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.

Bad drawings on GOOD paper

These are the drawings from Day One of my Campaign for Bad Drawing on Good Paper. Last Thursday I went with a friend on this harbour cruise – very different from the usual, as based on the industrial history of Sydney. With our new-ish interest in the demise of the working harbour, we thought it would be an ideal background. It was fantastic. Go, if you can, next time they have it.

I took my sketchbook with the GOOD paper (Stonehenge) and determined that although that ferry was chug-chug-chugging along, I would draw anyway. We had an ideal spot at the very stern, though people kept standing at the rail in front of me I could peer round them. So although these drawing began from the visual world, because of the momentum of the ferry, they were more than half from memory/imagination. I think that was very brave of me – straight with the pen onto Stonehenge.

So, today, I need to do some thumbnail drawings for another Cubist painting so that I can photograph it for a step-by-step project sheet for Matisse Derivan.  Will they go onto the Stonehenge or into the little spiral-bound cartridge paper one?  Who will join the Campaign for Bad Drawings on Good Paper?

‘Good’ paper inhibits me!

Today I was reading on ‘Have Dogs will Travel’ about ‘Cheap Sketchbook Syndrome’. I definitely have it. I’ve been using a handmade sketchbook that I made myself from Stonehenge paper and the pages are prepped with acrylic paint or ink. This ‘good paper’ inhibits me.  All day I’ve been ‘getting around to’ doing a sketch from one of the photos I took when I went to Cockatoo Island. Tonight I decided to draw in a little spiral bound cartridge paper sketchbook that I use for diagrams and notes. Why can’t it all go on the ‘good paper’. That’s what I’d like to know.  My Stonehenge book cost me 2 sheets of Stonehenge paper and that’s not such a lot of money.  How can I stop myself being like this?

Then I came across what Roz had to say….. every word she says is true, but will it change me?

World Wide Sketchcrawl Cockatoo Island

Saturday was the 22nd Word-Wide Sketchcrawl (my 3rd). It was the perfect day for going to Cockatoo Island – not too hot, not too cold. Cockatoo Island is a large island in Sydney Harbour. It is an old shipyard with amazing machinery and old buildings. Everything is rusted and distressed and there were a lot of photo opportunities. There were eight of us. We caught the 10 am ferry out there, and my friend and I were last to leave catching the 3.15 ferry back.

There is a lower and upper area to the island, with the dock facilities being on the lower part (of course). There were many shapes of these old cranes, and one of the sketchcrawlers drew them in a way that each had their own personality. Fantastic. I wish I could do that.

It is always interesting to meet the other Sketchcrawlers and I enjoyed looking at everyone’s work over lunch at the Muster Station. I always learn something – every time. This time I learnt that there is free Life Drawing at the Sandringham Hotel in Newtown on a Monday – maybe 15 minutes walk from my house.

Cockatoo Island is easy to get to – once that you’ve been once. I’m sure I’ll go again. I took many photos, though the light was not great for photography. Maybe I’ll go out early and get some images with long shadows.

Where are my drawings? They’re in the preview. I’ll try again later – maybe there’s a glitch.

Dr Sketchy’s at the MCA

Dr Sketchy’s came to the MCA again a couple of weeks ago. Fabulous again!  The link above will take you to an image where you can see the setup  – we’re all in a big u-shape with three models to draw. That image is from last year, and you can see my drawings from last year here.

This year was related to the current exhibition of Yinka Shonibare so the models wore some interesting outfits. That exhibition finishes very soon, but if it comes to a place near you – don’t miss it!

Again, there were three models, so it was easy to see well, but I must say we were awfully close and that’s a challenge in itself.

These first two drawings were only two-minute ones, which were a lot better than the ones I did a year ago.

The next two drawings are 5-minute ones.  That’s not a nipple – it’s a flower stuck there.  I was happy enough with these two, but the ten-minute ones were not great.

After that,  I decided to be very daring for the 15-minute ones & just go for it with a pen!

I just scribbled & scribbled as fast as I could go, then dabbed on some watercolour- though my waterbrush wasn’t co-operating so well.

I was working in an old A4 sketchbook – leftover from college. Last year I did a myriad of ghastly one and two minute drawings in a ‘good ‘ sketchbook, so I decided not to make

that mistake again.

21st World_Wide Sketchcrawl

Today was the 21st World-wide sketch-crawl. There were at least 10 people more than the last one. We met at Kirribilli just at the north side of the harbour bridge. We walked down to the park and drew there. It was shade for a start, but got hot and I’m sunburnt!

We sat in a nice cafe for lunch, and my English Breakfast Tea came in this amazing cup/tea-pot all-in-one arrangement. The pattern in the background is not the table cloth, but from the pavement at Luna Park where we went afterwards. It is my ‘Homage to Jeffrey Smart‘.  I own his autobiography Not Quite Straight and I’m currently reading an amazing hard-cover coffee-table book called “Jeffrey Smart” by Barry Pearce that shows his wonderful paintings and has really inspired me. So have a look at the link above and you’ll see why I had to draw the markings on the pavement.

At Luna Park there wasn’t much shade, but we finally found a tiny spot, and drew people waiting for their children to take rides on the Tango Train (much shrieking involved.)

It was a very successful sketchcrawl.