Spilling Ink

Drawing in the park this morning. Didn't feel great first thing so it was late morning before I sat down on grass, in the shade, to draw the Circus Rio big top. Had a little day dream about running away with a circus. A bit shocked to find one of the big trees I like to draw had been cut down. I guess whoever did the chopping had more insight into the state of the tree and that I don't possess lethal tree killing vision when I spend so much time drawing the blasted things!

Spilling ink intentionally and not-so-much-intentionally. It was a messy, enjoyable time drawing.

Contemplating... The Length of Dog Leads

Scan and photos from today's sketch in the park. Another gorgeous day attracting lots of people, mainly families wandering around. Dodging dog leads, strewn across pathways like cats cradles. Where I was drawing in the shade I could see squirrels scampering about in the branches, a butterfly fluttering above my head as well as a small bird picking bugs out of a rotten branch.

Tree Guidance

Out in the park again looking for old trees to stand by for 20 minutes or so. To draw and to cool down after my morning run.

People Are Weird

Back using my favourite drawing pens. Yes, an old fella did jokingly try to take off with my bike while I was drawing in the park today. No - I didn't know him. People can be weird.

This is what Tom Wrigglesworth's Dad sounds like.

The squirrels were interesting. Four of them hanging out  mostly upside down in a tree foraging and nibbling what they could find. They sounded like the rustle of heavy rain through trees.

Bank Holiday Drawing

Today's drawing started out as a nice neat drawing done in the park on a Bank Holiday Monday after a quick run. Got home and kept working on it, whited out most of what I'd done  and redrew adding more black ink and then white ink with dip pens and brushes and got really frustrated with it. Ended up stripping the ink off with a diluted solution of bleach and started to redraw over what was left. Not a great way to spend a day off really.

Above are the pages before I started with the bleach. I really should have stopped at the second redraw before the big brushy ink fest.

Sketchbook Scan

The Sunbathing Snake

Those Sounds in the Undergrowth

'Happy Accident' With Bleach

Sunday morning sketching in the park with dip pen and Indian ink.

Back at home I tried applying a blue Winsor & Newton ink to describe the shadows a bit more. Totally failed and it ruined the drawing. Decided to use diluted bleach and a two inch decorators brush to remove the blue ink. Which it did. Smudged the drawing though, giving me the lovely mid tone grey background. No photos of this stage as it was all a bit of a panic but I do like the effect.

I used white ink to paint the 'light' through trees back in.

You can see my doodlebook cheap ink and bleach escapades over on my Twitter and Instagram account.

Squintting at Trees

I used my extra long nib holder (referred to as 'stick' in the text) to prevent my sweaty palm making the sketchbook paper damp, in this accursed hot weather we're having of late. Three times the movement of leaves in the breeze caught the corner of my eye, too big to be a squirrel.

The texture in the panel backgrounds is from me playing with bleach on the succeeding pages. Unintentional but nice enough to keep.

The Shade of Trees

Mostly drawn in the shade after my morning run around the park and then finished off at home. With a big glass of water and a cold towel across my forehead.

Why would towns cut down such precious life saving resources like trees, the weather is only going to get more extreme in my lifetime and they offer refuge from intense heat and rainfalls we get in the UK summers.

Drawing in the Park

Bone White Tree

Sitting, Drawing in the Park

Something Inside Me Lurking

Asda, Via The Hard Way

I was meeting someone, somewhere, to do something. This involved walking to work a different route over fields and castle ruins. In the rain.

My Home

Some more quick drawing today. Sketches from where I live, done under skies of thunder and rain.

Saturday, Drew A Dragon

Park Rain

Slow running and quick drawing in the rain, in the park this morning. Trees sheltered me and a bunch of geese, enough to get most of the page down. Finished it off back at home though, as I was getting chilled from sweat soaked tee-shirt clinging to my back.

Sketchbook