My son and his little friend Chloe looking at something at Chloe’s parents wedding. I always look for different things to take pictures of when I am at gatherings, people’s expressions can be really great. I have tried to simplify the faces down to basic light and dark areas. I think this has worked apart from Chloe’s eyes which I wish I had not made so detailed. I am also a bit unsure of the proportions of Samuels arm!
The original Sketchbook entry 9 May 2012
Possibly the most brilliant tractor in the world that was a favourite during the second world war. This model could be started by using a shot gun cartridge and a hammer…How good is that? I drew this sketch from a photo that I took at Breamore house museum. I think I need to do more work on the steering wheel as I don’t think the cornering on my model will be very easy!
Original from the sketch book of day 8 of my sketch a day challenge in May…
I have been experimenting on ways to record the days out that we enjoy with Samuel. One of our favourite places to visit is Windsor although it usually rains as soon as we set foot across Alma’s car park.
On this occasion we had lunch in Zizzi’s, fed the ducks, I was ill in the changing rooms of Fat Face and I had to fix the brake on the buggy in Daniels superstore. Apart from that is was a fantastic day.
Part of the May Painting a day challenge
I liked this image because of the reflection of light coming through the dirty oilers. It was a great excuse to lay down a light was of yellow ochre before building up the darker shapes at the front of the painting. When the light is golden like this at about 4 in the afternoon the edge of objects show up as thin strips.
This picture was created at Breamore House Nr Fordingbridge in Dorset. The setting for a model steam rally for about 10 years.
I love the seaside and especially fisherman’s clutter that can be found lying around. In Clovelly I was inspired by the lobster pots and the colours that shone through the netting material. I tried to work out if I was painting the netting or the holes. The rough cobbles created a regular pattern to help draw the eye into the picture.
While I was painting this picture I read an article in the artist and illustrators magazine about gouache resist. So I thought I would give it a try. Using a piece of mount board I drew my image and then proceeded to paint gouache in the areas I wanted to keep white. When this was dry I painted over the whole image with Indian ink.
Then after a night of drying I washed the image under a cold tap to release the gouache paint. Then I added some watercolour to the image…
I have read other versions of this technique and I might come back and explore them one day…Stay Tuned.
Clovelly fishing pots image from my sketch book.
Sketchbook challenge 5 May 2012
I wasn’t sure where this sketch was going when I originally drew it…Which is no surprise as visits to Bressingham Steam Gardens were quite often consumed with booze. The trip used to signal the end of Summer for me as it was the last steam rally of the season. It was a pilgrimage to Norfolk of about 12-14 years in total.
In this sketch I was trying to portray the effect of rust on the metal and pen and ink seemed like the best method. Getting the tone right took about 2 hours.
Apologies to all sketch fans on the world wide web – Martinsonlinesketchbook has not been updated due in part to illness. BUT I am on the mend and here is the proof a sketch from my latest hospital admission in the Royal Brompton Hospital.
This is a respirator called the Bird and it is used to help get air in the to the lungs and this helps to clear sputum and infection. I must admit when the physio said she was going to give me the bird I thought I’d right royally upset her! The machine is connected to a supply of neat oxygen to help expand the lungs when you breathe in. Surprisingly it works really well and I think ever home should have one, purely because neat oxygen gives you a bit of a buzz.
This is the view from my hospital bed looking out onto Chelsea, London (look up sw3 6hr on google maps). My room is directly opposite a night club called 86. This was quite loud at night.
The IV pump on the left became my best friend for the first 10 days of my admission as I was attached to it non-stop. This did present some difficulties, particularly when I needed the toilet. The little wheels had a mind of their own and the tube connecting me was just long enough to be an inconvenient distance.
I did get to see the Olympic Road Race, both the Men’s and the Women’s and I managed to make some sketches of the spectators which I will post in the next few days.
