Here’s a drink and draw that I’ve saved for a rainy day before giving it a good colouring in, and I’m glad I did, because I love vikings.
At least once per session we’re encouraged to do something silly or let our imaginations run wild. It was a medieval theme, so I’ve added a sword, and a corpse! Just for fun I’ve done a second version with lashings of theatrical ketchup.
It was a good fun session, with plenty of fast doodling to start off with.
My life drawing’s taken a step forward as I’ve been sketching a nude at Studio 22b. The artists’ studio in Sough, near Earby, has started life drawing sessions, and I was there, pencil in one hand, sketchbook in the other.
A regular attendee at Blackburn’s Drink and Draw, I’ve also been yearning for some more traditional life drawing. If the purpose of life drawing is to draw figures, to understand how they are put together and work, then you really need a nude – all those clothes just get in the way.
We had a great model, who was able to maintain a pose for a good length of time (not like poor old Ken from my college days, who was very professional but a bit wobbly on the action poses). She sat in this pose for nearly an hour, allowing us to make a prolonged piece of work or move around for multiple sketches.
My next personal goal is to add some colour on the night, rather than days later in Manga studio.
If you’re in the Barnoldswick/Earby area and fancy some life drawing, keep an eye on the studio 22b website or follow this woman on facebook for news of the next session.
A quick Drink and Draw post. I’ve tried to keep my ‘finished’ piece sketchy. It’s very easy to lose the drawing in process, so I’ve concentrated on a fast inking to capture the stance and the lighting, which was really strong, while using a limited palette and no special effects.
Ightenhill Manor House is an illustration produced for Ightenhill Parish Council, as part of my work at creative-council.net. We were commissioned by local historian Roger Frost to provide artwork for an interpretation panel, booklet and display panels, as well as producing a scale model of the 13th Century manor house.
Both the illustration and model relied heavily on information provided by Roger Frost, as Ightenhill Manor House no longer exists. We do know that it was an incredibly important site, not just in Ightenhill but for the whole area.
Roger and I presented information about the manor house to local school children. The pupils from St Mary Magdelene’s RC Primary School produced artwork and stories which were incorporated into the booklet. Roger described many of the jobs and activities that took place around the site, and many of these worked their way into my illustration.
I played fast and loose with time in order to show sowing and harvesting, and I moved the river closer to show the fisherman. I attempted a medieval naivety in the illustration, which I hope allowed me to get away with these temporal and geographical tweaks.
A scale model of the house was also produced. We worked with the Small Sign Company to produce the house. Figures from the illustration were used to bring the mini-manor house to life. I also had a hand in the interior decoration. The model is designed to be easily transported and will be used to educate local people about the history of the manor.
The work was unveiled at a medieval fayre, held on 26th April 2015. The display panel is sited at the entrance to the field that was once the site of the manor house. It was ceremonially de-ribboned by Lord Shuttleworth, who had gifted the land to the local parish council in the eighties.
