The freedom to fail, prolifically

Summer has been full of beauty.

In among the squabbles and the exhausted bits, we've crammed a lot in...

 

 And while we were away I got my watercolour Tombows out every night, and wallowed in the freedom to fail in my experimenting.

It was bliss.

 

 

And now I have reached a point, a pinnacle, a place I knew I'd been scrabbling to,

the reason sketch-booking really does work...

 

Yet this is just another beginning...
Onwards!

Lines on Paper

Bought myself an Aqua Brush/Pen today (yes, grown-ups can have them too!) This'll be really handy on holiday, and in lazy moments when the whole water/brush/glass/tap thing is too much effort.  

Both done with Tombow Dual Brush no 559

 

I've been playing with lines like this for a while, playing with the balance of order and chaos, looking at the negative space. It's the start of something. And it's good to just be playing and enjoying that at the moment. x

Aged 15

I apologise for the randomness of this blog... still experimenting... having fun... flitting.

Last night I read up more about Sarah McIntyre's work (she has illustrated the lovely Mythical Maze Summer Reading Challenge 2014 for the libraries) and I happened upon a challenge she did a while back for her own personal progress: 'Draw yourself aged 16'

So I thought why not take up the challenge, see what happens. Here's me at 15 (memory going in old age... this is a mixture of me at 14,15,16...)

I outlined in waterproof pen, then filled with the Tombow pens. I still have to practice mixing them, some areas got a bit saturated, but it was fun x

Water and blooms

So I took myself off to see Jackie Trinder's work during Open Studios, and ended up doing a painting workshop with her this week - highly recommended!

She left me to finish the piece at home - dangerous! - and I have managed to drain most of the colour from the centre of the left-hand flower trying some water effects BUT overall it's better than I suspected I could do (for a first time ever sitting to do a proper watercolour study!).

Here's my favourite section of the piece:

The dull leaves actually have a ghostly soft feel, and good shape.

 

So I had a bit of courage to do something using colours I prefer, and managed the paint, and background wash etc much better than before the workshop:

 

I'm also going to try some 'negative painting' next.

All good fun! (and the sound of cleaning my brushes while painting is very soothing and therapeutic...)