Faber-Castell PITT artist pens

I bought these sketching pens in sanguine colour about two years ago, but never managed to use them properly. They have quite a bright reddish colour when still wet, but then the colour changes to a more a matt brownish red when dry which I didn't like that much. Also, I didn't quite find use for the different sizes of the tips; 4 in total, from a small tip to a brush one. They caught my eyes this weekend, while I was tidying up my desk, so I decided to give them another go. I used a small sketchbook which I made out of an old diary using Fabriano Accademia watercolour paper; it hasn't come out very well, so I normally use it for testing colours and tools....this way I don't feel the pressure of ruining a nice sketchbook if things don't come up very well! I drew directly in pen, my very first attempt after reading the interview of Bryn Hughes on the winter issue of UK Handmade. Did 4 sketches using each pen, I should have probably used the same subject for all, but hey! However, I'm still not convinced....I like the lines of the fine tip (S). The brush tip (B) is also fine but probably for a different type of subject, I don't think this colour is suited for these lines. The two in the middle (F and M), nothing special I would say! I might try again in the future, maybe adding some watercolour.....

Pencil sketches

I started this pencil sketch back in November and still I didn't manage to finish it. I picked the branch and the seed pods from my neighbour's huge Goldenrain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata), which grows right in front of my bedroom window. It looses all its leaves during winter, but still holds the seed pods, regardless of all the snow we had this year. I'm hoping to get this finishide before spring when the tree gets covered in tiny yellow flowers in spring.

Interconnecting flight

It's always good to bring a pocket size sketching kit......you never know how long your travel journey might take! After escaping the snow blizzard at Heathrow airport back in December, I landed in Rome with an almost clear sky (no signs of the snow that had paralysed the city the day before!) and 2 hours delay. Having to wait for another 4 hours for my connecting flight, I found a quite and sunny spot right behind the gate perfect for a quick sketch. I only had a tiny watercolour palette, just enough to highlight the main features.

Audrey Assad's Concert

I received an email a couple of weeks ago from a guy in the US asking if he could use my picture in a poster to advertise a benefit concert his fiancée was doing in Arizona! I was in total shock!! He sent me a copy of the poster just now...so exciting!!!

RWS Friends Sketching Day - 14th November 2010

Pencil Sketch

St Michael, Cornhill, City of London

It was another cold day for outdoor sketching, one figure temperatures and rain. I spent a good 40 minutes in the district line from Wimbledon to Tower Hill, I had forgotten how slow this line is! On my way to station I picked a bunch of leaves: a Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba) leaf and a very red leaf from another tree which I can't find the name. I tried to do some pencil sketches while I was in the tube, but I've found it a bit difficult to keep my hand steady. Although it was raining we did a tour around Pepys tramping ground and I stopped to sketch in St Michael's Alley. It took me a long time to get the sketch done as I wanted to use a pen & wash technique. Unfortunately, I didn't feel very confident using a pen straight away, so I did a pencil sketch first, then pen on top and some watercolours to finish off.....it took me over 1 hour to do that!!

Watersoluble Chalk Pastels

I went to the local car boot sale this morning and got myself a box of 12 sticks of Pentel watersoluble chalk pastels for just £1. It was a bargain and although I'm not very fond of messy pastels I thought I'd give it a go in the afternoon. I picked one of those huge London Plane leaves on my way back; I draw the leaf contours with a 2B pencilon a sheet of Fabriano Accademia paper and then overlaid the various colours directly on the paper, blending them with a dry brush. I then decided to use a waterbrush on one side of the leaf, but the results was a bit muddy and didn't particularly like it that much. I will definitely try them again, maybe mixing them with watercolour.

Christmas Card

I've almost completed the painting for this year Christmas cards. The big leaf right in front is far too big and the shape isn't quite right, also the berries were not very round at all, but hey it is known that holly is not easy to paint! I'll wait for the go ahead, or most likely the list of adjustments to make, from my teacher tomorrow evening and then off to the printer.

Exhibition @ the Crypt

The exhibition at the Crypt is finally off after two weeks. It was hard work to get things done properly and on time, but it all went very well. I sold one painting and we received lots of positive comments from visitors. I'm hoping to be more prepared for the next one, so I can enjoy it more and stress less!

Back to Class

I did these two sketches during the first two watercolour classes, after the summer break. The poppy was done following an exercise on my teacher's book to help loosen up the style for painting flowers. I enjoyed it very much, but still the overall result was a bit of a muddy effect and the red colour of the flower didn't really show. The second was based on a real oak branch which I picked from the ground on my way back from work. The colours were so autumnal, I wish there was some red colour in it as well...

Bankside Group Exhibition @ the Crypt

My first exhibition ever! I've got six watercolour paintings hanging in the Crypt as part of the bankside group exhibition. It was a bit stressful to get everything ready for the day, but I made it. We'll have an informal private view on Sunday 10th October from 2pm, for friends and family. I hope I'll see some friendly faces there!