Still alive...

A nine-ish month project has just concluded so I'm looking forward to resuming regular posting. Here are some oldies until I dust off my sketchbooks.

 

anger-eating demon concept.

young lady in heels hopping over a puddle.

Mall sketches

   Given the briefness of these opportunities I usually observe for as long as I can first, trying to draw in my mind before putting pen to paper. Usually once people notice they have become a subject I am done with the observation part, so I don't think it's too uncomfortable for anyone involved. It's much easier to look without being noticed, than to look-and-draw without being noticed, and I think it's good practice for the visual memory to divide drawing and observing in this way. In fact drawing in-your-mind only is something you can do anytime you want to make visual notes. Just look as if you really were drawing, following the contours and the forms. People get less mad this way, and it's amazing how much looking you can get away with!

Sketchbook

Just some snippets from my sketchbook. A mix of mall sketches and a caricature from memory. You could say 'compost' for future character designs.

Mall sketching

 

Tree study in pen

I left my paints at home by accident so was only able to do a pen drawing. In the end it forced me to try and make it work as lines only which was good practice I think.

Have a safe and happy Christmas wherever you are, see you on the other side of the silly season!

Horse Paddock

Rusty roof

This sketch was done from my car. There was at least a dozen times I wanted to give up on it, but I'm glad I persisted. The light was fading fast and a storm brewing, but I think this all made for an interesting atmosphere.

Gnarled old tree

Another tree study. I don't know where all this observational drawing is headed exactly, but the last few months or so I've had the urge to draw the things around me. I do believe using real life, and nature as one's starting point is a good way to develop a visual vocabulary of one's own. I suspect something is being stored away in the back of my mind as I spend these hours looking at things and recording them.

Tree studies

I found this nice place to study trees in my local area. There are some big old trees, and a few paperbark groves. It's quite untamed, and apart from the constant hum of traffic in the background, you might think you were in the countryside. Places like this eventually get manicured and developed, and one by one they disappear.

Travel sketches

 

Travel sketches

Travel sketches

 

Travel sketches

I've just returned from a holiday in north Queensland. I'll be posting sketches from this trip over the next few posts. Here's two to get started on. I hope you like them.

Cafe sketching

Cafe sketching

Tree caricatures

Yes, you can caricature trees... I think so anyway. The top one is an Umbrella tree, and the bottom one is a Paperbark, both very typical sights in Australian backyards.

Sketchbook intermission

Sketchbook

 

Some observational drawing practice done in the mall.

Sketchbook - gesture drawing

Some super fast gestural sketches done from a cafe. These particular poses would probably make a bit more sense if I had drawn in the partners as well. Both ladies were walking hand in hand. It was a bit too much information for me to take in on the spot, and I was running out of space on the page. I was happy with the rhythms and movement. More practice needed..

'The Flute Player'

 

Waiting for a train one day, the faint sound of an Irish flute started to waft into the platforms. With the usual hiss and grind of trains coming and going, this music couldn't have been more out of place. I eventually found the source. It was this man (drawn here from memory) hiding behind a pillar. Who would have thought a little bit of magic could creep into such a mundane daily routine? Thanks mr. flute player :)