Friday 15 July 2011

Summer Sketchbook Project - stages 1, 2 and 3

Join in the Distant Stitch Summer Sketchbook Project and get into the habit of enjoying drawing to record interesting things for our designing. Most people find this difficult, as I do, as it's difficult to establish a habit of something you feel you're not good at. But you know what they say.........the reason you're not good at it is that you don't do it........! So join the club and get started this weekend. Melanie and I are already committed.

First stage - find a small sketchbook - about A6 (postcard size or less) so its not too intimidating a size.
Second stage - make yourself a strong cup of tea and save the tea bag. Walk around house, garden, street to find a few objects you'd like to draw - a small stone, a leaf, a piece of 'litter', a flower, a cup, a stick, a shell, a bottle.
Third stage - Squeeze tea bag out and use it to add a stained colour to the first few of your pages. This takes the blankness off the page and adds interest in an easy, incidental sort of way. You can sponge smoothly or with texture; you could add a bit of surface interest too by adding this before your dab the tea bag over -  small scraps of tissue paper, ripped strips of masking tape, dabs of white emulsion paint, dabs of glue. Let these surfaces dry while you're drinking your tea and then sponge with tea bag. Have another cup of tea and admire your work. Drawing starts tomorrow when your pages are dry.

11 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for sharing this great tutorial!

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  2. I have the "How to..." books, I have the blank sketch books,but can't seem to get started, so now I'm off to brew my self a cup of tea, so I can join in the challenge! Cheers

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  3. Tea gives a lovely coloured surface to draw on. Be careful not to press too hard when dabbing because the bag can split and the tea leaves go everywhere - I know this from bitter experience!

    PS. I like your new blog heading

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  4. What a lovely idea ,I need to nurture the creative impulse.Dilute Brusho gives a lovely surface too especially if you put really wet washes then close pages loosely and allow to dry.

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  5. I like this idea very much, thank you! Starting a sketchbook is to me a bit like starting to exercise regularly, I have always an excuse ready ... But let's try again with both!

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  6. does coffee work as well!!! going to find my sketchbook and make some coffee! i am sure us heathens (non tea drinkers) can take part too.

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  7. Fabulous! Time to get started.I'm a novice so little by little....
    Thank you Sian.
    carrie

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  8. Such a good idea - funnily enough I bought a little sketchbook at Urchfont Manor, and its been sitting there looking at me. So I'm off to find a tea bag.....

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  9. Ooo that's a good idea about the teabag staining.

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  10. Thanks for this Sian. I find it very easy to put off drawing so this will be really useful. I have tea stained / textured pages all ready to go....

    Susan

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  11. Tea - check, sketchbook - check. Let's see if I can keep it up.

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