41 degrees

It was 41 degrees last Sunday and I have no air-con, just a fan. I decided to do some drawings of my poor woolly cats, however even though they were lethargic, they were not co-operating. I decided to test my new metallic screen print inks where the non-drawings were and it just went from there.

The paper towel is from when I was testing some Peerless colours in the morning, and I was listening to a man who is an Extreme Knitter on the radio. He was saying some things about art that I agreed with, so I wrote them down too. I had started with a pale green acrylic wash, but the page only really came together when I filled in the sepia shadows with ink. This page is not really ‘what I want to do’. I want to draw. But it was so hot I couldn’t concentrate and maybe I broke another barrier with working some supplies testing into a page

25th Sketchcrawl Sydney

I went to the 25th World-wide sketchcrawl last Saturday. There were twelve of us (or maybe more). This time it was at the Botanical Gardens and I went straight to the cactus garden because I wanted to draw the cacti while there were still strong shadows (about 10.15am). I had to sit in the sun to do that one, and after that I stayed in the shade because it was very hot.

I used an Artline pen and Peerless watercolours.

From the office

I did a quick drawing in part of my lunch break, sitting in the foyer looking across the Parramatta River because it was too hot outside. I’ve done some more scribbling and added more colour since I got home. Composition terrible, but it was a rush job and at least I DREW. I started working from left to right, without any planning (no time) and that little shrub just ended up in the middle.

I ‘enhanced’ the drawing with more colour when I got home. In fact because it was so hot, everything was very dull and grey, so I’ve used some artistic license.

Persian Silk Tree

This drawing was done in my courtyard with an Artline pen and watercolour pencils. I’m still struggling with what to write in this ‘artist’s journal’. really don’t want it to be a diary – I am not the slightest bit interested in keeping a diary. I just want to draw, and add text. The text improves the drawing.

Snakes and Ladders

One of the assignments for the first week of the artist’s journal course was to draw a map of your progress, or the hurdles you encounter, or things that inspire you in the quest to reach your goals. Here is my ’snakes and ladders’, instead of a map. A few years ago I used snakes and ladders in a screen print to illustrate the hurdles that asylum seekers had to overcome to get Australian citizenship. I decided to address that first, but I plan to build on my comments and hindrances to drawing more regularly.

Then I drew this big pod that I’ve had at home since the end of September. I just did a search and here’s what is is. asgap.org.au/APOL33/mar04-8b.html

I used Pigma Micron and watercolours. I should have used wcp – much quicker. I will use watercolour, but only when I want an ‘atmospheric effect, or maybe washes when I get home from drawing. This page already had a yellow oxide wash of acrylic.

Artist’s Journal class with Kate Johnson

This week we start the Artist’s Journal online class with Cathy (Kate) Johnson. I will be using a small book about 7″ by 6″ with BFK Rives paper inside. Some of the pages have been prepped with washes of acrylic, mostly in ochres but some blues and greens.

The cover is paste paper that I made myself. It has a lot of gold in it, which doesn’t show up in the scan, but in real life it glistens.

The inside pages are of marbled paper, and I made and decorated an envelope to collect collage bits.