Something from Monika plus news on 2021 classes

 Prompt 26: Wire

A late submission from Monika, but too good a work and composition to not show you. Created using a Rotring 0.01 pen in her visual diary she has captured the patterns and shapes of  power lines and towers in the sky. As she says, they reminded her of Triffids marching through the countryside.  

You did this very well Monika - the composition is very effective and your ink linework is quite good - the scrumbling and hatching effect on the ground works well. And the line from 'Wichita Lineman' sets it off wonderfully.

'Wires' by Monika

A note on classes for 2021

All being well for 2021 and we continue to be Covid free, classes will resume next year at:

Victorian Artists Society
1 Feb to 22 March
Monday Nights 4 - 6.30pm
Bookings open Nov. 26 HERE

Mentone/Mordialloc Art Group
Dates TBC
Beginners to Advanced Thursday evenings 7.30 - 9.30pm
Beginners to Intermediate - Thursday afternoons, time TBC
For more information and to register your interest contact MMAG HERE
(MMAG is volunteer run and phones are not manned every day, leave a message and your phone number if you do not get a reply.)

Please note that I am not returning to Camberwell Community Art Centre, my apologies to past students and I hope you will consider one of the alternative classes above.

Week 26 prompt

 Prompt 27: 'Point'

This could be anything from a pointing finger, to a point of a nail, a point on the map or even a landscape drawing of Point Lonsdale! Have fun.

'Cloud Warrior' by Linda Weil

Week 26 Prompt: Jean, EM, MP, JM

Prompt: 'Wires'

Very creative works coming through for this weeks extra difficult prompt - well done!
Reminder: please name your files correctly for me,  YourName_WeekNumber. Please don't write a long title or leave it as photo numbers.

Jean

A very good take on the barbed wire theme, Jean has expanded the concept by including the weathered wooden framework of the old gate and fence posts. Jean has used Baohong 300gsm cold press paper - I am not familiar with this paper but it looks nice. Some info on the paper HERE.  She has used the Derwent Sketching W/S pencils medium and dark to create the soft tones in the fence posts, added some Staedtler Sanguine pastel pencil for the rusty hinges and finished off the wire with a sharp 4B graphite pencil. Looks good Jean!

'Old Gate, Miriam Vale QLD' by Jean

EM

Two very creative submissions by EM. She has thought outside the box a bit and found a different examples of wires around her home.  Just what I was hoping for!

Starting with a mini wire whisk done in graphite HB, 2B, 3B, 6B on A3 Canson 110gsm paper. Beautifully observed, simple drawing with lovely backlighting that creates a wonderful shadow.  

'Whisk' by EM

Her second drawing is of a Venetian glass earring in Prismacolor pencils done on some 90gsm printer paper. A pretty little drawing... and, how many times have I said to you all to use better paper even if you are just fooling around? As you will often be surprised at the great work you create but saddened that it is on paper that will not keep. Oh, well, its a lovely drawing anyway EM.

'Earring' by EM

MP

MP has chosen a very tricky subject, but once again proves she is up to the challenge and delights with her drawing. How many of us have seen this style of wire gate in our neighborhood?  Her attention to detail and exact shapes is excellent. Created on 220 Canson drawing paper with an HB underdrawing, the color work is done in Prismacolor pencils. MP has highlighted the fence wires with a Signo white gel pen and then created sharp black shadows on them using an 8B pencil. Very nice drawing MP!

'The Old Gate' by MP

KM

KM loves trying out new materials and this week she has attempted charcoal for the first time. She also has a fun twist to her concepts and this week is no exception. During her walks around her neighborhood she has noted how people used fences to stay inside or to keep out the world - and how sometimes the fences were breached letting in the world. Created as a quick 30 minute sketch she has used 2B and 4B charcoal pencils on a 110gsm paper. A good concept drawing KM.

'Keep Out' by KM

Week 26 Prompt

 Prompt: "Wires"

A tricky one for you! But it actually has a lot of potential. A few ideas for you:

Abstract design of Telephone wires crisscrossing the sky
Wire frame drawing of a figure or animal
Wires of a puppet
People connected with wires
The colorful mess of wires in a junction box
Barbed wire 
A forest of wires
Portrait of someone really wired before their coffee (okay, a stretch)
Fishing wire (line) 
The wire ring of your sketchbook

Or... a bird on the wire!

show me what you can come up with.

'Diamond Firetail' by Linda Weil
Lana 300gsm HP, Staedtler Karat color pencil wash and dry. Staedtler 2H, HB & 2B.
Blackwing Palomino matte (4B) graphite.

Week 25 Prompt: Silke, EM, MP, Monika, Jean

 Some lovely small stuff...

Silke: B-Bee

She enjoyed the Inktober prompts so much Silke has set herself a personal challenge to do regular drawings that illustrate the letters of the alphabet! Done in color pencils this is a sweet little work that fits the category of Small: B is for Bee.

The drawing observes the soft 'fur' texture of the bee well, the reflection in the eye and the collected pollen on the legs. I would suggest that the bee would stand out more from the background if it was a little lighter and smoother, perhaps blended using a blender. Um, one thing... bees have six legs, I only see four! I look forward to seeing more of the 'Alphabet', keep up the good work Silke.

'B is for Bee' by Silke

EM: Not so High Rise

This drawing by EM is one that I am really pleased to see. EM has thought about the prompt and created a work that shows 'Small' in relation to the environment around it. So rather than just drawing something 'small' she has created a scene that tells the story. EM says:

"The first thing I thought off was how old buildings are these days dwarfed by new high rises so I did not necessarily go for a small object but the size difference. "

Created on 110gsm Canson paper with 3B, 6B and Prismacolor pencils this tells a story in a good composition. The darker colors force the small building forward and to our attention. A nice work EM that explores the prompt theme beyond the obvious.
(ps. EM sends kudos to KM who grabbed small stuff right in front of her for her drawing)

'Not so High Rise' by EM

MP: Gumnuts

From little things big things grow... and MP has found these small gumnuts in her local park to draw as her work. She has used Canson 300gsm HP, starting with a HB graphite under drawing, then a wash of Prismacolor pencils in Olive Green and Sunburst Yellow. Also used was Derwent Graphitint Ivy pencil. Finally JM finished the detail in Prismacolor Premier pencils.

A very good drawing MP. Those little nuts are tricky to draw, especially when they overlap but you have done well. The leaves are nicely done also. And the light shadow effect gives a 3D feel to the work. Good job.

'Gumnuts' by MP

Monika: Sharpeners

In her visual diary using 2H, F, 2B, 3B and 4B pencils Monika has created a composition of different angles and shapes formed by two of her old pencil sharpeners. These sharpeners are tricky to draw - they look simple but they have all sorts of strange angles and curves. Monika has observed these shapes well, drawing them about 50% larger than life size. The position of the sharpening hole on the angular one is not quite correct and I find that a little annoying as all the other angles and curves are more accurately drawn. But that being said, this is another clever work demonstrating Small by using everyday objects you find around you.  I hope you have time to finish the work with a bit more shading Monika as it is a good piece. Why not add a bit of curling pencil shaving for added interest?

'Staying sharp' by Monika

Jean: Tiger Blue

Jean has used 300gsm Arches HP paper for this little gem. Beginning with Derwent Sketching (watersoluble) pencils in dark and medium washes for the wings, she then added some Graphitint Dark Indigo to make them tonally darker. I am glad she didn't just add black pencil here as this result has more depth to it in the dark tones as a result of this technique. For the blue markings she has used a mix of Derwent watercolor pencils and Graphitint. For extra highlights a Stabilo Carbethello white pencil with some white gel pen has been used. This mix of pencils has created a shimmering look to the butterfly - you can sense she/he is enjoying the bright sunlight. But as I pointed out to Silke above... where are his six legs? A pretty little drawing, Jean.

'Tiger Blue' by Jean

*A request please! When sending your images to me please make sure they are the right orientation. Usually I can judge and rotate, but it is much easier for me if you send it already rotated. Also, photograph your work in bright light, preferably sunlight if you can. Finally, name your work correctly:
YourName_weekNumber.
Thanks that would be a big help time wise for me!

 

Blackwing Pencil Review

 A new love...

Blackwing pencils have been around since the 1930's when they were manufactured by the Eberhart Faber Pencil Company. The original Blackwing pencils were discontinued in the 90's, but in 2010 a California based pencil manufacturer purchased the Blackwing trademark and reissued the pencils under its' Palomino division. From all reviews I have read these new pencils are exactly the same as the originals made in the 30's. WikiLink

Blackwings are possibly the most famous of the 'high-end' pencil you can find. They have been used by writers such as John Steinbeck and musicians like Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. My favorite animator, Chuck Jones who created Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes characters swore by them. I remember my Dad used one and as a child I loved the strong black mark it made - but he didn't let me use it often! So when I saw that Pencilly were selling Blackwing pencils I couldn't resist buying some. Unfortunately they had sold out of the 4 sampler set so I purchased a Palomino Blackwing Legacy Branded matte black and a Palomino Blackwing Natural. (4 pencil sets are now back in stock).

Matte Black (top) and Natural (below)

The first thing you notice is that the pencils are slightly longer than standard. The extra length affects the balance slightly if you are used to using a standard pencil or a shorter clutch pencil. Don't worry, you soon adjust and anyway, you are going to sharpen it shorter soon enough. At this larger size they don't fit into a standard length pencil box; as I said this will be sorted out over time.

The pencils have a hexagonal body with a graphite core encased in wood. The Natural has a cedarwood casing which smells lovely when sharpened. Each pencil has a gold ferrule on the end that holds a rectangular eraser - and the eraser works well! Erasers are replaceable and come in different colors, but I tend not to erase too much so replacement shouldn't be an issue. Nice to know though.

The lead in these pencils are wax based, so they have a smooth and velvety feel. No crunchy feel in the leads, but a creamy, flowing line. Don't let the idea of wax put you off, they still sharpen and hold a point well. The lead is not brittle and doesn't break when sharpening. One confusing thing I found is that these pencils don't follow the European grading system of H to B range. As all the Blackwing pencils are considered 'soft' you can take it as a given that there is no 'H' or harder version. You will need to read about them before you purchase and once you own them do test sheets to discover how soft or hard they are and how they compare to a standard graphite pencil.

Test Sheet on Art Spectrum drawing paper 210gsm

You can see from my test sheet above that the Blackwing gives a good, dense dark coverage. I used my standard Staedtler Clutch pencils as a comparison and found that the Natural is slightly darker than the HB, more like a B, and the Matte Black is very close to a 4B. As the Blackwings are wax, I thought it would be good idea to test it against a few waxed color Prismacolor pencils and compare to using with standard graphite and against Karat waterrcolor (unwaxed) pencils. They seemed to blend better with the Prismacolor pencils than the Karat or graphite and with less smearing. Additionally they are darker in tone so create better blacks.

If you are really into collecting pencils, Blackwing introduced the Volumes series in 2015. Each quarter they bring out a limited edition pencil celebrating an artist, writer or special event. These would be great fun to collect and display, but I would be too tempted to use them for drawing! 

Speaking of drawing, to test out these two pencils I did a quick sketch of a hibernating Pygmy Possum using the Matte Black, Natural and Prismacolour 1070 pencil on 210gsm Art Spectrum drawing paper. 10cm x 10cm so it also falls into our 'Small' prompt for this week.

Pygmy Possum by Linda Weil

Conclusion

I love the way these Blackwing pencils feel and draw! Smooth and velvety the marks they make are almost sensual. The smooth lines, rich blacks, high quality material, feel of the pencil, usable eraser all make this a pencil to consider including in your arsenal. Will it ever replace my beloved Staedtler pencils? Not for the finer detail drawings I like to do where I really prefer a hard pencil, but for sketching, travelling, use with Prismacolor pencils I think it will be a tight race. The price of these pencils are slightly higher than standard brands, but the quality is well worth the price. Give one a try and let me know what you think.

*Note, this review is a personal opinion and I am not paid by any particular brand or company for these comments.

Week 25 Prompt: KM

 'Small'

How wonderful is today?! Beautiful sunny spring in the Southern Hemisphere topped off by Covid restrictions easing off. We can now travel out of Melbourne! How great is that, well done all of us to get this thing under control and bring our numbers down to double donuts. 🍩🍩

So I know many of you will be outside celebrating, but don't neglect your drawing board. An hour or two once a week will keep your pencil muscles toned up and keep you in condition to return to classes in 2021. Just like KM has done with her submissions this week.

KM: Small Silver Stuff

For her first drawing, KM raided the junk drawer and found small silver items under 8 cm. She has used a  110gsm paper with Derwent silver grey, gunmetal grey and metallic silver and pewter, backed up with Staedtler pencils.  With these pencils KM has captured the shine of the metal well, observing the tonal contrasts. I especially like the bulldog clip and how it is drawn - nice lost and found edges create the shape without resorting to an overstated outline.

'Small Silver Stuff' by KM

KM's second drawing went smaller scale. She has used a Staedtler F and F5 (?) as well as a Musgrave Genuine Tennessee Red Cedar Graphite which is lighter in tone than the Staedtler pencils. Remember when I told you all about the Pencilly website? Well KM purchased this Cedar pencil just to see if it does smell nice - and it does! 

This is a nice composition of three different paper clips. I love the concept and the design works well. Its a great little drawing, and as I said above, use of high contrast tone married with lost and found edges create interest and metallic shine. Good work!

'Paper Clips' by KM

NEWS!

AGRA Medallion exhibition should be going ahead in December - watch this blog for final details, hope to see you all there!

Neil Wallace Printmaker supplies in Fitzroy is having their annual sale HERE. You can pick up some real savings on quality paper. They deliver and have great products. I like to buy in bulk - but if a full pack of 10 is too much for you why not get together with a few of your classmates/art friends and split the cost. It can be up to 30% off on some papers! Bargains galore - I recommend P326.08 Fabriano HP 300gsm white.

Not to bang on about it, but DO have a look at that Pencilly website. Christmas is just around the corner and I am sure you can find a gift or two for yourself or an arty friend. Plus it is just darn fun to look at all the pretty pencils.

Week 25

 Prompt: 'Small'

I have really enjoyed seeing all your works for the Inktober challenge. Also, I was impressed at the different interpretations of each prompt as well as the techniques used.  Really creative works, well done to all who participated.

For Week 25 we I am returning to our single word prompt - you can interpret this in any way - whatever first comes to mind when you think of the word 'Small'. And as you have all been restricted over the past 5 weeks to ink only I am throwing this one open to all drawing mediums. So whatever you want to puddle around with; ink, charcoal, pastels, colour and graphite pencils - whatever you want as long as it is a drawing medium. Have fun!

'Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse' by Linda Weil

The Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse is only 5 - 7 cm body length and was once common in the California Bay Area. Now endangered due to habitat loss.

Staedtler Mars Karat watercolor pencils wet and dry with HB and 2B graphite pencil accents. On Fabriano 300gsm hot press paper.

Week 24: Jean & MP

 Two more Final Inktober Prompts

Yay! I have a new laptop! Still sussing it out, but lots of fun. Two excellent additions to the final Inktober lists:

Jean: Shoe 

Jean chose 'Shoe' as her prompt subject this week and decided to create a work of her niece's ballet shoes. This is a great subject and really extended Jean's experience in creating the shine of material and ribbons.  She quickly learned that to give the impression of shine you need to keep white highlights and deep blacks - how the values are used generates the effect of shine. Jean has done this quite well with the curing ribbons. I think some light tone is needed inside the shoe, but overall as a first trial the shoes are pretty good and look like satin material.

The floor/background is not quite right - a little too dark. As Jean said, once you put that down in ink you are stuck with it! I think a little more thought first on what a polished wood floor would look like would have helped Jean understand how to approach this. Remember the reflections in a polished floor.
But a good try.

'Ballet Shoes #1' by Jean

So, not happy with that first attempt, Jean went online and found an image that informed her better on the floor effect and I think this works much better. Also, having done the first work I can see that Jean gained confidence in handling the ink washes needed for the satin effect. A bit of black outline on the instep also helps to give the edge a crisp look. Nice use of lost and found edge as well. This work is fresh and states simply the subject.

Both drawings are good studies - and it is great to see the development of technique from the first to the second.

 .

'Shoes #2' by Jean

MP: Ominous

And a very ominous sky it is! MP has also been growing in confidence with her ink work and this week she has experimented with further techniques very successfully. Using Art Spectrum 300gsm cold press paper to give her a textural effect she has started with an under drawing in HB graphite. Next, using Amsterdam acrylic ink she has applied different tonal strengths of wash with a sponge and a brush creating a cloudy sky. With different Derwent Graphitint pencils used wet and dry she has defined the sky, trees and hillside. Then a black Unipin fine line 0.1 pen was used to emphasize the trees and foreground - and wisely MP decided not to use it in the sky. This was a great decision as I think pen in the sky would have ruined the lovely textural effect she achieved with the sponge work. Finally, a few highlights were added to the sky using Signo white pigment ink pen.

What can I say? I think it is a fantastic result! I love how MP has captured the ominous and threatening nature of the sky. The more detailed linework on the trees and foreground works very well and brings them forward. A fine work MP.

'Ominous' by MP

Week 24: Silke, EM, Monika and KM

 Final Inktober prompts

Just before we start I need to advise that my replies will be delayed for the next week or so as I am having some computer issues and am unable to post as often as I have done previously. Please be patient, I will post your work when I can. To start our final week from Inktober:

Silke: Crawl

Silke has done every prompt for Inktober (!!!), and she has at last reached the finish line! A clever little take on the prompt 'Crawl' as she crawls across that line. lol. This is a great little composition and quite dynamic. I love the slightly desperate look on the runners face.  Silke has spent the month trying different techniques and new materials and it has been fun to watch her develop these on her instagram page. HERE

'Crawl' by Silke

EM: Inktober selection

EM has just found us! She has been doing a lot of Inktober on her own and I thought I'd show you a few of the works she has created. These are all created with a Sharpie fine line texta, some watersoluble crayon to create grey wash effects in a Holcroft 225 sketch diary. These works span the month of prompts and are delightful. I welcome EM to continue with us in our prompt series this term.

'Fish' by EM. 

'Float' by EM

'Ominous' by EM (reference to Brown's Angels and Demons) by EM

Monika: Shoe

Monika was inspired by the cover of the book she has been reading 'The 3 Inch Golden Lotus'. She has used InkTense Pencils to colour and wash the bright colours after first sketching the image in HB pencil in her A5 visual diary. Then Monika has used a Rotring Graphic 0.1 to outline the image. A Pentel Sign pen for the black and very fiddly background. Finally InkTense pencils dry to highlight the flowers.

This is a beautiful shoe, and we can appreciate the elegance of the design and craftmanship although as Monika found, we cannot forget the pain of the custom of foot binding.

'Shoe' by Monika
(sorry Monika, but I do not have full computer functions to turn the image)

KM: All three prompts in One!

KM has cleverly combined all three prompts into one image, Shoe, Ominous and Crawl. Created in her 110 gsm sketch pad with Faber Castell pens: brown, orange, purple, pink and grey. Derwent pencils were used on the bricks. KM has discovered how much fun coloured pens are to work with - and also the need to be bold when using them. I love the use of bull ants to illustrate both Crawl and Ominous.

'Ominous Heels' by KM