Drawing Tuesday at Museum of London

 Tuesday's drawing session    was at the Museum of London. I was starting a new sketchbook ( the 3rd devoted to museums) , always scary, so I'd been looking through the previous 2 as inspiration for what I might draw ( and therefore  what materials  to take).  Ancient pots and tools, ' the hand of the maker'  evident   still continue to fascinate me  so it was no surprise I headed to the Neolithic gallery and  after a bit of wandering round, settled on the other side of the case I drew from last time!

It's surprisingly difficult to  capture  wonkiness accurately! I had several attempts with lots of rubbing out then concentrated on the marks and textures  combining different media ( watersoluble pencils; Pitt pens in varying thicknesses in sanguine and sepia; 0.1 and 0.3 Unipens: pencils and graphite) . The items made of antler horn were particularly difficult.

At lunchtime  when doing 'show and tell' of our sketches ( as ever, widely diverse subjects) , the others wanted to know how I  got the effects on the black pot.  I first developed this technique drawing at the Petrie Museum : scoring lines with a leadless propelling pencil then rubbing over with 6B graphite . The inner part was graphite partially erased with tombow eraser, another of my essential tools  

Contemporary Drawing Sketchbook : final results

I'm rather pleased with  the artists' book  based on the theme of positive/negative I produced as a result of the Contemporary Drawing Sketchbook  course at City Lit. I'd done a lot of preparation in advance of the class : painting the cover and stitching and drawing a variety of pages  so what I did in the final session  was draw with white ink on the cover and tracing the same pattern on the reverse but write the text associated with 'the elusive spark'.  

cover -  based on  fold out etching in book from 1787

inside

inside showing pamphlets attached to accordion

cover folded up

cover laid out flat

Inside with pamphlets towards centre

Inside  with left hand pamphlet opened

Inside with right hand pamphlet opened ( showing reverse of stitched page)

inside with text

However my sketchbook practise  itself hasn't altered that much from the start. Seeing what other  students  had achieved in their sketchbooks was very interesting, with  one page leading  to another, inserts, collage,  space left to add additional material , pages altered.  Overwhelmed with all the techniques demonstrated  and  with so many ideas to explore I tended to work on large separate bits of paper rather than in the sketchbook itself. I'd do it differently if I did it again!

 One of the reasons I chose this course was to bridge the gap ( ok chasm!) making links  between my observational drawings and paintings and the design work for my textile pieces .  It's certainly given me a lot  to think about in regards to my sketchbook practice. I've written before  comparing my lab book  records to my sketchbooks. Now I'm no longer working as a scientist , I'm not sure the lab book approach is as appropriate and I'm in the process of reviewing  how to make my sketchbooks work better for me as I develop as an artist.

Drawing Tuesday: Making,Unmaking at Camden Arts Centre

 A  new venue  for Drawing Tuesday this week: Camden Arts Centre with it's cool galleries and shady garden  was a good choice on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year! We started out in the garden with coffee , explored the fascinating exhibition Making , Unmaking  then had a leisurely lunch. I only made one drawing ( above) in my  A4 'museum' sketchbook, using instead my A5 'exhibition' sketchbook where I made my usual notes and scribbles on pieces of work I liked (no photography was allowed) .

Several of us were fascinated by the cabinet containing plates from the book 'Tapis modernes' 1928 H Ernst , if I'd had more time I'd have copied some of the designs. I loved a poster of 'Faccine' by Boetti  exploring the elongated hexagon as a face - definitely quilt possibilities there! This version was black and white but it looks like an early example of a 'colouring in' poster

Polly Apfelbaum  Blue Alphabet

Polly Apfelbaum  was a new name to me but what interesting work she has on her webpage  , including several photos of the exhibition as a whole.  I loved the spray painted alphabet, and it's juxtaposition with some antique African textiles. In the photo below you can see  a large new painting by Lisa Brice in different tones of blue with  glimpses of figures and counterchange of lights and darks , very effective.

Lisa Brice Untitled 2016

In a more subdued palette, there were several interesting and thought provoking pieces hung alongside paintings and weavings by Ani Albers ( whose work  was a revelation  in the 'Adventures of a Black Square ')

Brice Marden Window Study #6

I loved the subtle textures of this painting by Brice Marden, with glazes over a textured ground drawing it really made me look ( I got the proportions wrong!

Simon Fujiwara Fabulous Beasts

This  is actually a shaved fur coat which I have  very mixed feelings about but the lines where the pelts were sown together makes a  strong abstract piece. His other work looks intriguing too

I spent some time drawing this piece by Rebecca Ward with it's painted thread and subtle tones of canvas and the shadows of the canvas stretchers showing through. On her website, it's hung the other way which gives a completely different  feeling.

Rebecca Ward  Stilted

Mrinalina Mukhertjee

This monumental hemp sculpture was also unsettling - her work is new to me but again worth exploring  further.

So much to see and enjoy , I can see why Margaret C has been 3 times but it closes this weekend. It included lots of old African textiles - I've got quite a few myself, including kuba cloth  and reminded me I must hang them back in my studio for inspiration and attempt to draw them , it's  the best way to analyse the patterns and structures

But today I'm off to Margate  to see last days of exhibition at Turner Contemporary ( thanks to Olga for the review and prompt). I was going to take my new bike on the train as it's quite a trek from the station but with torrential rain forecast, perhaps not...
(UPDATE: Margate plans abandoned due to  rain - got wet through halfway to station! Maybe next week )

The Shape of Challenges

 With  the long awaited arrival of the latest CQ newsletter ( great job by Margaret)  the challenges for  2015 Journal Quilts and Foq were revealed. This will be my 13th  year of making JQ's - I had already been making them for a few years before  Contemporary Quilt started doing it.
The  rules this year are that they be 6" x 12"  and you choose portrait or landscape format and stick to it.  That will be the hard part for me!

When this size was last set in 2009, I didn't like it very much , especially after I'd so enjoyed the 12" square challenge  the year before. While  I did produce some nice pieces ( the  best  I've shown here) some were quite dreadful ( I'll spare you those!)

Now having made several 40 x 80cm portrait quilts  for International Threads, I've learnt to enjoy this format  and the new  CQ challenge 'Elements'  is  nearly the same at  45 x 80cm. So there is some advantage to using   portrait format JQ's as trial pieces and experiments( and probably more doors!) 
However,  making little books using the Fabriano Mediavalis cards  as the basis ,  I like the idea of a landscape  series ( even bought a panoramic sketchbook to take up to Rydal Hall retreat, in 5 weeks time ,inspired by the purchase of  Norman Ackroyd's  Shetland Notebook). Seascapes would probably feature again too.

So which format to go for? 

 UPDATE - thanks for all the comments, I decided in the end to go for Landscape.


 

Book of Elounda - Textures and Patterns

Some pages from my 'Book of Marks' from Elounda, Crete.

Compiled on site  from: watercolours and sketches on Fabriano Medievalis cards ; colour catchers  with frottage and acrylic paint monoprints ; fabrics brought with me -my own indigo and  hand dyes from Alter Ego (I'm also the lucky owner of one of Jo's sketchbooks thanks to a birthday present from Sue!) .

Inspired by the local landscape ( especially the clouds and sunrises over Spinalonga peninsula) and the textures of the flora and peeling doors.

More Bookwraps

On Saturday I took the bookwraps I've made so far to meeting of Thames Valley Contemporary Textile  group  to  encourage others to make some for the tombola next year at FoQ. There was quite a lot of interest,  and also a few requests on where  I got my  A5 sketchbooks (Seawhite of Brighton 'Starter').  I'd stocked up at the London Graphic Centre  but they're also available online directly  .

I used up yet another project ( an experiment with steam fixed silk paints)  and worked  out a cunning means of fastening - pony tail elastic bands!!

The first of the zigzag offcuts covers worked well  with the bonus of an interesting inner surface of various backing fabrics.

Working out ideas for hardback sketchboooks, I incorporated a sleeve at one end but a strip/band  at the other so it will accommodate different thicknesses of  book. Finished this one off  with binding and a ribbon.

Adapting the idea  of overlapping  sleeves I use for cushion backs, this  wrap using cut up  ophan quilt  blocks was very quick and easy - much easier  than binding. I'm going to prepare this as a tutorial for the 'patterns'  page on the website, with a variation incorporating the strip/band.