It's amazing how the work of other artists and books by artists for budding artists can inspire so much.
We visited the neighbouring town of St Neots yesterday. My intention was to do a bit of sketching in the town whilst my wife and eldest step-daughter went off to 'shop' ;).
I wandered into the local book shop and made the usual bee-line for the art book section. I came out with a wonderful little book called simply 'Sketching'. The book is about A7 size so it fits in my sketching pack (or even just a trouser pocket) and provides a nice portable reference for tips and inspiration, and Heaven knows I need some of the latter sometimes !
The reason I mention the 'Sketching' book is because the author recommends hard pastels, pastel pencils and Conte crayons as good sketching tools and so, since my collection of dry materials were looking a bit forlorn in the bottom of one of my art boxes, I decided to get them all out and give my watercolours a little rest. Here then, purely from imagination, are the fruits of my labour.
I admire anyone who can sketch and draw from their imagination. These sketches are so lovely and colourful!
ReplyDeleteI am exactly the same when it comes to the book shops - Straight to the art section!
Thank you! I need more shelf space or perhaps I should get rid of all those dull engineering books or some of my wife's historical fiction LOL.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sketches! I especially like the colors in the bottom one. And I am mightily impressed that you did these from your imagination. Well done!
ReplyDeleteArt books are one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. :)) Such a source of inspiration!
Thank you! I find it easier to paint or draw from imagination. Conversely, I tend to become inhibited and fussy when attempting a real scene before me - but I'm getting better !
ReplyDeleteLovely sketches!
ReplyDeleteI'm another who goes for the art section in bookshops too :)
Thank you for your kind comment, Pat. You have some lovely work on your blog and I see you're a watercolour fan too :)
ReplyDeleteI've been reading through your posts but love these colorful sketches, so thought I'd tell you! I love pastels too but have put them aside, sometimes I do some oil pastel sketches which are fun to work with.
ReplyDeleteI've spent a lot of time in Northumberland as my boyfriend lives there, I just love England! Can't wait to come back over for more sketching!! Great blog Michael.
Thank you very much, Mary! I've never been to Northumberland but I have been to the West of there, Cumbria, which is spectacular too. Google for Charles Evans' work - he's a professional artist that lives in Northumberland and you might recognise some of his scenes!
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