meldrum art
I had the same model (Roza) as I had on the Saturday, different venue and more time for each pose. My paper was A4 and the grain of it was different from what I am used too so it took a few bad drawings to get used to it. I don’t think A4 is big enough to express good lines and expression.
Every Saturday we get 1, 2 and 3 minutes to sketch. I get through a lot of paper and energy during those 2 hours. We get a few 5 minutes too but they are few. I like drawing at speed, it becomes more instinctive when one doesn’t have time to think.
The venue was Basis here in Stockholm, the model’s name is Roza and my paper was A3 in size.
A commissioned work. I am not used to watercolour portraits so this was challenging. I had three days to paint it, it was a good experience, I learned a lot.
37 x 27 cm
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I have realised that painting in a wide format really suits my watercolours of life in the archipelago. It’s the big open horizon that we all find appealing when we are out in the great outdoors.
69 x 24 cm
The original reference photos were taken by Finish photographer, Erik Lähteenmäki. You can visit his website here.
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The teacher who runs the life drawing on Saturday’s at Basis, Stockholm likes to push us to our sketching limits with lots of one and two minutes poses. It’s funny how after sketching lots of one minute poses two minutes then feels like a long time. Three minutes feels like an eternity.
I finished these two sketches last week, only posting them now. I am painting larger versions for an upcoming exhibition in April. It’s good to do sketch first, one learns a lot by taking ones time and experimenting, unexpected happy accidents or silly mistakes that shouldn’t be repeated.
The original reference photos were taken by Finish photographer, Erik Lähteenmäki. You can visit his website here.
Each sketch size: 39 x 14 cm
I was in good form this evening, I think it was because I was drawing and painting all day before hand so I was already in the groove.
Yesterday, I made a real mess of a large painting. It was going so well, the initial drawing and the placement of cobalt blue for a brilliant cloudy sky… then I added some grey to give body to the clouds. I ruined it.
So today it’s practice time. I am painting on the back side of an old watercolour. It’s a good tip not to throw out your expensive watercolour paper until you have used both sides.
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People here in Stockholm like my paintings of sailing boats in the archipelago, they sell very easily so I’d be stupid not to continue creating them. This painting is interesting as it is in a wide format which suits paintings of the great outdoors a lot.
Format: 52 x 13 cm
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