nemorosastudio

[nemorosastudio]

As an artist I have a particular way of working and painting, particularly as I explore abstract art and feeling my paintings rather than planning them. With a daughter who has just finished the first year of her art GCSE however, I have been reminded, through her, of my love for and use of sketchbooks. It’s on odd thing really, I still use sketchbooks but not in the same way as I used to and I has been occurring to me that I’m missing out on valuable research and studies.

The more linear approach to her studies has really taken me back mentally to when I was a student and the levels of research I used to do when planning my work, soewhat lost over the years as I tend to dive straight in these days. I do miss aspects of it, however, the more ‘traditional’ fine art approach to creating study drawings and paintings for one.

It’s very easy to lose sight of this technique practice, or rather it has been for me. My work has become so focused on colour, marks and abstract shapes that I had completely forgotten how much I enjoy drawing studies and subjects, natural and floral in particular. Even within my abstract works they inspire me but I don’t seem to record those inspirations in the same way that I used to.

I was gifted a new A4 ‘studio’ sketchbook after filling my old one; this one is too large and heavy for me to take around every day with me for random sketching and play (hence the name ‘studio’ sketchbook that I use to differentiate it from my more portable ones), so I decided to try to get a little more ‘traditional’ in my usage of it. I had a wonderful time testing some of my older media as well as things I use more consistently these days and creating some studies.

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

The first double page began with me testing my beloved watercolour palette on the paper to see how well it held up. The colour swatches came first and then, as I tend to do so as not to waste paint I used the next clean page to clean the last of the p[aint from my brush. I had this beautiful rainbow effect by the end of it that I decided to fill with quick studies of some of the plants and flowers from my garden. The mushrooms came later and were added as studies from photographs.

My mother brought me some sunflowers the following day and I had been itching to draw one for hours, it wasn’t until the evening, once the rest of my work for the day was done, that I had the chance to sit down and indulge in sketching one with coloured pencils, a media I rarely use these days in part because it flares my carpal tunnel syndrome but also because I enjoy the fluidity of paint more.

Considering that I hadn’t drawn like this with coloured pencils in years, I think the study came out well and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Again, I had to test the pencils out before using them to find the right colours. I think the rest of the double page spread will be filled with sunflower studies and pictures, as I have plenty of references to work with now and I just love how cheerful and happy a flower they are.

When I was a student I used to be jealous of other people’s sketchbooks, their ideas and abilities always seemed to be so much better than mine. Foolish, I know, and certainly not valid as opinions go but I think it is particularly hard not to compare yourself creatively to your peers, especially when they are sharing your workspace. I was specifically envious of the sketchbooks that were incredibly neat and tidy, full of these beautiful, technical, almost photo realistic drawings and layouts, something akin to what I see floating around instagram these days; not just in art content but the feel of people’s ‘clean’ aesthetics. I had no idea how people managed it as my own books were messy, battered, bright, smudged and covered in stray charcoal and paint. Even back then it was indicative of my art style and how my practice would progress as I grew as an artist. There is a middle ground to find, however, and I don’t want to lose sight or practice with the more technical skills I have and want to keep up with as well as the ways my intuitive practice takes me.

In short, the exercises were a reminder to use and love my sketchbooks. I am a little sad that I have so few of my old ones now to look back over and reminisce, they have been unfortunately lost to moves and life situations. I am, however, very thankful for the reminder to delve back into them as a tool for reference, research and inspiration, such a reminder can only enrich my practice in the long run.

Do you keep a sketchbook? If so, how do you implement it? Have you ever had to deal with sketchbook envy? What about other people’s sketchbooks brings it out in you?

Rediscovering A Love For Sketchbooks As an artist I have a particular way of working and painting, particularly as I explore abstract art and feeling my paintings rather than planning them.

[nemorosastudio]

UNDER RECONSTRUCTION

UNDER RECONSTRUCTION – STAY TUNED

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 23 Day 23 had a whole idea of it's own. It wanted to be a character drawing and so that is what it became, at least in a very rough, draft, pencil form. It is something to be revisited later, however, either to work on here or recreate elsewhere outside of the challenge.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 22 I wanted to see the difference that was achieved using inktense as regular colouring pencils compared to activating them with water.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 21 Day 21 was a pastel, rainbow, inktense pencils day. My time for this one was limited and out of the house. Thankfully sitting in a warm coffee shop helped the back layer to dry out fairly quickly so that the circles could go on top.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 20 After cleaning my desk area I found the purple and yellow Faber-Castel Gelatos and, along with a black biro, decided that they would do the job of today's exploratory sketchbook page.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 19 As boring as these colour swatch pages may seem for a sketchbook I really enjoy them as well as find them helpful.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 18 My second page of colour swatches was to see what my small set of inktense pencils came out like, I find it particularly hard to tell what the colours will look like with these thanks to the pencils being wrapped in a dark blue anyway, the colour ends to denote what the pencil is are much harder to see than my regular watercolours which have a natural light wood finish on the outside of the pencil itself.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 17 I decided I wanted to work with my different coloured pencils, both water based and regular for a few upcoming works of art, however, I didn't have a reliable set of colour swatches for them to get an idea of what I had available to me. Day 17 was about indexing my watercolour pencils and how the pigments reacted to water.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 16 I had been cleaning my brush on this gesso'd page and it became this really beautiful layering of blues and purples. Rather than cover it or turn it into something else a rough black line frame was really all that was needed.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 15 Gesso, watercolours and layers of scrap paper were built up into thick, texturised areas on day 15.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 14 Day 14's page began blue, then as though it was going to turn floral only for greens and greys to come into play to create a payne's grey without the payne's grey added that now reminds me of the stone labradorite.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 13 Watercolour, ink, highlighters, gesso and stencils in purples, greys and pinks! Day 13 was my birthday. My favourite part is actually the 'brick' stencilling in the background that I added using a pastel pink highlighter.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 12 My mind was going down a more muted route was far as palette was concerned, unusual for me given my love of colour and vibrancy, but necessary.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 11 I used my page for day 11 to investigate how the different Faber-Castell Gelatos I have dissolve and react after noticing the other day that the blue didn't seem to blend as nicely as the yellow.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 10 I had meant to do more for this one but once the watercolour background was laid down and had dried I got waylaid with other things going on.

[nemorosastudio]

A Page A Day – Day 9 I wanted a rainbow and scribbles, so that is what was delivered on day 9. Inktense pencils with varying degrees of attempts to blend.