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28 December 2021

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 KHere’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. 


21 December 2021

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!



14 December 2021

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.



07 December 2021

Drawing Tuesday - Tate Modern, or "legs"

 From Janet BThis 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 RichardI 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):





30 November 2021

Drawing Tuesday - Pangolin Gallery and/or bottles

 The Pangolin Gallery welcomed us, and even offered chairs!


From Joycehere’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 -


23 November 2021

Drawing Tuesday - Southwark Cathedral and/or "underneath"

Some went to Soutwark Cathedral, some stayed home...

For those who didn't go to Southwark Cathedral, the suggested topic was "underneath" - 
preposition
  1. 1.
    situated directly below (something else).
    "our bedroom is right underneath theirs"
  2. 2.
    so as to be concealed by (something else).
    "money changed hands underneath the table"
adverb
  1. 1.
    situated directly below something else.
    "there was plenty of storage room underneath"
  2. 2.
    so as to be concealed by something else.
    "paint was peeling off in flakes to reveal greyish plaster underneath"
noun
  1. the part or side of something facing towards the ground; the underside.
    "a wart on the underneath of his foot"




From AnnFor 'underneath' theme here is the moment when Callisto is brought to Diana underneath a robe and revealed as being  pregnant by Jupiter...Dianas husband. This is a drawing showing a section of the painting by Titian which I drew  on a study day of this painting recently.



From Jo - Managed to do 'underneath' in Southwark too, although I found it very dark in there. This is the underside of a lectern:

And an early ceiling boss, now propped up as eye-level at the west end:



From Najlaa - I did something different.


From Janet K - I liked the expression on Dr Lockyer's face. Not the usual tomb monument.

From Sue K - l settled on a section of a huge memorial to John Portar & family. Made by the Southwark Group of Sculptors. He & his wife & children are depicted & in addition, 2 ‘weepers’ children who didn’t reach adulthood. (I left off the larger children - defeated by pleats & ruffles).


From JoyceI sat next to Sue and drew the two figures above hers, John Trehearne and his wife. The “hearse” of his name means heron, so three herons, depicted on his family crest.



From Judith - Two for the effort of one. ‘Inside my husband’s hat’[last week] and ‘underneath.’


From me - I unexpectedly had to be at home, but that gave me a chance to do some monoprinting (my bete noir among the "fun" techniques). 

Taking what was nearest to hand, I turned over some mugs and a bowl that were on the drying rack, nice simple shapes, then arranged them and "just drew".  Here are the favourites -

and these turned out ok too -

Hint for writing backwards - write it forwards first, on a scrap of paper, for reference. 

16 November 2021

Drawing Tuesay - Camden Arts Centre / "inside my clothes"

The topic of "inside my clothes" arose from a jacket whose inside has been under repair for several years. The lining keeps developing new rips, somehow... It would be easier in the long run to replace the lining but I'm rather fond of the patches - most have a memory attached, which makes wearing the jacket is psychologically cosy.

Also I find the labels inside clothes rather fascinating, and sometimes they are beautiful, the older woven ones especially. I used to have a considerable collection, carefully unpicked from many items of charity-shop clothing that, minus its seams etc, now constitutes most of my fabric stash. 

Then there are the contents of pockets... oh my, they can be a minefield!


Most of the group went to Camden Arts Centre -

From Joa left-handed drawing looking across the garden from under the cafe awning at Camden Arts Centre.


From Sue K - Here’s my sketch of ‘A pulled handle’ unglazed ceramic by Phoebe Colling-James show: ‘A Scratch! A Scratch!’ interesting shadows/shapes.



From Carol - I had difficulty getting inspired by the art at the Camden Art Centre but found the doors really interesting to draw.



From Janet K - Glazed ceramic torsos by Phoebe Collings-James.



From Joyce - Here’s my sketch from one of Zeinab Salem’s charcoal paintings. Part of a body of work meditating on the condition of stillness imposed by the pandemic. Part of her inspiration came from vegetal arabesques traced by leaves and tendrils.



From Judith - A lovely day so a quick sketch from the garden.



From me - Some of the characters (self portrait attempts, hardly likenesses!) who find themselves wearing my clothes ... different aspects of my personality?