meldrum artHonestly, the more time I spend on a drawing the more I wreck it with uncertainty. Keeping it pure isn’t easy after two minutes. This is why I haven’t shown any of my drawings that were longer that two minutes this time around.
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| Two minutes |
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| Two minutes |
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| Two minutes |
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| Two minutes |
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| Two minutes – plus a little more shading |
Location: Könstnärshuset, Stockholm, 20140204
It was a struggle to begin with, I have not drawn a male model for a while and so the muscular torso threw me at the start. He was a dancer, skinny, with small butt and bird-like legs. After a few drawings I started to tune in to what I was seeing. I think I’m drawing lines at a slower pace these days, I look often at the subject as I draw the contour. I think that is key, draw what you see and not what you think you see. Anyway, I got a lot of satisfaction out of yesterday evening.
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| Ten minutes |
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| Five minutes |
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| Five minutes |
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| Two minutes |
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| Five minutes |
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| Ten minutes |
Normally, for the last few weeks at any rate, I have been alone sketching each day at the Central Station here in Stockholm. Last Sunday was a different story though, because seven other urban-sketchers joined me for an afternoon of sketching at the station. We are all members of a group called “Skissa i Stockholm” which translated means – Sketching in Stockholm. Anyway, fun that so many turned up. It was a lovely afternoon. The coffee break taking up a large chunk of the available time, but that’s normal. We artists love to talk about our pencils! If anyone in Stockholm would like to join our group, please do let me know, “the more the merrier”, as they say.
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| Albert & Jack’s, Central Station, Stockholm |
I keep reminding myself it’s a sketch and not a painting. So as a sketch, I’m happy with it. Setting the tonal values for a scene was more difficult than I thought it would be, something for me to practice – definitely.
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| A4 Moleskin watercolour notebook, 200g. |
I will finish this tomorrow morning. Today I focused on the light and mid-tones. One never knows if a watercolour will be a success or not. The foreground figures will be dark in tone, it will be exciting to see what develops …
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| Central Station – Work In Progress |
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The homeless, hopeful immigrants, tired commuters and friendly train station employees, all these interesting people I encountered during my first week at the Central Train Station. It was truly a wonderful experience and so I plan to continue getting up an hour earlier even next week and spend 60 minutes achieving something that I would normally only contemplate. Crazy stuff!
Today I spent time working out how to paint a watercolour which I will complete on Monday. I plan to paint the foreground figures quite dark and the background fairly light. The person walking through the arch being the focal point. It usually goes to hell after a brush stroke or two, but that is why watercolouring is so entertaining. The other sketch was a winding up exercise, I had 15 minutes before the train came, so I sketched, what else is there to do in a train station!
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| Pencil sketch at Central Station, Stockholm |
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| Uncompleted watercolour of Central Station |
If one cares to look at my drawings from a few years back one can see I used outlines as a rule. I think when one is unsure one uses an outline as a form of familiar security, like filling in the dots, a, b and c. I’ve been trying to break away from this for ages, it’s not easy when one has used it for a life time. That’s why I like watercolour so much, it does not like to stay within the any lines I put down. This morning I focused on tone and not line, I realize that if I’m ever going to be a good painter I’ll have to master tone and composition, both of which I’m studying at the moment.
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| Central Station |
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| Reading the sign |
After a couple of days sketching at the Central Train Station here in Stockholm I felt ready to do my first watercolour sketch for 2014. I’m happy enough with the result, I spent two hours on it over a two day period. I used too much gouache for highlighting but as it’s just a sketch I really don’t mind, I’d prefer to use less of course.
I am getting up one hour earlier this week so that I have an hour to sketch before going to work. It is not as hard as I thought it would be. Now, I’ve found an extra hour each day to sketch and paint which makes me happy.
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| Under the Departure Sign at Central Station Stockholm. Moleskin A4 watercolour notebook. |
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| The first day, 20140113 |
I’ve been drawing everyday at the Train Station since rediscovering it as an indoor sketching utopia. I had planed to watercolour today but I’m not confident enough with the environment. I am getting there though, it’s a mind-game. One has to believe that one can can do it.
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| A4, HB pencil sketch, Central Station, Stockholm |
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| A4, HB pencil sketch, Central Station, Stockholm |