Saturday 18 May 2013

Henry


Though lacking the time to do very much art, it's very important to me that I try to keep things ticking over in my forum. It's only a small group so it's all too easy for discussions to dry up and for people to drift away. Regrettably, since I promote it as a forum for beginners that has a tendency to stop accomplished artists joining in. I say 'regrettably' because accomplished artists have so much to offer beginners by way of WIP's and simply sharing hints and tips about technique. To that end I frequently set painting and drawing challenges to try and drag beginners out of their comfort zones.

The most recent drawing challenge is of a wooden duck called "Henry". The challenge was to make him look wooden and varnished. This is my effort and although it only took a couple of hours, it was nice to be working with my pencils again.


A few weeks ago we spent a few days in the Peak District and the nearest village to where we were staying was called Longnor. On our first morning we went for a short walk round the village exploring the pathways and  narrow alleyways between the old stone buildings. It's an enchanting place full of character. One view in particular, of the church behind old stone houses, caught my attention and I would have loved to have pulled out my sketchpad and pen there and then. As it was I contented myself with a photo and the promise to myself that I'd tackle it back at home. For a bit of fun the other day I pulled the photo up onto my computer screen and tackled the sketch as if I was there in the village. It only took 10 minutes, if that, but I love this technique of washing over non-permanent ink with a wet brush.

28 comments:

  1. If Id of known you were at Longnor I would of popped out and bought you beer. Excellent as ever

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    1. Thanks Paul. And if I'd known you were near Longnor I'd have let you know I was coming. It would have been good to meet up. ;)

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  2. Your Henry drawing is really excellent John, it does look like polished wood. Great to have the chance to get away on little breaks too, I think the fact you see other places helps inspire sketches and paintings. We have been away ourselves, so I have been missing from the Forum a while, will get back there hopefully next week, that's after a dreaded dentist visit!!

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    1. Ouch!! Sorry to hear about the upcoming dentist visit Ann. And you're right about inspiration found when we visit new places. Thank you Ann. ;)

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  3. I know what you mean, John. trying to fit art, the blog and real life into a manageable routine is next to impossible.

    Love Henry! It really works!

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    1. Quarts and pint pots John, but I'm always impressed by how much you manage to achieve. Thanks John.

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  4. Good to see you working those pencils again John... You never cease to amaze me and this does look like varnished wood.. .

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    1. What a lovely thing to say BJ. Thank you very much. ;)

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  5. Henry looks wonderful! And I love the village sketch! I like watersoluble inks as well!

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    1. Thank you Judy. I get quite a buzz using watersoluble ink and it's nice to hear you enjoy it too. ;)

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  6. Henry really does look wooden! I love his pose too. This is a great example of an inanimate object feeling like something more. You've done a great job John. :)

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    1. Thank you very much Crystal ... I really appreciate that. ;)

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  7. Beautiful pencil work, John. You have Henry looking very wooden - that is a compliment :)

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    1. Thank you Pat. I appreciate the compliment very much. ;)

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  8. Hi John.
    You have made a cracking job of Henry. I also like your church sketch. Washing over non-permanent ink? I expected it to be all blurred. All the best John.
    Vic.

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    1. Thank you very much Vic. The wash DOES make the ink blur but it's applied selectively to create the desired effect. It's great fun and if you've never tried it, you should.

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  9. You really have made the duck look wooden. Great job! Love your pencil work - and also the village drawing is gorgeous :0)

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    1. I really appreciate that Sandra. Thank you very much.

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  10. wonderful drawing of Henry and the village! so good to see your work.

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  11. John, I agree with suzanne, wonderful drawing of Henry, and I do so love the village.

    Now I must go and say hello to suzanne.

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  12. I almost missed this post due to that it droped down in my bloglist so fast. I haven´t been able to keep track of all the fellow artists bloging lately due to my renting of three horses this late couple of weeks. But anyway; here I am now. I think that you really succeded in making the bird look like made of wood! As skilled as allways John!
    Take care!

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    1. LOL .. I know what you mean about how quickly things move down the blog list Catharina. I really struggle to keep up these days. Thank you for your lovely comment and I hope you're enjoying those horses. Take care.

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  13. Hi John,

    You have definitely met the challenge of Henry looking varnished and wooden. Well done. The street scene is very enchanting and lovely pencil work.

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  14. Great duck drawing.

    Hope you had fun in the Peak District - it's such a lovely time of year to have been there.

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    1. Thank you Sue. The Peak District was great and I especially enjoyed discovering the Monsal Trail. Must get back there soon.

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