Latest drawing in progress

Studio shot (previously a bedroom)

Next Ballerina Instalment

I'm pleased with how this is progressing. I'm getting used to using chalk (conte crayon) on black paper and really like the effect it creates. It would be good to draw a pose with alot of chiaroscuro next, Rembrandt meets Degas! Not that I'm suggesting my drawings come anywhere near their work in terms of execution and relevance!  Blimey.

Commissioned Work

Graphite on paper

An example of a commissioned life drawing that I did for a colleague a few years ago.  I would be happy to do something similar again and can work from photos and/or life. 

Work in Progress

This drawing is proving to be quite challenging but I'm getting there. I'm really enjoying using Conté crayons on black sugar paper and intend to do some more like this.

Ballet dancer - white conte crayon on black sugar paper

I'm really pleased with how this came out and it didn't seem to need a lot of effort.  It's interesting how some drawings just happen and others need to be really laboured over before you feel you've achieved anything.

Dancers

I'm quite pleased with the way this photo has come out using the flash. The graphite can be distracting when the light bounces off of it but it seems to really work in this photo.  The two figures look like they are on the surface rather than part of the picture, not too dissimilar to the figure paintings I did as part of my degree. 

Getting ready for an exhibition in January

Two months to go and my room is no longer just a bedroom but has turned into a studio space also.  I'm thinking about hanging an exhibition, what work to include, whether I need further work so I need to see how what I have already looks together and there's no better way than to just put everything up on the wall. I'm pleased with what I've got so far, although not all the works will be included. I've decided to stick with black and white images only, so the two drawings I have on beige paper won't be included. 

New term with Deal Life Drawing Group

 

I've also discovered that I can upload photos from my new phone which means posting drawings on here should be easier from now on.

I took part in a drawing workshop today with the English National Ballet in London which meant sitting and drawing professional ballet dancers during their rehearsal in the London Coliseum.  It was a fantastic experience and as the hour progressed I found myself focussing more on the sense of movement than the dancers themselves.  This drawing is of an exercise in which they were moving across the stage to music.  I didn't look at the page whilst drawing and I quite like the vertical composition.  The workshop was led by the artist Heidi Wigmore.

Pencil and graphite on paper

Approx. 58 x 40 cm

Dancing has become a big part of my life over the last year and I love it!  So, what better subject could there be for the focus of a new body of work?  I'm hoping to explore movement through drawing as well as dancing as I progress but for now I'm indulging myself in some figurative drawing.  Although taken directly from photographs I like to play around with composition and space to create a bit more interest and a sense of atmosphere.  

Deal Life Drawing Group

Saturday 23rd February

Warm and cosy in Deal Scout Hut on an otherwise cold, blustery and snowy day in Kent 

2 Hour Life Drawing pose with Deal Life Drawing group

Saturday 26th January 2013

Oscar

I'm reasonably pleased with the outcome of this painting of 'Oscar', my Sister-in-Law's horse.  Inspired in part by George Stubbs 'Whistlejacket' at the National Gallery in London, a painting I have seen so many times.  I also wanted to rediscover the style of work that I developed whilst on my fine art degree which involved painting in acrylics on a blank canvas.  It doesn't matter what I do, I'm always drawn back to black and white.