Drawing Tuesday - "open a book..."

 The idea is that you open a book, any book, and point to a word, then use the word - or the sentence or any word in it - as a starting point. 

If the first sentence doesn't inspire, you get two more tries, in that book or another. 

From Janet B - I wasn’t expecting a biography of Philip Larkin by Andrew Motion to come up with a pantomime horse but it did and I’m so glad it did. What a joyously silly way to start the new year. 

From Carol - My second attempt was “a balancing boulder” so here is one in Digby Canada known as Nature’s time post.

From Sue K -  from ‘The Inheritors’ by William Golding. The phrase was ‘cupped his hands’. Decided to have a waterfall into the ‘cup’.

From Mags - Sorting through  my threads  and my art materials,  my word  from  a book had to be ' Entangled'  !   My current read is Robert MacFarlene's ' Underland'  ; the chapter  on the 'Understorey'  led me to purchase my next  book ' Entangled  Life'   by  Merlin Sheldrake  on fungi.  I had great fun useing  a picture from my 'Greek Mythology'  book with lots of different pens, pencils and crayons. 

From Gill - I’m currently making a small book of collages so here it is open.

From Janet K - I opened Patch Work - A Life Amongst Clothes by Claire Wilcox to the section headed 'Lustre'. Went through my stuff and ate a few of the chocolate coins from my Christmas stocking for shiny things.

From Ann - Haiku...

Leaves lined with rime frost

on a cold winter morning

awaiting the sun...

'Leaves' was first word

From Najlaa - The word is Birch.

This poem is from a book  nature poem of every day of the year.

Birch Trees

The night is white

The moon is high

The birch trees lean

Against the sky

From Joyce - From “Where the Crawdads sing”, page 145, line 8, heart.

Here’s a drawing of a heart showing the circulatory system,  from the internet.
Courtesy of Bryan Brandenburg.

From Jo - I intended to ditch this one, and do something sensible, but couldn't get the idea out of my head. It was a 1940s/50s Blue Guide to London. I opened it at a description of exhibits in the British Museum. It said "In Case A, Mummy of a man of the prehistoric period (c. 7000 B.C.)". I drew the man and his mummy!

From Judith - From the children’s book ‘The Legend of Bolster’  my word was ‘mess’. I didn’t have to look far.

From me - "Rubber" from "A History of Southeast Asia", the chapter on the spread of rubber plantations...

 

Drawing Tuesday - getting ready for the new year

 From Janet K - Getting ready for the new year. One job is to decide how much to prune back my fig tree.

From Jo - I was attempting work indoors!

From Joyce - I’m getting ready for the New Year with a new interest, Paper Sculpture, my husband bought me a book on the subject for Christmas.
Great fun! 

From SueK - an early Christmas tree clear-out 

Drawing Tuesday - topics for January to April 2022

January

4 -  "open a book" - the idea is that you open a book, any book, and point to a word, then use the word - or the sentence or any word in it - as a starting point. If the first sentence doesn't inspire, you get two more tries, in that book or another

11 - "window of opportunity". 

18 - Warm

25 - From an old sketchbook

February

1 - Tiny things

8 - Umbrellas

15 - Animal magic

22 - Pots

March

1 - Collage

8 - Textures

15 - Postcard from a happy place

22 - Old utensils

29   - View into cupboard, drawer, shed

April

5 - Red

12 - Vases 

19 - In the news

26 - Knots / knotted

Drawing Tuesday - tossing

 From Judith - tossed by the wind

From Janet K - Juggling life.

From Jo -  Collage using just the supplements to Monday's paper. Stormy sea!

From Sue K - Here’s my offering - a ‘freeze frame’ of a video l took of a trapeze artist getting into the swing of it at Kew Gardens - lovely to watch & accompanied by music. This was ‘pre’ lockdown. 

Drawing Tuesday - the good life

 Isn't it just! What could be better - apart from the mortal threat of illness, we could do without that...

From Janet K - A good life - comfy sofa, pile of books, coffee and a dish of dark chocolate...

From Carol - The Good Life, why bother with fancy chocolates when you can have a whole bar of Dairy Milk.

From Jo - I think cranes are good luck in Japan where this was made. Its a Christmas decoration given to me when I was about seven, the wings are weighted and go up and down...

From Joyce - being able to go back to the Pangolin to sketch again! 

From Sue K - Referring literally to the 70’s tv show - here’s my sketch of one of our more twisted & tangled home-grown parsnips - hard work cleaning it of grit & soil!! Poor thing looks a bit abject! Tasted fine tho’!

From Judith - This sculpture made from odds and ends has enjoyed ‘A Good Life’ in our hallway for several years!

Drawing Tuesday - Tate Britain, or "exercise"

Going to Tate Britain.

Or drawing something on the theme of "exercise". 

Or, doing a drawing exercise. Or, getting exercised about something else altogether. Or, just plain exercising a pencil - taking a line for a walk, maybe?

Here are five simple drawing exercises - https://cravepainting.com/blog/simple-drawing-exercises - I know some of you use some of them as a warm-up.

Here are eight - https://todayinart.com/8-drawing-exercises-that-every-artist-should-practice/ - and more are given in the comments.

Most of these are variations of the "single light still life" - https://drawpaintacademy.com/simple-drawing-exercises/ - and the medium doesn't matter...

But the internet provides many, many more drawing exercises, or seems to. One I've never done, but have heard good things about from a couple of people who have taken it through to the end, is to draw the same thing one hundred times. Working through the boredom! Hmm, maybe next year?

From me - These boots are made for walking - and the drawing is based on some hob-nailed boots that Van Gogh painted in 1887

From Janet K - I took a leaf from Margaret's sketch book for 'exercise'. These shoes have taken me many miles in our neighbourhood over the last 19 months.

Tate Britain. Henry Moore, two-piece reclining figure 1960.

From Joyce - A Henry Moore sculpture, could find the title on the wall of the gallery but I think reclining figure would cover it. I used a water soluble pencil.

From Sue K - Here’s my offering from Tate Brit. Kurt Schwitters’ Chicken & Egg 1946  

I couldn’t resist layering & sketching it from several angles - l stood back & it fell into place - the long neck & red beak.

A 2nd quick one of Paolozzi’s ‘Forms on a Bow’ 1949.

 l found my Henry Moore Reclining Figure! Assume done 2019! F’got to date it.

From Judith - My drawing from Tate Modern - ‘Primeval Gods’    Epstein 1910

From Ann - A couple of life study pages on exercise theme!

From Carol - This is my take on the exercise theme.  This is the fat fairy who is on my Christmas tree again.  She does not care for exercise and likes mince pies. She is second in command when the top fairy is off duty.

Drawing Tuesday - Tate Modern, or "legs"

 From Janet B - This popped up in my photos from years gone by. Louise Bourgeois at Tate Modern on 6 December 2016. 

Same legs! 18 April 2017 -

From Joyce -  Alpine Ibex by Jimmie Durham together with two fellow sketchers, Janet and Judith.

He’s constructed from an Ibex scull and horns, wooden cot, wooden chair parts, paint, wood, steel, plastic, glass, and other materials.

I thought he looked rather jolly taking command in the middle of the gallery.

Durham says it is more sculptural than representative.

From Richard - I decided on the ‘at home' subject option;  two pairs of legs here including the one that did not carry me across the Millennium Bridge. 

From Jo - I opted for legs on furniture (from newspapers and old catalogue):

Drawing Tuesday - Pangolin Gallery and/or bottles

 The Pangolin Gallery welcomed us, and even offered chairs!

From Joyce - here’s my sketch of “Pair of sitting figures 1” done in pencil. Interesting exhibition, I didn’t know much about Lynn Chadwick before but liked the variety of forms, some inspired by the Kennedys and Marilyn Monroe. When you se then close up the textures are wonderful

I went outside after lunch and saw my second sketch gleaming in the sunshine showing off the gorgeous patina.

From Sue - Here are my 2 sketches of Lynn Chadwick pieces @ Pangolin Gallery. Some sketchworthy work & welcoming staff!!

‘Pyramid 3’ 1965

‘Bullfrog’ 1951

From Janet K - Lyn Chadwick.  The Stranger.  1954 bronze.

From Judith - Lyn Chadwick        Beast, Beast V11 and Bullfrog

From Jo -  I have finally caught up with the 'bottles'. These are stoneware ones in wax crayon and brush pens:

From me - At home, I drew (and then traced, with subtle repositionings) a setup with six bottles, thinking to use the tracing fora monoprinting.

But there was far too much going on. Instead I redrew combinations of bottles straight onto the back of paper laid on an inked sheet of plexiglass ... and after a while I started writing notes on the back, so that the writing came out backwards on the front, and that led to writing backwards on the back, so it was legible on the front -