Tuesday 18 January 2011

Zen life drawing workshop

A wall of my drawings - a small selection produced during the Zen workshop. Notice how much interest my model for my sketchbook drawings takes in these new ones.
We were limited to six drawing implements - three dry and three wet. These were given a number - 1 to 6. The appropriate implement was used when the number was called out, taking away the need for decision-making and rather liberating.
The model posed for a series of short poses (2, 3 or 4 minutes) and one or two longer one - (10, 15 minutes), changing position after each one. Some drawings were done on top of previous one.

Drawing with an implement in both hands!
Drawing with left hand and wet material!
Holding implement in mouth!

Tuesday 11 January 2011

Sketchbook pages

For all students in my Urchfont Masterclass (and any interested Distant Stitch student). I've set myself (and challenged others) to keep and fill a sketchbook before our next meeting at Urchfont in March. I think I took the easy option as my model was always available and hardly moved during the last month! I wanted to work with just one idea to keep drawing the same thing, testing my own perception and drawing skills. I was very 'rusty' initially but feel I've got into it now and just love a short drawing session each day.
Splash, the 15 year old, has kept herself tucked up in her basket on my work table by a warm radiator. The basket is lined with a plain wool blanket which created a sort of negative shape with the cat's body partially covered by an edge of blanket.In one drawings she looks an odd silhouette - more like the Lock Ness monster.
Plans for the second half of the sketchbook are to use resist methods such as wax crayon and masking fluid. .
I'm booked in to a 'Zen' Drawing Workshop on Saturday so there might be interesting developments later. Watch this space!







Finally, the middle pages!