Not a lot happening with my sketchbook these last couple of weeks, but I have been raiding my files of old sketches and doodles to see if there's anything I can usefully include.
The two drawings I've glued onto this spread are quite some years old, both based on fashion magazine images - with a little bit of collage added to tie in with the background colours. This is not finished, but I am not sure yet what is needed.
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| Collage, acrylic paint, printed papers, coloured pencil sketches |
I'm a bit late with my online greetings this year, but here's my effort for 2020.
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| Soft cut block (approx. 4.5" x 4" |
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| Hahnemuhle bamboo paper background painted with fluid acrylics, plus shimmering blue acrylic, overprinted using white gesso. Additional details in gold, silver and blue gel pens. Paper bow and fabric ribbon. |
Again, I have raided my numerous scrap folders to complete these two pages which started with just the nasturtium test print on the righthand side.
From the left - testing out my sewing machine on a patchwork of heavily gesso'd and painted tissue paper; a lino printed book page; a paper cast flower; some practice Chinese brushwork flowers, cut out and collaged, with handsewn stems and leaves; lino print on painted tissue with ribbon threaded through holes punched through the page.
I decided to use a more restrained approach to the rest of this page spread. Again, I used acrylic ink with a dip pen as well as adding areas of shading with dry Inktense pencils, then cross hatching with fine liner and gel pens.
With various pre-Christmas tasks taking precedence, I have slipped behind with my sketchbook challenge. However, I did start work on another spread last night.
This began with a scrap of painted and printed paper stitched onto the righthand page, Inktense pencils and gel pens emphasising the flower forms. I decided to continue the spread with a floral-themed pattern using acrylic paint with lino, foam and cork stamps, followed up by some "demented doodling" using fine liner pens, acrylic ink and gel pens. I am not sure I will have the patience to complete the left-hand page with quite the same level of detail!
Another spread almost complete. Again, repurposed earlier work, with figures vaguely based on the type of traditional design used for playing cards.
For the background I used a purchased stencil, the Queen and the four symbols are lino prints, the King and the Knave are mono printed using oil-based ink (with some added pencil details). As my attempts at mono printing the Jester did not come out well, I used my Sharpie drawing instead, with colour pencil.
I have watched all the 8 videos in this course now, but I believe I can refer back to them indefinitely. I thoroughly enjoyed the tutorials and, although it is not my usual way of working, it's refreshing to try a different approach. There was a lot to take in and I am far from finishing my sketchbook, so I will take my time with it over the next few weeks.
This spread used collaged trial lino prints (with added pen patterning), foam and lino printed tissue, graphite rubbing and (just because it wasn't busy enough!) some text.
On this page I utilised oddments of foam and lino printed paper to create a still life collage.
Adding more to pages already started.
This spread utilises past sketches, scanned and enlarged to fit within the paint-scraped border. On the right I have used a fine liner pen to reinforce the inkjet print. Underneath the tracing paper insert on the left, I have collaged a piece of cover paper from my original handmade book to mimic the colour of the snakeshead fritillaries.
I have spent some time working towards this year's Christmas card, however, I have been able to do a little more on my sketchbook challenge.
The second and third session were about adding more layers to the sketchbook pages - paint, collage, drawing, etc. It was suggested that there could be a theme running through the book, i.e. shapes, subject matter, format, colour, etc.; working randomly through the pages, rather than feeling the need to start at the beginning and work through in page order. My efforts seem a bit disjointed at the moment. I have added more collage, some stamping and some loosely applied acrylic paint.
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| Lino print on map, plus fluid acrylic scraped onto page |
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| Collage, mostly of printed tissue paper |
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| Collage of handpainted paper and fluid acrylic |
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| Collage with cut out elements |
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| Gesso stamped pattern with overlaid fluid acrylic |
I have been slow in adding work to my blog this month. This has been partly because I have been taking a bit of a break after completing the daily Inktober challenge; in addition, I have been working on this year's Christmas card design which is not ready to be revealed yet.
I have also signed up for a short, online sketchbook challenge run by Laura Kemshall - eight videos throughout November (which can be followed at your own pace). The course is very reasonably priced at £12 - if you are interested, follow this link.
I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to use the beautiful sketchbook my friend Pat made. The first assignment was to "break the ice" and get rid of some of the blank pages by randomly adding some found papers, etc. - a couple of mine are shown below. Now to catch up with the second session.
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| Faux leather cover with embroidered insert - 9" x 6.5" (handmade by Pat Kitching) |
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| Tartan ribbon - machine stitched |
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| Paste paper collage and stitch |
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| Part of a lino print |
Another course being released later this month is by Este MacLeod - this will be free, but you need to sign up to her Newsletter (at the bottom on her home page) to receive details.
Happy sketching!
I managed to get my last page finished just before the stroke of midnight!
I much prefer the first side which is more cohesive. The background of the second side proved to be too busy and distracting, although it did make me experiment more with the ink based products in an effort to clarify the sketches.
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| The complete second side |
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| The first side |
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| The folded book giving me 32 sides measuring 4" x 6" |
For these two pages I did my drawings on white sketch paper and collaged them onto my background - why didn't I think of that before?
Imagined faces using a dark grey fine liner pen; and on the right I used a black fine liner with walnut ink washes.
A nice surprise from Hahnemuhle in the post this week - an A6 beige toned watercolour book and some brushes. I am certainly looking forward to working on this paper as I previously enjoyed using both their grey and cappucino sketchbooks.
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| Zentangle in black ink Evening primrose sketch (black ink with gold ink background) |
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| Clematis (black ink, felt tip and gel pens) Orchid (black ink and acrylic inks) |
My enthusiasm and inspiration is beginning to wane a bit, particularly as I am not liking working on this background, but only three more days to go.
I used Indian ink again on the lefthand image, using white gesso as a base for the flower and leaves to enable me to use a dip pen and acrylic ink to add detail and colour.
For the other image I printed small lino cuts and foam stamps with ink-tinted gesso, adding line work with acrylic ink and gel pens.
Thank goodness it's nearly the end of the month - I'm beginning to run out of ideas for making my sketches stand out on this background.
Some experiments in an effort to make my sketches stand out more on this painted background.
On the left, I painted Indian ink for the inset background, sketching on top with metallic gel pens. This certainly made the image stand out.
On the right I used an underpainting of white gesso, drawing with a fine liner pen and adding colour with Inktense washes.
For the rose sketch I used acrylic inks both with a dip pen for the drawing and for the colour washes. The barn was sketched with waterproof fine liners in grey and black, with added washes of walnut ink.
This is the start of side two of my Inktober folded sketchbook. I must admit I am finding the colour and marks on this side of the paper more distracting to sketch over. I have had to be bolder with the black, inked lines and perhaps a bit heavier with the Inktense colour.
I am halfway there! I have completed one side of my fold sketchbook.
Last week my daughter and I visited a sculpture park in the Cotswolds. It was a reasonably fine day and I took plenty of photos (there were well over 100 sculptures both large and small) so a couple provided me with subjects for my 15th and 16th sketches.
This is the full, unfolded side. I have now reversed the folds and started on the other side for the remainder of the month.
So far, the pens used for my sketches in this booklet have been the Faber Castell Pitt pen (Fine) and the Edding 1800 Profipen (0.3), both in sepia. Other materials used on some of the pages - walnut ink, gel pens, Inktense pencils, and white acrylic ink.
Pumpkins seen in a cottage garden on my walk. A small sketch of hawthorn berries plus a couple of prints from the leaves using walnut ink.
Autumn is definitely upon us. I've started to add a hint of colour to my sepia pen sketches using Inktense pencils, also a wash of walnut ink where needed.
