Drawing objects: killing time or filling time?

Things I draw between projects:

Nothing cramps your drawing style more than not drawing. Usually I like to go through old mail-order catalogues or magazines, or rifle through my photo folders, to find things to draw.

These days you can find lots of things to draw on Pinterest, like vintage book covers.

Don't be upset or discouraged when your drawing doesn't come out the way you imagined. Keep drawing!

Calligraphy: if the eyes are the windows...what is the door?

Noodler's Bulletproof Black and Ecoline Graphic White ink
with Speedball C-4 and Leonardt 801 nibs on Muji craft paper.

Several years ago when I was obsessed with doors, I wrote this down in my diary. Then I made it into an artwork. Now that I am getting a little more serious with my calligraphy, I wanted to revisit and refine this thought.

So many people think of the eyes as silent communicators, and of the mouth as verbal. But when we choose to hold something back, to close the door of our mouth before the words escape, that can be just as great a sign of our character.

doors, part IDEK

Here are three things you can do while stuck in an interminable wait at the bank: 1) claw your own face off, 2) brood on your hatred for the world and everyone in it, 3) draw doors. Guess which one I went with.

In semi-related news, never bank at BPI if you can't draw, write or are otherwise not interested in spending 3 or more hours in a null space. BDO is far too efficient for creative expression.

I was at the bank from 10am to 3pm ffs NO YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T THINK ABOUT IT

Sketchbook Project 2013, Part 3: Greek Temple

Greek Temple, British Museum, London, UK

Back in the late 90s I was part of a fannish mailing list of writers. There were a lot of us, but about a dozen regular posters. We encouraged each other, read stories and bits of stories, critiqued (lovingly), and generally enjoyed ourselves in a productive way. The list became another, differently-named list, and then a blog community which didn't last too long. Gradually though, we found each other online anyway.

Fast forward to the mid-2000s, where I was going to art school in London. One of the writers was going to visit, she posted on her journal. Would anyone like to meet up? Yes!!!

We spent a great couple of days going through the free museums, and clubbing at night. This is still one of my fondest memories.

Sketchbook Project 2013, part 2: Pembroke

Part 1

Door 2: Wall Passage, Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales, the UK.

Henry VIII (yup, that one) spent his childhood here. It's a big, worn, drafty old place, with an enormous cave in the lower levels that dates back to prehistoric times. Pembroke is a tiny town that basically has this huge castle, its huge moat (actually a millpond that extends into a small lake, which proceeds to run into a river that goes 97 miles to the sea), and the ruins of a mill that's older than the castle.

I remember it because this is the first holiday I was ever on which I planned, organised and paid for all by myself. It's also the only holiday I've ever been on by myself. I stayed in an old coaching inn and walked round and round the castle and millpond for three days and felt boring and happy and utterly relaxed. I met a couple of Filipino caregivers, which strengthens my belief that we have infiltrated every level of service everywhere.

I also got catcalled by a car full of redheaded boys. Is this a thing that happens a lot in Wales?

Sketchbook Project 2013, part 1: St Anns Villas

The Sketchbook Project is on again! The books are very small this time, with kind of low-grade paper, but I was planning to use my own paper anyway, no worries.

I am doing a chronicle of doors: One door, one painting, one memory. Some of them from pictures I took, some I can only remember (probably inaccurately). All drawn freehand and then watercoloured and labelled. The memory goes on the opposite page. There are only 15 pages, so I have plenty of time to get it done before January.

Door 1: Front door, 10 St. Anns Villas, Holland Park, London, UK. Drawn from memory.

I lived here with my cousins in a beautiful garden flat with glassed-in stairs and dining room. One time I was going out with one of my cousins. Nic loves the kind of hip-hop jeans that hang off your arse, and always forgot to wear a belt with them. He slammed the door to secure it, and his jeans fell to his ankles, leaving him in boxers on the sidewalk. He grabbed them back up again, but I laughed so hard I had to sit on the pavement before I had enough breath to get going. Luckily no one else was around!

Staedler Artliner and Pelikan watercolours with Blue Heron waterbrushes on Arturo paper. I love this paper so much, you guys. Lettered in Pen & Ink Sketch extra fine fountain pen. All the doors will be done this way.

door strip

click thumbnail to see large version

From the altered book.

stars and doors

I forgot to add something to my last artwork:

Stars!!

I like how the white ink splatters evenly. It's as if the stars and ocean spray are mixing together...

And speaking of white ink and stars, I also did more work on the altered book for the first time in a while.

I am going to re-learn painting with gouache; it used to be a favourite medium and I am determined to love it again.

notebook drawings

Dug through my things and found pictures from the Italy trip with my cousins some years back. They make very nice drawing references.

I also have a very cute, and very cheap, small notebook, the Chinese-stationery character kind. It has interesting textures, sweet sayings and funny little illustrations. I thought they would go quite well with my new hyperrealistic pen style.

They do!

doors again

Only posting the best of the batch this time. I have been alarmingly productive in several directions the past few days. I think the energy of the past week is creating some sort of fallout of artistic productivity. Forward, always forward!

I think that's enough doors for a while. I probably have enough for stock graphics, and I was definitely losing focus toward the end. 

I do love drawing inanimate objects though. I've been getting interested in Chinese snuff bottles again, so the next post will probably have my pre-existing drawings of those before I start producing new ones.