Drawing Prompt: Week 1

Prompt Theme: Kitchen Kapers

Welcome to the first week of my Term 2 Drawing Prompt series! I will post a new prompt by each Monday and I hope you will all join in and draw along with me during the week and create works to the theme suggested.

I will be using a A5 Windsor Newton 200gsm Watercolour diary for demostration works. Remember, this is a drawing series, but anything that can make a mark and take a line for a walk can be used over the nine weeks. I will make suggestions but feel free to experiment and try different mediums, paper, and techniques.

If you would like to show your works here, email me with your image and avatar name and I will put it up here with my comments. Followers of this blog are also encoraged to comment on the works. Please make sure the images you send comply with the rules. Any images should be sent by Friday, May 1. You are welcome to send earlier and I will post progressively.
There are two challenges this week - do one, do both, or combine the two! Just have fun.

Challenge 1: Looking out my kitchen window

Well, I am sure during this lock down a lot of time is being spent in the kitchen!  So lets do some drawing focused around that comforting part of the home. The first challenge is to draw the view you see from your kitchen window. I have drawn in graphite pencil with some graphite wash, but if you wish to try it in charcoal/pastel/ink or even digital format please do so.

From my kitchen window: Graphite and water soluble graphite wash. About 1 hour. I am lucky to be visited by a pair of Grey Butcherbirds every morning. They sit on the window sill and look in, sometimes tappity-tapping on the glass until I give them a feed. This drawing was done from life and a reference shot taken of the birds' visit yesterday morning.

Challenge 2: Tea Time
This one is a little trickier. You will need a brush with a fine point - I used a Dagger style brush - a teabag, preferably black tea,  a yellow ochre colour pencil and a china/pottery mug or teacup.

1. Prep: Begin by steeping the tea bag in a glass of hot water, about 4cm deep or so. Leave the bag in the glass as the stain will get progressively darker as you work. Place the cup on a white sheet of paper and get prepared to 'draw' with the brush.

Step 1: Prep

2. Draw: Dip the brush into the tea wash and start to draw the basic shape and block forms of the cup. Do not draw with a pencil first, only draw with the brush. As this is a very light wash any pencil will show through. Also, it doesn't matter if your shape isn't perfect, you can refine it as you go.

Step 2: Draw

3. Let the first dry throughly. Then draw again with the brush and wash, darkening and refining the shapes. Look for lights and darks. Ignore any pattern on the cup for the moment, concentrate only on the shape and form created by the tones.

Step 3: increase tone and refine

4. Dry again. If you need to, dry with a hair dryer but be careful not to bake the paper! Again draw with the brush and wash refining shape and tones.

Step 4

5. And now, dry completely again. With a yellow ocher pencil that is similar in hue to the tea stain, draw and refine the shapes using line, hatching and tone. If your cup has a printed pattern now lightly indicate that pattern with the pencil. I used a Staedler Karat #16 pencil.

Step 5: Pencil detail. This drawing took around 45 minutes not counting the drying time.

Well, I hope you had a bit of fun! Show me your work!

Drawing Challenge

Hello Art Friend!

Once you have weeded the garden, cooked too many cakes, cleaned everything possible, binged watched Netflix until your eyes swim, run out of new books to read... you need to get back to the drawing board! With all my classes cancelled for the foreseeable future I am sure some of you are scratching your head wondering how to keep up your drawing enthusiasm and momentum.  I have decided to run a 'Drawing Prompt' series during Term 2 through my blog and I invite you to join in and draw along.

Each Monday, starting on April 27, I will post on this blog a prompt, an idea, word or phrase that will inspire you to create a drawing in a journal. If you wish, you may send me an image of your drawing and I will post it the following week - all art should be sent by Friday of that weeks' Prompt. 

Rules

1. Please become a follower of this blog to fully participate. However, if you wish to use the prompts and not show your work that is totally fine.
2. A new prompt will be posted as a Term 2 project each Monday for 8 weeks. April 27 to June 22 (or until such time as I decide to end it).
3.  I MAY suggest types of media that you perhaps should try for each prompt, but you are not compelled to use such.
4. If you wish your artwork to be displayed on my blog, please contact me via the email button on right for further instructions.
5. Any art should be sent to me by the Friday of that weeks Prompt.
6. Artwork must be labelled as follows: YourName_WeekNumber
7. Artwork must be jpeg and not larger than 2mg, rgb format, 72ppi. Artwork that is too large or wrong format will not be used. Please understand I cannot correct your photos and have limited disk space so wrong sized images will not be shown.
8. All artwork will be deleted from my system after posting. I will not keep copies so ensure that you do so.
9. Please include any information regarding media and paper in your email.
10. Anything I deem offensive will not be posted. 
11. Respect copyright laws. Anything I feel infringes copyright will not be posted.
12. You are encouraged to comment on the works posted on the blog - you must become a follower to do so.
13. Show  your journal for all to see! Bring to your class once it resumes (if you attend one) or show your family and friends. If you have used a quality journal your works may even be suitable to be framed for an exhibition!

Medium/format:

• It is recommended, but not compusory,  that art be created in a journal. This can be a visual art diary, a watercolour book, etc. I suggest no smaller than A5 and no larger than A3. I am using a Winsdor Newton Visual Diary A5 size, 200gsm. 
• If you get inspired and want to work larger after doing an initial journal entry, and create a more finished work go for it! These prompts are open ended
• Any medium can be used, however, this is a drawing class so mediums that create line are favoured. Some mediums may be suggested but are not compulsory.

Hints and Tips:

• If you can, set up a dedicated space for your art practice. It doesn't have to be a large area, but it should be somewhere you can leave set up. You will be more inclined to work if you don't have to pack and unpack each time you think of drawing.
• Ask your family to respect this area. Especially children. Really, kids are pencil thieves. This is your space.
• Try to set a schedule if you can. I work everyday for a minimum of 4 hours. But even if you just allocate the once a week 2 hour time-frame when you would usually be in a class that would be great.
• Art supply stores will deliver! Look at your local Art Store website for what is available. You don't have to leave home to get your materials.

Hope you all stay well (and sane) during this time and will join me in drawing!
x

Another spoon

Nemesia Spoon by Rodd

This is now number 15 in the series for the Medallion Exhibition begining Wednesday 5 August - with luck. Whew!

Demitasse spoon – Rodd Australia, EPNS ‘A1’ Nemesia pattern

This spoon dates from 1950 - 1970 and is another Rodd favourite of the period. This design ‘Nemesia’ is an identical match to the original and very popular sterling pattern ‘Candlelight’ by Towle. Towle is one of the oldest and most revered silver makers in the USA. The Towle Company (now Lifetime Brands) is a direct descendent of Moulton, the first silver operation set up in New Hampshire in 1637. William Moulton II was the founder and his business thrived through five successive generations. Towle was an apprentice of William Moulton IV the sixth, the last Moulton and in 1857 he handed the business over to Towle. Since the 1880’s Towle has produce dozens of unique silverware patterns. Unmatched in quality and visually appealing they have been imitated by manufacturers around the world. ‘Candlelight’ with its dainty brocade carving down the length of the handle culminating in a flower shape debuted in 1934 to wild popularity. Rival companies were challenged to come up with imitations and Rodd of Melbourne produced this version in the 1950’s until the mid-1970’s. Rebranded ‘Nemesia’ after the popular bedding plant, it fast became one of the company’s best-selling cutlery designs.

The symbol ‘A1’ on silverware is a marking used to indicate the number of ounces of pure silver used in the plating process. Generally speaking, A1 indicated the thickest and best quality of silver plate.

Don't forget the upcoming drawing challenge beginning April 27!

Medallion Exhibition 2020 key dates

Exhibition:  starts on Wed 5^th August until Sunday 23^rd August

Opening Sunday 9^th August 2pm (TBC)

Exhibition Planning

AGRA Medallion Exhibition 2020

Last year I was surprized to be named runner-up in the Australian Artists of Excellence at AGRA, winning the Terry Collins Award. Part of the prize was a chance to participate in the annual Medallion Exhibition in late August of  2020.
In spite of Covid-19, I am still hoping this exhibition will proceed so have been working towards a body of work. Self-isolation has certainly helped concentrate the mind on drawing! I have chosen the theme of  'spoons' and have planned to do 20 works on A4 Land Bristol smoooth paper to be framed up to approximately A3 size.
Each spoon drawing incorporates the spoon and an image that relates to that spoon in a supportive composition. Accompanying the drawing will be a 'history' paragraph about the spoon. This paragraph will be a little story either based on truth or entirely imaginative. Hopefully I can arrange printing of a small A4 book/catalogue of the complete set and pars.
I have now completed 12 of the 20 spoons planned. This Sweet Spoon was lent to me by my good friend Meredith - and the story that accompanies it is based on some things she told me as well as my research into that particular spoon design.

Oh, btw, watch this space for my upcoming drawing challenge beginning April 27!

Medallion Exhibition 2020 key dates

Exhibition:  starts on Wed 5^th August until Sunday 23^rd August

Opening Sunday 9^th August 2pm (TBC)

Deep Bowl Sweet Spoon – Rodd Australia EPNS pattern ‘Jasmine’ 1960s

If you were married, engaged or had an anniversary during the 1960’s in Australia, it is almost a certainty that you would have received at least one set of Rodd ‘Jasmine’ sweet spoons. Rodd’s Silverware had become a household name when prize products of ‘Jasmine’ spoons and canteens of silverware were given away on Bob Dyer’s popular TV game show ‘Pick a Box’. The pattern was so popular that in 1961 Rodd was commissioned to create a set of gold Jasmine spoons and forks as a wedding present to the then Duke and Duchess of York.

But the design had a very deep bowl and was not comfortable in the mouth. Small children especially found the spoon difficult and they would often grasp the handle and lick the interior of the spoon like an icy-pole. This, of course, would result in admonishments by parents to ‘mind your manners and not eat like a savage’. Children hated using the spoons. They came out for every special holiday and the mothers loved them, believing them to be a mark of a higher class of person. Because, well, they were used by royalty, weren’t they!

Charcoal

Paperbark Tree

I like using different mediums, taking a break from graphite now and then. Still, I prefer the 'drawing' mediums to oils or watercolour. Charcoal is fun, I tend to get a bit messy but it is a good way to break my thoughts away from the intensive detail of my graphite work.

This was a demonstration peice for my final Wednesday class of this term. Sadly, all classes have been cancelled for the foreseeable future. I hope to post here regularly and hope my students will follow along.

Last week the class went outside and sketched plein air some of the lovely trees around the art center studio (actually, its a Scout hall). Most of the students chose a large, lollipop shaped paperbark tree, so I drew it as well. We took photos of the tree as well as sketching it. This week we returned inside to the studio to work up our drawing using the sketches and photos as reference.

Well... actually, only one student showed up. Due to the Covid19 scare most had stayed away. 

So I did a demonstration work with Monica - and we had a good time together!

The work is on A3 Art Spectrum Colourfix 'Rose Grey'. I began by laying down broad areas of tone using a piece of vine charcoal then smudging and working it up with a tortillion. Next came more detailed work with charcoal pencils. Pencils used were Derwent Charcoal pencils, Light, Medium and Dark grades with highlights in white charcoal. Time spent was about 1.5 hours or so.

Paperbark tree for Monica

Sepia Ink

California Blue Oak

Using both Staedler Mars and Adel sepia coloured pens on 250gsm Lana Bristol smooth paper, I created this work as a demonstration piece for my Thursday night class.

Unfortunately, due to the Corvid 19 crisis all classes have been cancelled until further notice. However, I finished the work today and am posting it here for viewing.

I used the Adel sepia pen first, creating crosshatch build up that I then washed with water to create the toned background and clumps of the tree. I did this in two stages so I achieved two depths of tonal wash. The linework in the tree was then done as hatching and squiggles the Staedler pen to create depth and detail. The Staedler pen is just a touch darker and slightly more red. Not obvioulsy so, but I felt it made a difference. The linework in the sky, hills and shadow foreground was with the Adel pen, which is very slightly finer and browner tone.

I deliberately cropped the right side of the drawing as shown here as I felt it was a bit more interesting that way. Cropped size is 35 x 24cm. I used combined references - sketches I did in California of trees, photos and internet images. So it is not any one particular tree, but a generic California Blue Oak.  This oak Quercus doglasii is endemich to the hills, coastal ranges and foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

HC at the VAS

2020 George Hicks Foundation Contemporary Exhibition

Wow! Last night I was awarded a Highly Commended at the 2020 VAS George Hicks Foundation Contemporary Exhibititon. This was a delightful surprise  - especially as I had to be coaxed into exhbiting (thank you Kris). I didn't think I had anything really contemporary enough as I am not really an abastract style of artist. But contemporary really means of the now, made today,  so I took a chance and entered my work 'Flight of the Wingnuts'.

This work was initially exhibited last year at Tacit in my solo show 'Flights of Fancy' and this was only its' second outing.
The judge was Robin Stewart, an exceptional Melbourne artist with a strong interest in abstract/figurative painting. He said some very nice things about this work and his support is especially encouraging.  He even kindly signed my award for me. 😊

HC from VAS

Tacit presents:

20(2020)

Opening night at Tacit gallery, Wednesday 4 March marks the celebration of Tacit's 20th anniversary.

20(2020) is a massive group exhibition featuring some 135 artists who have exhibited at Tacit in the past 20 years. All artists are working on a 20 inch x 20 inch canvas.

You can imagine how challenged I was drawing graphite on canvas! Luckily TJ Bateson gave me some very helpful tips on canvas prep. Eight coats of gesso and fine sanding between each coat resulted in a porcelain smooth surface that responded well to liquid graphite and dry graphite pencils. For this exhibition I did a variant of my 'Aeronaut' drawing and Tacit kindly put it on their invites!

Some of the other artists featured include Terri Brooks, Damon Kowarsky, Rosemary Harris-Arnott, Denise de Keyzer, Nadeen Lovell, Helen McInnis, Mark Seabrook and Lisa O'Keefe.

Would love to see you there on opening night - it promises to be one heck of an opening!

Red Chalk Lion

Demonstration Piece

I did this drawing yesterday as a demonstration piece during my Wednesday class. When using the chalks people often try to draw the 'colour', but you need to think of the tone instead. The best way I can explin is to look at your colour reference and ask yourself; 'How would I draw that in graphite?' Then, think of the red chalk as your first tone (like an HB maybe). The tone of the paper in this instance is the mid tone. The Sepia and Umber chalks are the dark tones.

I felt a full demo drawing would help get across the idea of using the Sanguine/Sepia/Umber chalks as tone not colour. My lion is a bit wonky proportionally, but he looks like a lion at least!

Time: One Hour

Medium: Staedtler Mars Pastel Pencils as the skull drawing. Some tortillion use, some kneadable eraser/blue tack  lifting off.

Paper: Strathmore Toned Tan

Reference: Photo of a Werribee zoo lion taken in 2018

Sanguine (red chalk) drawing

...in the Masters footsteps...

Before the invention of the modern graphite pencil the most commonly used drawing medium used by artists were natural occuring chalks/earth pigments. Sanguine (Hematite) is a red-brown iron oxide chalk that is often used and was a favourite tool of the Renaissance masters. When teamed with toned papers and touches of black and white you can create wonderfully sculptural forms.

My students and I will be exploring these techniques this term. Although I have many different sanguine, sepia and umber pencils already I couldn't resist this set of Staetdler Mars pastel pencils currently on special at Eckersley's.

Now having purchased a set I had to try them out! 

For this exercise I choose to do a sketch drawing of a skull. Hamlet lives on top of my supplies cupboard, so I took him down, dusted him off and set up my drawing station:

You can see how I have put Hamlet on white paper and behind him so I have a clean veiw and nice shadows cast by the direct lighting set up. Also, my tools are to hand, the Stadtler pencils as well as some conte blocks, a tortillion, kneadable eraser and white pvc eraser pen. Additionally, I did a quick sketch in my visual diary in pencil to make sure I understood the proportions correctly.

I am drawing the final on Strathmore 180gsm tan toned paper. 

Some steps along the way showing you the progression:

And the final result. This took approximately 2 - 3 hours from initial pencil sketch to this final result:

Because this was a fairly quick sketch, it is a bit rough and ready. However, I enjoyed exploring these pencils and like the result. Using a toned paper means that all the mid-tones are established at the start and the drawing is done in the highlights and dark areas. I am going to use these pencils again and try a more refined drawing next. 

Great fun!