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Andrews Sketchpad (2 Viewers)

Sorry, Its Not Wildlife.....

Sorry its not wildlife, but felt the need to share this momentous event with you... You all know the problems Ive had with commiting to paper, and making that leap of faith - even when doing the quick sketches - which Im told you all suffer from at different levels...
Well this is my first attempt at making a sketch with notes for then transfer to A3 paper for a full sizw watercolour.....
The next hurdle Ive got is to draw it all again onto the larger paper, tried twice now and cant get the dimensions right...Ill keep trying obviously...But actually I feel very good about this new direction....
I was told that I could also add some colour to this to help in the final piece, Does anyone elso work up to their work in this fashion -notes and added colour, or is this somthing completly different....
DSCN1544.JPG
 
never Andrew, its way too confining to me. I do very little drawing and do most with my brushes making a tonal map.... however I never try to do such a complicated architectural work, so for the one you show it seems appropriate
 
Interesting to guage how people begin a painting, how much prep work is done in the form of Pre-sketching, of course this is all new to me, and as its tutored lessons I have to do the subjects presented as modules.....I hope there will be some wildlife in here somtime soon...
 
lovely avos Andrew, have to say I like the European ones more than ours here, because being black and white they are more graphic statements of form....

re the drawing classes, I hated that part of my art education, but have to say it is impossible to make good realistic paintings with out that no matter how many photos you copy, and it stood me in good stead all these years.

One thing to consider is the mass verse line issue. Outlines do not exist in nature
(what you are calling the graphic approach) Artists throughout history fall on one side or the other ( like David vs Delecroix) , to see masses you have to "squint down" ie unfocused and squinting down the eyes to get rid of the sharp focus. This might be a good exercise for you as you are def an outline person naturally. I'm def a mass, ie seeing values and larger forms not line, so doing line drawings is a challenge for me. The thing is any object can teach you if you stare at it long enough and work, but why oh why cant the classes use objects that are innately beautiful, like shells or branches so you can connect to it with some feeling.....that said, I did have an experience drawing an old shoe once...looking forward to your progress
 
Still not wildlife.....

Yep, I'm Sorry......Thought Id share this one with you quickly. With watercolour, Its deffo less is more, so I think Ive over done the water....
DSCN1561.JPG
Desperatly trying to find something with wildlife, Ive got an 'en Plein air' trip out this saturday if the weather holds with my evening classes.
The 'House' w/c has now been enlarged to A3, after a few attempts, must admit to being terrified at filling the space...Might need to borrow one of Tims 3" Brushes...
 
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Getting abit wilder....

The results of my first 'En Plein Air' day with my Art class......The site didnt give me any inspiration at first, but when I started looking about, the grasses where full of different things to get to grips with, somthing Ive never noticed before....Thistles are thistles, but try to sketch them is a whole new ballgame for me....
The Coastal scene pushed by envelope furher, Never being good with buildings, (mainly because they have straight lines I think), but this forced me to re evaluate my thoughts, and also the whole day taught me a few things...
To observe the things around me in a yet different way again...., To be able to sketch and watercolour in an open place with people watching - and somtimes talking....And to mix my own colours, instead of using the ones provided on the palatte.....

DSCN1566.JPG DSCN1567.JPG seedhead.jpg DSCN1574.JPG
 
Andrew H said:
The results of my first 'En Plein Air' day with my Art class......The site didnt give me any inspiration at first, but when I started looking about, the grasses where full of different things to get to grips with, somthing Ive never noticed before....Thistles are thistles, but try to sketch them is a whole new ballgame for me....
The Coastal scene pushed by envelope furher, Never being good with buildings, (mainly because they have straight lines I think), but this forced me to re evaluate my thoughts, and also the whole day taught me a few things...
To observe the things around me in a yet different way again...., To be able to sketch and watercolour in an open place with people watching - and somtimes talking....And to mix my own colours, instead of using the ones provided on the palatte.....

View attachment 210144 View attachment 210145 View attachment 210146 View attachment 210147
Click to expand...

It looks like it was a very good day for you. Along with producing some nice sketches you also learned a lot! I'm always surprised when I decide to sketch and think that there's nothing there. Soon I find that there are all sorts of subjects, just waiting to be drawn.........
 
nice work Andrew, great for the first time out....it's really different around a bunch of distracting elements, to work out how to paint in a new way.
 
Yep, it really did take me out of my comfort zone, and make me appraise things in a totally different way...given a bunch of weeds n grass, and get on with it.....I even went out on sunday, but couldnt get inspired the same way, probably because I was seeking somthing to do, instead of forced to find somthing - if that makes sense...?
All I've got to do is introduce the wildlife aspect. Dont worry Tim, Your work is safe for a long while yet......:t:
 
Wip......

Going back over some old photos, in the hope of getting some well needed practice...so here is a Herring Gull (?) who appears to be 'nesting' on a bank of Seaweed on the beach at Newlyn.....Not so sure how Ill get the dark seaweed to behave

DSCN1575.JPG
More to follow....
The saga of the A3 continues, Its nearly finished but Ill post it elsewhere as Its not Wildlife....
 
Mmmm, Not totally convinced I did the right thing by the Sea weed, but as you all tell me 'Its only Paper', and Practice is Practice......I supose the one thing that I am learning is this thing about layers of washes to provide the shaded areas.......build it up layer after layer......Oh well, on with the next piece.....

:smoke:

DSCN1576.JPG
 
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Andrew H said:
Mmmm, Not totally convinced I did the right thing by the Sea weed, but as you all tell me 'Its only Paper', and Practice is Practice......Oh well, on with the next piece.....

:smoke:

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Click to expand...

Andrew,

My first thought is that you did the right thing. It looks more like a painting now. I think when that area was bare it was a little easier to read it as a drawing. My guess is that proceeding in this way will make you more and more comfortable using watercolor.

I'm new to the forum so I haven't read all of your posts but if I recall you want to move on to larger watercolors? If so I'd bet that this will help you to do so.

Ken
 
very impressed with the field work, thistles are a b*gger to get right, and you've done them well - it's often the way with working in the field, you think there's nothing to draw, and then you start to find inspiration in the smallest of things. The two gull versions are different, but both fine, I agree with Ken's coment about how they read differently.
 
Work In Progress

Thought it was about time to get brave and have a go at somthing for myself - outside of the art class/weekends with Woody.... So here we have the beginnings of an A3 Size Wheatear perched on a broken concrete post, surrounded by thistles and grasses etc, some of which have been copied in from my art class sketches......
DSCN1578.JPG
 
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