Sketchbook Day 5 - 'learning your lines'

My plums are getting riper! I couldn't resist putting two together after looking at Tracey Emin's work on Sunday. Ripped pieces of ticket to the exhibition made a collaged ground which was then stained with coloured inks - which turned out a bit too vividly but possibly, in context, OK? She called her gran, 'Plum' which made a connection for me with one of  my chosen objects. "You call me Plum and I'll call you 'Pudding". Her stitched upholstered chair was called 'Plum'. It was good to see evidence of real love and affection in her life.

TODAY'S TASK - Create a personalised ground that relates to the object you wish to draw. This allows you to put your object within a context, either related or alien. Use, humour, wit, irony or perhaps make a point of view.You can ignore the background surface when drawing or perhaps place your object within it as if it becomes part of the surface. For instance you might choose to draw an egg onto a newspaper article about battery hens or a recipe for an eggy dish (Urchfont's cheesy egg for instance)

TODAY'S TIP - 'Learning your lines'. If you have chosen a new object today - draw it several times on a plainish sketchbook page to get to know it - 'learn your lines'. Drawing onto a 'busy' background needs you to concentrate on drawing your object. If you have been drawing your object for the last few days, you can skip this preliminary exercise.

I shall add blog addresses to this blog site if you'd like to share your own sketchbook pages on your blog. I like your banana Jane!

Sketchbook Day 4

Further drawing ideas after seeing the Tracey Emin exhibition (and the Watercolour exhibition - again) yesterday, including adding text and drawing on patterned grounds. I also loved the way she used monoprinting as a method of drawing so more about these idea later. I loved her enormous stitched applique blankets and noticed that close up, the tiny regular stitching  around the edges of the applied shapes did not reflect the 'spontaneous' way in which the shapes were cut, the rather flamboyant fabrics chosen and and the sentiments expressed. I wonder if this indicates a gentler, more meditative mood when she actually stitches - her own therapy. Perhaps we all might identify with that.

In the meantime, I hope you are all making progress with drawing some simple objects - just one a day will give you a gradual sense of progress. If you can manage more than that would be wonderful, so don't just stop at one.

TODAY'S TASK - Continue using lines to suggest the form of your shapes. Be sensitive to the type of line you need to convey. Notice the difference between the sharp broken edges of the egg shell and the lines which are needed to suggest the outside curve of the form which is no line at all really, just the 'horizon' of the curve. When you have lightly drafted the overall shape onto your page (see yesterdays 'tip') draw your lines with more attention to the character of the lines. Keep your eye going back and fore between the object and the sketchbook page to note all the little 'hiccups' that make this a line which is specific to this part of the object. Some lines I've recorded today are wide, soft lines as they denote shadows that extend from the edge I was drawing.

TODAY'S TIP - To help you record these differences to the lines, you could change the way in which you make your mark or change the type of marker. If lazily using the same pen, as I have here, try holding it in different ways as you draw to suggest the craggy line compared with the smooth, almost invisible line. Consider drawing onto a wet surface if your marker reacts to it. I discovered a new 'toy' at Urchfont's Open Day - a paint brush that holds its own water - you just squeeze it to release a drop of water - such fun. There are different sized brush heads and of course I had to have them all. This one below (yellow) is a fine point and has been used to smudge some of the pen lines and to make a damp line on which to draw with the pen.

I have continued drawing my egg shell and love the simplicity of the sparse lines that suggest its form. It's interesting to note that you think you are being objective about the drawing when you start to find it suggests associated thoughts. Write these thoughts down and perhaps make them part of your drawing. My favourite quote from Tracey Emin which is so appropriate to this stage of the Sketchbook project - 'just where do you draw the line?' Perhaps she wasn't actually referring to the activity of drawing at the time!

Sketchbook Day 3

TODAY'S TASK - Make another drawing either of the same object using a different marker or a different object with the same marker. Or maybe change both object and marker. Keep the shapes simple ones for this first set of drawings. I've chosen to draw an egg shell and am using a fine black pen. I'll finish the drawing tomorrow as I'm off to London today to see the Tracey Ermin exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. I'm determined to discover what makes this woman so fascinating to the art world! I'm taking my sketchbook with me so you might see more than an egg tomorrow.

TODAY'S TIP - To help you gauge the accurate shape of your object, place it on a sheet of paper the same size as your sketchbook page or a sheet that is larger but the same proportion. Mark points on your sketchbook page to give you an idea of its outline and main edges and you're off!

Left: Egg placed on paper same size as sketchbook page. Right: Mug of tea placed on larger paper but same proportions as sketchbook page which this photo doesn't show, but the length and width are one and a half times larger.

Sketchbook Day 2

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.

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.

The Joy of Ice and Rust

Please take a look at the details of the book by Sally Sparks - 'The Joy of Ice and Rust' in the 'pages' section of my blog - on the right here. You can now buy this super book directly from Sally's website www.sallysparks.co.uk

Distant Stitch Summer School 2011

A special posting for Maggie B and all who missed this year's Summer School.

Sunshine and clouds over Urchfont Manor but all was bright inside the studios and dining room for the 2012 Distant Stitch Summer School, where tutors, Jan Evans and Mary Sleigh lead the participants through two wonderful workshops that kept everyone inspired and productive between the meals.

Urchfont Manor, viewed from the rear of the main house.

Jane, Alison R and Alison G, from UK, studying Mary Sleigh's extensive collection of African textiles.

Daniela, from Italy,working with hand stitching and beads inspired by African textiles.

Jan's busy studio in the coach house: Eila from NZ, left, Margaret from USA, right, Kaye from UK, standing

Carrie,  left, and Sheila, both from UK, enjoy adding stitching to their pieces of work.

Workshop tutor, Jan Evans, right, chats to Evelyne, from France, about progress on her super work.

Breakfast sunshine in the dining room.

 

As usual, we were so well looked after by the staff at Urchfont. Lunches were a delight for us all, including Betty, from UK, with this colourful array of lunchtime salads decorated with edible flowers.  

Part of the walled gardens at Urchfont, where a lot of the veg, fruit and herbs are grown.

Sian, centre right, tutors Mary Sleigh, Jan Evans and Lizzy Lewis seated right.

A gathering of Distant Stitch students from many countries, outside the main door of Urchfont Manor.

Please right click on this if you'd like to save it onto your own computer.

Visit the Distant Stitch website for more photos and please 'post' your own Summer School work on your own blogs.