A Bit of a Step by Step Thingy....

I have had a couple of emails lately asking me about my drawing style

and so I thought I might do a bit of a step by step thingy

based on a sketch I have been doing over the last day of two

So step one

find something to draw

never a tough thing when you have tea tins like this sitting around

but just as lazy easy

 is a quick trip to raid the cupboard or fridge 

and then try to get a bit of an outline happening

I draw the outline in pen

so I don't get too precious

I appear to be unable to use pencil without an eraser

and end up correcting and getting hung up on details

Pen also makes me focus

as I do tend to suffer from being insanely easy to distract

so I  just try to get the major shapes in

and then try to get some paint on it as quickly as possible

putting detail in at this stage is completely useless

 as I am pathologically unable to paint carefully in the lines anyway

and if I am honest I kind of can't be assed being too neat about it

and figure I can fix problems as I go

which sometimes bites me big time

but it seems to work more times than not...

I am just sort of blocking in some colour

and yes it really is that messy

you thought I was kind of kidding didn't you

nope the first layer always looks like a dog's dinner

Next is the ugly child phase of the work

if we are honest then we all know

even the best looking kids go through an ugly patch

I remember Phantom having a one sided mullet 

from always sleeping on one side of her head

that was not her most attractive phase

but she has turned out to be completely mulletless and is now pretty gorgeous

and you have no clue 

how hard it is to not post a photo of said half mullet

but she would kill me 

16 year olds have no sense of humour

Where was I ... see what I mean about distracted

anyway....

to get my work through the ugly phase it is all about colour

I try to strengthen it up

and add some shape and a touch more detail

 and if the mood strikes

 a bit of tonal work in the to give some shape

I work from a little watercolour wheel and don't mix quantities of colour

so there are often little pools and uneven bits 

but I try to leave them unless they are too glaring

Once it is dry

I attack it with Micron pens and "tidy" up the outlines

and add details and pick out shapes

and all of a sudden it starts to come together

it goes from ugly child to one you can show in public 

and then it is just a matter

of some highlights in white goauche for the light source

and any other white bits like lettering

that I have inevitably not left and painted or drawn over along the way

and a final lick of micron to add a bit of tone and define the shape

With that it is done and dusted

and before I start picking it to pieces and finding fault

I pop on the kettle on and drink my subject

which is crazy delicious 

while heading over to check out some other painters at Paint Party Friday...xx

This is what has been happening in my blog world this week

Hello Winter Term....

Watermelon Thanks.....