In textiles class last term, we did a weaving using a piece of card as a loom. There was a big box of zips amongst the materials – how could I resist?
Raffia, dried leeks, string, zip, gauze
Author Archives: Carole
Cutlery – daily drawing
OK, so this isn’t a fabulous drawing. But it is my daily drawing practice. I drew it straight with pen, and just drew again over the lines that didn’t work first time. I also attempted a simple monochrome wash – I’ll practice this more I think.
Do you ever have those days when you think ‘that’s it, I really can’t draw’.
That’s how I feel just now – and I plan to keep drawing right through those days, because I know something will happen and I’ll suddenly be out of the other side again. That’s just what seems to happen.
Chine Colle
Just towards the end of last term, I learned how to do a chine colle print i.e. incorporating fragments of paper into a print by carefully applying PVA and then putting them onto the printing plate just before running the print through the press. This was the result. I can see this having potential for ‘fractured landscape’.
Whoops
One of my learning goals for drawing is doing faces. I am terrified of drawing faces. Mainly because the person I’m drawing always wants to look, and the excited ‘can I see?’ turns into a confused and disappointed ‘oh!’ when they see the wierd person I’ve drawn.
So – tonight I sketched Rick while he was on his laptop. I was (believe it or not) quite pleased with it, because although it’s messy and imperfect, there’s an element of ‘Rickness’ about it. “It looks a bit like you!” I said, turning the page to show him. Sadly, I’d also been sketching his new pig car arial topper – a gift from his sister.
Still life 5
This was completed at the end of the spring term, before the Easter break. It was the fifth in a series of still life paintings. I’m reasonably pleased with it, but there is something wrong with the colours – I’m not sure they work as well as they could. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Hawthorne
Taken from a photo of hawthorne against a barbed wire fence. I was intrigued by the barbed textures set against the soft landscape behind (which you can’t see well in this – it’s sketched in softly in pencil). Preparatory research sketch for ‘fractured landscape’. This was pretty fiddly to observe and draw.
Sheep jaw
HB, B and 5B pencil in sketchbook. Taken from photo of sheep jaw found on the moors at Miller’s Grave.
Bookbinding – memo to self
Very inspired by this post showing the possibilities of bookbinding. I plan to have a go myself sometime, using these wonderfully clear instructions (but without the moleskine).
Gate
Taken from a photo, using HB and 6B pencil. Preliminary sketch for ‘fractured landscapes’ project. I plan to try this using different media – possibly print.
Career coaching and advice – demystifying the market
If you need some sort of career coaching or advice, it can be really confusing to know where to go to find help. Do you go to your careers office any more? Whatever happened to them anyway??
To try and demystify the market and explain all the options, I’ve just written this article on my career coaching website. I’d welcome any comments or suggestions.