Yet more drawings to add tonight – well a couple of rough sketches really. These are more about composition than about any kind of accuracy or detail.
The first is a pencil sketch. I’m not very sure about it, but it’s something I’m toying with:
Kind of reminds me of a highway man from the 18th/19th century, holding up the carriages of the rich and landed gentry of court.
The next is a colour study as well as a compositional study. I’m trying out the colours of Holi again, using chalk pastels. I really like this sketch, and think it would look great in a painting, so I’m going to try a few more pieces in a similar vein.
That’s all the work I did today I’m afraid. My daughter asked me to take her shopping today, and I duly obliged. First up, I should tell you that both of us are complete bargain hunters – can’t afford anything else! Even when I can afford it, I still can’t resist bargains. The local supermarket always has clothes and shoes at much cheapness. Today, Megan caught sight of amazing shoes, and they were on sale for £3.75! She told me to try a pair on, and I did. They were fantastic and soooo comfortable, which astounded me because they’re 6″ stilettoes, but there’s a heap of padding at the ball of the foot to ensure pain free tootsies. I couldn’t resist them, so Megan bought them for me, and for herself. I have no idea where or when I’ll wear them, but I will!
Aren’t they amazing, and can you believe that I got them so cheap??? Bargain of the year!
I didn’t get much work done today. I’m feeling a little exhausted from it all. I’ve been on overdrive pretty much since I went on holiday a week ago. I now have 24 pages in my sketchbook done – only 6 more and the book will be complete. The drawings are all A4 in size and will be mounted onto A1 sheets.
I don’t feel that the images are of any great quality, probably because they’re rushed. I’m also struggling to find a good style. I feel that my work isn’t loose enough, although it is looser since I have been using ink. I haven’t been using a biro type pen, but instead I have nibs on sticks that I am dipping into ink. This has definitely allowed me to be freer, but I can’t see much originality in my work, or should I say, I can’t see what would catch the eye of the university.
This is what I’ve really been struggling with. I really don’t feel confident about my chances of getting into uni. I think my paintings can get me in, but not my drawings, and unfortunately, painting isn’t enough. I have my interview a week from now, and I think my confidence is getting lower, the closer I get to the day. I’m almost getting to the stage where I want to pull out of the interview, which I know I won’t, but that’s just how I feel. I really wish I hadn’t let my lecturers talk me into applying.
Anyway, enough moping. Here are two little things I did earlier. They’re not much, but again, I’m just experimenting with media and techniques.
This was done by applying an ink wash to the paper, then I drew the back of my statue with charcoal and white chalk pastel. There is staining on the paper which was due to ink seeping through after I completed my ink drawings last night.
This drawing was really about playing about with the swirl patterns on the statue, and trying out colour. I painted the background with acrylic paint, then applied oil pastels for the swirls.
So that’s the sum of my work today. I’m now going to go and watch the football from last night: Barcelona v Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Last week’s first leg game was jaw-dropping. It was pure poetry in motion – at least, Barcelona was. Outside of Celtic FC, they are my favourite club football team in the world – the Brazil of club football: little triangles all over the park, keeping the ball on the ground rather than punting it into the air (something I hate) – football as it should be played. It’s not called the beautiful game for nothing, and Barca are the epitome of it just now. Scintillating stuff.
Some more quick unfinished drawings. I’ve decided on which colours I will be using. I decided that since I am using a Hindu statue, that I would use colours associated with Holi: the Hindu & Sikh Festival of Colours. The first couple of images don’t ave these colours. I only decided to go with them after looking for images on the web.
If you know anything about the festival, which celebrates the birth of Spring and is meant to win the blessings of the gods for bringing a fruitful harvest, then you will know that men and women indulge themselves in a riot of colour and put aside social taboos. Here are a few images from around the web:
Image thanks to: asianoffbeat.com
Image thanks to: www.funnyidea.com
Image thanks to: http://www.davidrager.org/blog/holi
Image thanks to: www.davidrager.org/blog/holi
Image thanks to: www.aparnacholetti.wordpress.com
Aren’t these images absolutely beautiful? I have been enamoured with this beautiful festival for a few years, ever since I saw it one day on the telly, and I thought that the colours would be perfect for my drawings! I can easily get these colours from my chalk pastels, which is great news! And now, my drawings:
Indian ink on top of a photograph then scratched into
Indian ink on newspaper
Chalk pastels drawn over a photograph on paper
This drawing below is a work in progress.
Chalk pastels on top of acrylic painted paper
Still life pencil drawing on paper with coloured ink
Still life drawing on newspaper with pastel background. Drawn with coloured inks.
I should be away home by now. I was supposed to leave yesterday, but everything was thrown into chaos due to freak weather! I went to bed on Tuesday with the rain pissing down almost horizontally due to severe gales. I got up in the morning and there were at about 8 inches of snow! You’ll have to excuse my French, but, holy fuck! It came from nowhere!
Overnight 10,000 homes were without power, ours included. Over 300 motorists had to be rescued from their vehicles. Sadly a young girl was killed in a bus that was travelling with a school party. The main route from Aberdeen to Inverness was closed just up the road from me. Roads were closed everywhere. In some places there was at least a foot of snow that had fallen. Here is one image taken from Central Scotland:
A farmer clears snow from the main street in Carronbridge, central Scotland. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA
Bear in mind that this fell just over the space of about 6 hours. There was no snow before that. We have just got over a really bad winter, and the weather was apparently the worst in about 30 years. We thought that finally we were moving into good weather. I was going to college without a jacket. I was getting to put my washing out, then bam! Anyway, the weather forecasts advised people not to drive, and I certainly wasn’t risking our lives to travel 200 miles in that.
Someone caught this video yesterday, and it was deeper in some places:
My hubby’s mother was in hospital, and we were trying to get down to see her, but she came out of hospital last night. So we’ve put off going down until Monday. The funny thing is, today, the snow was almost entirely gone! The heavy rainfall last night got rid of most of it, and there are only small signs that it was ever here – beautiful blue skies today, but still very cold. Weird weather.
Oh, I’ve changed my webhost, so some may experience technical difficulties accessing my page until propagation is complete. It can take up to 72 hours. If you have any difficulties, please let me know, as I’m in constant touch with the hosting company until everything is sorted.
I'm a student artist, and have just started my second year at college. I work in many areas of art, specialising in abstract fine art, and I'm also studying traditional realism at an Atelier School in Aberdeen. Follow me on my journey, and share my experiences, as I progress through my studies.
