Tuesday, 8 September 2015

Drawing Tuesday at Home

I reluctantly decided against   going to the National Maritime Museum  today to join the others  sketching - too long and awkward a journey at peak time.  However I was determined that I would do some drawing.   After the session   in the V&A  ceramics  collections, I had looked at the pottery I produced myself over 20 years ago in a new light.    Besides tiny thumb pots , I was obsessed with  coils and a luscious green glaze that produced varied  colours - they're a bit clunky  but  Ian likes them and they look good  from a distance on top of the bookshelves. From a sketching perspective I thought they would be an  interesting  challenge to try and  draw.





  2 hours passed very quickly ( it helped that the chair was comfortable and no craning of neck involved) . I can see now it's  not right ( I was so absorbed I didn't step back from it)  but there's areas I like . Next time I'd concentrate on a detail and pay more attention to the quality  and variation of the line.
 Sorting through books to pack, I came across my copy of  Elements of Drawing  by John Ruskin. I've  carried out some of the exercises in the past to improve observation,   so that even a simple pebble  can look monumental.  So I've decided  over the next few weeks to draw  some of the  small treasures I've collected over the years:  stones, shells, bits of glass and pottery,  the aim being to spend no longer than 30 minutes  on each.

4 comments:

  1. I find time gets away from me too when I zero in on a subject to draw. How will you stick to the 30 minute rule - set a timer? That's a lovely collection - I see why Ian likes them. Challenging to draw I would think. But then would we get so absorbed in it if it weren't? Looking forward to seeing what you do with the stones. I have several palm-size ones with various striations set aside for sketching & possible interpretation in fabric. I had a go at one of them a long time ago - harder than I thought it would be. I should try again now that I've been doing more sketching. You may have inspired me!

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  2. I am a ceramic artist & I think your "pots" are very imaginative.
    Alex True

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  3. oo yes, those pots are very good material for drawing!

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  4. lovely blog. Isnt it great how time passes when one is lost in the creative zone.
    Love the shape of the jugs. Like your drawing line

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