It's great to see so many of you have committed yourselves and joined the Summer Sketchbook Project with apologies for those of you in the southern hemisphere who might like to rename it the Winter Sketchbook Project! I enjoyed reading all your extra ideas in your comments. How did the coffee stain Anne? Thanks for the idea of using a 'wash' of Brusho Jenn. Hope you'll do the exercise as well as drawing every day Daniela.
I stained several pages, careful not to burst the bag (thank you Meg) with tea and bits of added texture - enjoyed these doing this - unchallenging! So now to add drawings to each page.
OUR TASK FOR WEEK ONE - Choose a smallish object that has a simple form - not too many complex lines as the plant I chose initially on the left hand page. (I'll save that for later when I'm 'warmed up'). The plum, ripening on the kitchen window sill seemed to fit the bill, although perhaps it seemed to have too few lines - until I started looking at it of course: all those reflected patches, the slight indents - the more I looked the more I found.
ADVICE FOR THE COMPLETE BEGINNER - Choose something organic rather than man-made as its easier to make it look good if you're slightly inaccurate.
Draw, using only lines in any dry media. I used a graphite stick (like a soft pencil). I like this because you can vary the pressure, sharpen the point, smudge the line.
Use your marker to make lines on your page (ignoring any added textural fragments already on the page) to record the outline form and any other major edges. These lines might be external (outline) or internal (surface detail).
Do not be tempted to rub out or remove any lines, just let your marker move across the paper to describe your object as best you can, making adjustments and improving the shapes as you look hard at your object. It feels a bit like caressing the shape using just your eyes and the marker.
When you feel the lines you make are more accurate, press a bit harder to make these lines show more clearly.
HAPPY DRAWING - do more than one page if you like!! TIP- Leave your sketchbook and drawing stuff out on a table if that is possible as this makes it much easier to settle to it next time.
My supply of tea bags was ginger and Jasmine, or decaf. early grey! Both a bit wishy washy, so I used an uncontrolled scribbly wash of watercolour! Now drying.
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