Some more useful tips

Just read some old posts and amazed at some of my notes.  Finally have  a work area to keep set up. Spent time with sadly neglected paintbox, cleaned/tidied it, re-organised paints which now look beautifully arrayed.

1. Store specimens to last:  take  plastic bag, breathe deeply into, cover cut specimen stem with wet tissue paper, place in plastic bag, tie  up and store in fridge until needed.  Specimens apparently last up to 10-14 days.
2. Make colour swatch from paintbox taking each paint to its most intense value then jot down the series number, name , staining, transparency, graining, etc.  Cover swatch in plastic and keep in paintbox.
3. FREE lightbox alternative PLUS permanent template – draw outline on to outline paper and using masking tape attach to window at elbow or shoulder height.  Take drawing quality paper, place over outline, tape firmly to window and ensure it’s all  well attached to window to prevent them slipping.  Outline will be visible through support.  Major benefit are that it speeds up the process

1. no need to use tracing paper or trace outline on reverse of tracing paper if not drawing direct on to paper;
2. protects paper surface from erasures;
3. avoids re-tracing on support;
4. creates a permanent template and saves time if  having to restart.
5. Start painting – no need to go over specimen line drawing outline first.

I reckon that saves up to an hour and frees-up time which can be used far more usefully elsewhere by developing actual painting, colour matching or whatever.

Paper: Right & wrong side

Have been looking at this paper again – really really dont like it at all and thought it was because I was using the wrong side as it’s such an uneven surface and I’m used to a smooth surface.  Realised this wasnt the case because after I had bought this pad, I was very careful to ensure that I used what was the right side.  On closer inspection of the sketchpad, I observed that the wrong side compares more favourably to the surface which I feel comfortable working on.  In the meantime, from a review of my work over the year or so since I’ve had this sketchbook, I’m surprised at the volume and variety of work I’ve done; primarily graphite sketches with a little work with watercolour when I was familiarising myself with the pigments.  Unfortunately although the supplier advertised this sketchbook as suitable for watercolour the paper isnt really thick enough for me because I really prefer to work wet on wet.  At £6 or thereabouts, it’s an expensive mistake – lesson well learned.

Pain of perfection

Pics of  this orchid plant which has some shortcomings when comparing my graphite drawings with the plant in that the leaves are too big, ie wide and need to be narrower.  Started again this morning with a new line drawing on realising that the leaves were too big – the pain of being such a perfectionist.

Cigarettes help graphite art

Reading posts in the botanical art group mailing came across the really great tip of sticking the sharpened lead in to a cigarette filter to prevent graphite dust – which is reported to work every time; as the filter can be used over and over again, it’s really economical and perhaps the best use for cigarettes 

Masha

Masha is one impressive artist as her flicker photos show.  Nothing more to  say other than that with work, time, perseverance and determination I aspire to be as good.

Back to line and tone drawing skills

With ongoing space constraints and a wide range of personal issues to contend with, I’ve had very little time for drawing/painting or so I thought until I  was pr0mpted to sit myself down and sort out some kind of daily routine.

Much as I really want to concentrate on water colour, as I’m back to my dining room table, restricting myself to work in graphite will be easier to manage and an excellent opportunity to develop my line and tonal drawing skills.

Currently working on an orchid plant with just two leaves, a long budding stem and some debris from now deceased leaves.  Quite pleased with how it’s developing but the sketchbook isnt suitable for this detailed type of graphite work and I’m surprised at how much I’ve used.

Mental note for when I next need to buy a sketchbook to spend a little more and skimp on the pennies a little less – my poor purse

Time for change

Sarah’s praise about the quality of my botanical art follows closely behind somewhat different comments from an art friend who queried my blogging rather than write my thoughts in an electronic diary or a word doc; somehow that just doesnt feel the same because it just doesnt have the same feel as writing merrily away here on wordpress which definitely feels different.  So I reckon it’s time to put my money where my mouth is, make more time for my art, post pics of my efforts and possibly do a little self-promotion so here’s a link to these Graphite Apples which, as you can see by the photographic quality were only taken with a 2mp mobile phone camera.  Time permitting I’ll see about taking some better pics at some stage.

From the eyes’ of the beholder

Last week in the height of our snow,  I’d invited a friend in after she’d very kindly brought me back from the supermarkert.  Ccurious to see the fruits of my labour, her surprisingly positive feedback played havoc which that internal critic of mine which has been telling me that my efforts and skills amounted to nothing.  Ironically she knocked the final nail in to my internal critic’s coffin by being more impressed with my first graphite apple than the second which to my mind is more accurate . with better grading of tonal values.   So there we have it from the eyes of the beholder .

Orchidaceae – Temptation Rules OK

Was in M&S this afternoon and my eyeses must have looked like they were popping off their stalks and rivetted to the mass of tall, large orchid plants which they were selling at 50% of the RRP.  What a bargain.

Magnificent blooms, incredible leaves with loads of buds which show the potential to flower into wonderful specimens. It stands at least c. 2-3 feet high and hard work getting my selection home intact where it awaits my artistic attention and intentions.

So much for my recent decision to focus on a draconian cost-cutting exercise which would make dear Alistair Darling’s budgetting seem as lavish as Cleopatra’s hospitality.

I can, as always, justify the cost because  as Orchidaceae students well know, the flowers seemingly last for ever and “are well known for the many structural variations in their flowers. Some orchids have single flowers but most have a racemose inflorescence, sometimes with a large number of flowers” as with my latest acquisition and “like most monocot flowers has two whorls of sterile elements. The outer whorl has 3 sepals and the inner whorl has 3 petals. The sepals are usually very similar to the petals (and thus called tepals)” and so ends my botanical illustration note of Orchidaceae.

End of apple era?

The apple of my eye is on its way out – hardly surprising as I must have acquired it about 6-8 weeks ago – it’s beginning to feel a tad soft and wrinkly.    Over these weeks I’ve probably learned more about my self and personal development through my determination to grapple with drawing this apple in order to understood the principles of graphite drawing.

Although I still have a long way to go, I am not sorry to say that this apple’s lifetime is coming to an end.