Tag: mixed media

Majo

I’m so glad I have drawing, reading and gaming to distract me from Coronavirus. These three activities, along with the ridiculous amount of time I spend on social media, keep me busy. But drawing is, without a doubt, the most absorbing. I’m in a different place when I’m drawing, lost to the world, and I don’t really hear or notice anything that’s happening around me. I’m just focused on the face in front of me and what’s happening at the end of my brush, pen or pencil.

This is a portrait of Sktchy muse Majo drawn in my Midori Cotton sketchbook with Copic markers and Prismacolor coloured pencils.

Eli’s cow

I love cows. I love most animals, but farm animals hold a special place in my heart. My favourite toy as a child was a toy farm and when I was about 6 I was present at the birth of a calf. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen and that event has stayed with me my whole life. I love cows. I also love to draw them. And Sktchy muse Eli’s photo of this cow was irresistible.

I drew this in my Midori Cotton sketchbook using a Unipin fineliner, Copic markers, and Prismacolor coloured pencils.

Harry

This portrait of an aspiring Harry Potter was a case of “more haste, less speed”. It’s my entry for this week’s Old School Sktchy weekly challenge which has the theme “Harry Potter” and I ended up trying to fit it in between dog walks and hospital visits (my husband is in hospital this week). The result was that I feel that I rushed every stage of it and nothing quite worked. Lesson learned.

I painted this portrait in my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook with Zecchi Toscana watercolours and finished it with Prismacolor coloured pencils.

Jean-Pierre

I’m always intrigued by how a portrait can end up both looking like someone yet being “not quite them” , even though I’ve measured the features and represented them reasonably accurately. This is many respects a good likeness of Sktchy muse Jean-Pierre, but his face is a little too wide and not quite long enough and so everything’s just a little off. I don’t mind these inaccuracies at all – I don’t aim for photorealism and these quirks in my portraits are what create my style.

I painted this portrait in my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook with Zecchi Toscana watercolours and finished it with Prismacolor coloured pencils.

Eucalyptus leaves

Today’s painting is, as usual, inspired by Sktchy, but it’s not a face but some eucalyptus leaves, drawn from a photo uploaded by Sktchy artist Jennifer Linderman. I was attracted by the wonderful range of colours in the three leaves; I had a ball mixing up those hues!

I painted the leaves in my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook with Zecchi Toscana watercolours and finished then with Prismacolor coloured pencils.

Michael

Drawing Sktchy muse Michael’s hair was the best part of drawing this portrait. What fabulous hair he’s got!

I drew this portrait in my Midori Cotton sketchbook with Copic markers and Prismacolor coloured pencils.

Bruna

This was a very different and challenging portrait for me but it was so worth the risk. When I decided to tackle Bruna’s Sktchy inspiration photo I really wasn’t sure I’d be able to produce a half decent portrait but I’m so happy with how it turned out. The more I draw and paint the more I realise that every now and then I need to try to draw a portrait that I think might be beyond my skills because that’s how I improve.

I drew this portrait in my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook with a grey Unipin fineliner, painted with Zecchi Toscana watercolours and finished it with Prismacolor coloured pencils.

Melody’s Owl

This May I’m going to be part of an artists open house in the Brighton Fringe Festival. The open house is at the National Trust’s Saddlescombe Farm, and will raise funds for the Grow Project, a project which helps support people experiencing mental health problems by connecting them with nature.

The theme for the open house is “Spirit of Place” and I’ll be putting some prints of my more nature-themed portraits up for sale. I already have some portraits that I know I’ll be using but I also want to create some new work to make into cards and possibly postcards, so I’ll be making more nature-themed portraits over the next few weeks. This portrait of Melody’s owl is the first of these.

I drew the owl in my Midori Cotton sketchbook with Copic markers, coloured pencils and a Uniball Signo gel pen.

Inna

This is Inna, drawn in a Midori Cotton sketchbook with Copic markers and Prismacolor coloured pencils.

Tiffanie

Sktchy muse Tiffanie has the kind of face I love to draw. Perfect pale skin that reflects light beautifully. Straight hair – for so long hair was my nightmare to draw and I still find straight dark hair so soothing to draw because it’s so much more straightforward than any other kind. And well defined bone structure that’s easy for me to capture. I could happily draw her every day for the rest of my life.

I drew this portrait in my Midori Cotton sketchbook with a Unipin fineliner, Copic markers and Prismacolor coloured pencils.