical art or taking part in any of the Friends activities please click the links below for more information:

Botanical Illustrators Information 

Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne

Substrate Opening

What a great opening last night at Tacit Gallery for Substrate22! Some fantastic works with interesting approaches to the surface. Many treated the surface like a standard canvas, but some worked it in other ways, printing/silkscreen onto the surface, building up materials into 3D forms, scratching and etching to reveal the shiny aluminum underneath and even cutting it up and creating a sculpture from the square pieces.

Gallery hang of works by Linda Weil

My works are positioned in one of the best spots in the gallery, visible just as you enter. Right next to Lana De Jager's beautiful somewhat Pre-Raphaelite work 'Study for Repose'. 

It was lovely to see a couple of you there and have a chat. Thank you for coming, it is wonderful when 'my team' come along and support me as opening nights can be a bit fraught. Your presence makes the night much more enjoyable.

And for those of you who Instagram, Asheg Brom, Australian author and blogger has posted my work on his Instagram account and you can see his review HERE.

Substrate22

 

I have just completed all three works for the Substrate 22 Group Exhibition opening next Wednesday evening. This has been and interesting, if somewhat challenging exercise. 

Each artist received 3 x A4 primed 3mm aluminum substrate panels on which to create an artwork. Each panel is primed with Golden GAC-200 Acrylic Medium. There was no theme or restriction of mediums you could use, and you could have, if you wished, draw or produce a work on paper then stick it to the panel. But that seemed a bit like cheating to me and I wanted to try out the surface and see how it handled.

The following is the work process for one of the pieces I am showing, titled 'Brass Hopper'.

Planning stages and sketches. These were done during my Covid Isolation where I only had a few materials available - an A4 visual diary, a 2B pencil, a Blackwing pencil with eraser and a couple of sheets of tracing paper.

The final planned concept. Note how I flipped the Brass Hopper direction from the original sketch. You can also see how I altered the rear front leg - cut and stuck into its new position. This is an outline work on tracing paper that was used to transfer onto the panel.

I am using Graphitint pencils (Chestnut and Dark Indigo) and Derwent 4B water soluble pencil, washed, to create a soft tonal underpainting onto the panel. The acrylic gesso takes the wash well but is a bit slippery to work with.

Progress of the addition of dry graphite pencil and dry Graphitint. This surface draws nicely, but there is little tonal variation in the pencil grades. A 6H draws quite darkly! I worked with 6H, 4H, F, HB, 2B, 4B and the Chestnut Graphitint.

Progression and build up of tones requires careful handling. A Staedtler Mars Lumochrom 240 Blue pencil is used in the belly area. The graphite smudges easily. 

Progression; I wet the brass area with clean water and moved the layer around somewhat to get a more even tone. Then a Staedtler Karat #16 Gold Ochre was added to the copper area to brighten it up a bit.

The completed work: 'Brass Hopper' by Linda Weil ©

I do hope to see some of you on opening night, Wednesday August 3 where you can see the other two works created in this series.

Out of lockdown!

 Well, I must say, there are a lot worse places to have to isolate with Covid than with good friends in their wonderful B&B apartment! Luckily I was not very sick thanks to my vaccinations, and just felt tired and a bit miserable for a few days. It became an extended 'holiday' with some 13 days in isolation waiting for the RAT to test negative - but I was looked after in style by my wonderful friends Mags and Sam - who cooked for me, looked after me and made my enforced stay a pleasure.

And if you are ever looking for a place to stay while in Tasmania, then look no further than 'Thistle Doo' in Shearwater. A comfortable two-bedroom flat with kitchenette, wonderful hosts, Hawley beach a short walk away, close to all the beautiful sights of northern Tas, and the B&B caters to the disabled as well as being dog friendly! Check it out here: THISTLE DOO

Early morning walk on Hawley Beach, Tasmania July 2022

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

And to catch up on some news - just before I departed I was told I had won 'Best Drawing' in the 2022 Camberwell Art Show! I have been entering this show for many years, and although I have won the occasional commended award this is the first time I have won a major award. Very thrilled.

'Eyrie' by ©Linda Weil: Best Drawing, Camberwell 2022

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

And coming up soon is the group exhibition 'Substrate' at Tacit galleries where I will be showing 3 new works (drawing like a mad thing to catch up!). Would love to see you there at the opening!

Yuck

 Damn, guess who contracted Covid in Tasmania and is currently in isolation down here. I'm down for the count and won't be seen for the next 7 days.

😰😰😰

Visiting MONA

 Greetings from Tasmania!

I have been down here on this beautiful island part of Australia since Saturday. Based in the Devonport area we travelled south to Hobart over the weekend and spent all day Monday at the MONA museum. What a fabulous art gallery this is, with some amazing art work on display. Some of the works can be confronting but never boring. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit yet I can highly recommend it, it is an extremely well curated collection of art. But for those who would like to see some of the art I have found this online to give you a bit of a taste: Tour

MONA is underground, and the sandstone walls of the dug out area are kept on display - natures art (1.20 time). The water wall is amazing (1.25) One of my favorite pieces was the Leda and the Swan sculpture (at 2.45 time). The cabinet of wonders holds rare book editions and a delightful collection of antique hand held globes (3.14). People are confronted by the vulva wall (5.42), and the bubble car is a hoot (5.46). As I said, it is a wonderfully astonishing collection of art, very well presented.

We drove the Midland Highway down to Hobart, and on the way up and back I had fun trying to spot all the silhouette sculptures of 'Shadows of the Past'. I managed to see 12 of the 16, so a pretty good score.

A fabulous weekend  - oh, if you are considering a trip to Hobart, I can highly recommend the Waterview B & B in Margate. It's a bit out of town, away from the horrible Hobart traffic. The bedroom views are stunning, the host welcoming, the breakfast substantial! A lovely place to stay.

Charcoal Studies

 Playing with charcoal is fun... messy, but fun. Here are some demonstration works from my recent Thursday morning classes:

Reductive drawing of Sunflowers by Linda Weil ©

Reductive charcoal drawing (or reverse/negative drawing) is a creative method where you first darken the entire sheet of paper with the side of a charcoal stick, then smudge back with your hand or rag to create an even grey tone. Your eraser then becomes your drawing tool and you use a white eraser to define the main forms. A kneadable eraser or blue tack or even tape can be used to further define white highlights. Darker elements are added with soft charcoal. It is a very malleable and almost sculptural way of drawing - but make sure your paper can handle the process.

Positive charcoal studies with white charcoal highlights on toned paper by Linda Weil ©

Drawing in a positive method is often more intuitively comfortable for students, and charcoal is a quick and expressive medium for fast studies. By using a toned paper and white charcoal for highlights you can get some good effects. The top page are all studies where each was done in under 3 minutes. The bottom studies took a little longer, each shell between 5 to 15 minutes. 

Inktober52 & upcoming shows

 All caught up!

#22 Mountain: by Linda Weil©

And the new prompt for this week is: 

𝄗𝄗𝄗𝄗𝄗𝄗𝄗𝄗𝄗𝄗

Two local shows coming up soon - I will have works in both. 

Camberwell Art Show 2022

25th June to 3rd July 2022
First started in 1969, the Camberwell is one of Melbourne's oldest and most respected Rotary Shows. It's a big show, with lots and lots of works on display - so plan on spending a good few hours there. Information HERE

Moonee Valley Art Show 2022

St Bernard's College, Essendon West
9 & 10 July, Gala Opening July 8 at 7pm

Since its inception 10 years ago the Moonee Valley show has grown in size and prestige. Relocating this year to a newer, larger venue this show makes the trip across town worthwhile. Information HERE

Inktober52 catch up

Whew! I have really fallen behind the eight-ball with these Inktober52 drawings. No excuses, just plain lack of motivation really. But I sat down on Thursday and started from where I left off and now I only have this weeks to do, which is:

 #23 Mountain.

But until then, here are the last four:

#18: 'World' by Linda Weil ©- the Earth map is always shown with the Northern Hemisphere prominent. Just thought I'd show it the 'right' way up as seen from space. Australia in its proper ascendance. 

#19: 'Origin' by Linda Weil © The news out of the US over the past few weeks has been very sad and disturbing - which is what influenced this take on the prompt.

#20: 'Flower' by Linda Weil © For this week's class I set a Charcoal Reductive drawing of sunflowers as the exercise. As I had a few sunflowers left from the session I thought I would try them in ink.

#21: 'Mouse' by Linda Weil © This one was easier - one of my 'Mecha-Mice' in ink.

Good news!

All three of my submissions for the Camberwell Art show were selected. So look out for them there this year at: Camberwell 2022

As well, my little echidna sculpture will be shown at the National Awards Exhibition of Miniature Art, NSW. So for all my Sydney friends, or if you Victorians are travelling north, do drop in and visit this rather wonderful exhibition

Catch ya's later!

Nature Drawing

Just last week I had the great pleasure to lead a Nature Drawing Workshop with the Cranbourne Botanical Art Group who meet and work at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne: RBGC  It was a very enjoyable day out - the weather was mild, somewhat overcast and the gardens were, as usual, beautiful. We did a lot of specimen drawing to begin with, mainly leaves that people had collected and brought with them as subjects. 

Demonstration drawing - specimen drawing:
Liquid Amber leaf using Staedtler Mars Karat color pencils in my new Hahnemuhle 190 gsm journal.
Linda Weil ©

After specimen drawing we ventured outside to do some on site sketching - first some close observation in graphite, then after lunch some color work on site using 'zoom in- zoom out' techniques. This style of drawing concentrates on seeing the plant/tree as a whole (zoom out) and then zooming in to detail observations of parts of the plant, like a seed pod or flower. Composition across a double page spread with appropriate notes or prose can work really well.

Prostrate Candlestick Banksia - on site drawing using Windsor Newton pan watercolors and Adele black pen detail and washed in my Escoda 200gsm journal.
Linda Weil ©

And I enjoyed doing these so much I worked on a few other specimen drawings over the last week or so:

Rose Hips: Inktense pencils washed with Adele pen details in Hahnemule journal. Linda Weil ©

Unknown autumn leaf: Inktense pencils washed with Adele pen details in Hahnemule journal. 
Linda Weil ©

It's always good fun to do a bit of journaling - no pressure to create a masterpiece drawing, just enjoy nature and respond to it on the page.