Sketching Catch-Up

This  weeks Sketching Tuesday was at the V&A  in the newly opened 'Europe 1600-1815' Galleries. So much over the top ornamentation isn't really to my taste  (and lighting levels were low)   but I found much to enjoy in the section on drinking vessels !  I   was trying out combining graphite and watersoluble colour pencils ( and finding colour pencil marks don't  erase)  and in the last few minutes  scored into my paper with a piece of wire and then rubbed it over with pencil  with intriguing results - one to explore further.

 

Last week it was opaque turquoise glass vessel in the  Islamic Gallery at the British Museum,  separate drawings in watersoluble colour pencil and in graphite exploring the negative shapes.  One of many discussions that day in the café afterwards ( apart from sketching stools )  was how the objects that interest you most initially seem to be the ones that fall off the edge of the page!  

 

Looking for art classes more locally, I've just signed up for course on using oil pastels ( not a  material I've used much ).   I was late for the first class yesterday  , no bus turned up for 50 mins and then I couldn't find the Adult Education Centre  in the large Canterbury School campus! But I soon got stuck in, making simplified tonal sketches from photocopies of photographs, b&w to start with and then  more difficult colour ones.   

 



 All useful exercises and I've ordered my pastels   for next week when we'll be playing exploring their properties.  

Hard not to get distracted with views of Canterbury Cathedral  in the distance and  glowing wintry skies.