Artistic Explorations: Creative Sketchbook (3)

Recently I joined an online group where people who like to draw share their sketches and drawings following two-weekly prompts posted by the administrator of the group. One of the briefs was to draw rocks. Instantly I thought about the standing stones of Callanish on Isle of Lewis we visited last year.

I selected these black and white photographs for my sketches. It really helped that they were monochrome so that I could focus my attention on the shapes, lines and tones.

Callanish stones ©Fenfolio2015

Callanish stones ©Fenfolio2015

Callanish stones ©Fenfolio2015

 The first drawing is a blind contour drawing in black fineliner pen. By only looking at the subject and not on your paper and by keeping the pen on the paper, you feel a bit out of your comfort zone at first but very quickly I felt less restricted somehow. It really is liberating! I like the expressive style you get with this kind of exercise.

Blind contour sketch ©Fenfolio2015

For my second drawing I used the same fineliner pen and focussed on the various tones. But now I used my non-dominant hand (which is my left) to free up the mind! By scribbling light and heavier I was able to create interesting marks and depth.

Pen drawing with non-dominant hand ©Fenfolio2015

The third sketch was again focussed on tones, but this time I used watersolubale graphite pencils (Karismacolor).

Sketch in Karismacolor pencils ©Fenfolio2015

For my fourth sketch I used pastel pencils and a very fine fineliner for the cracks in the rocks on grey coloured paper. I really like the way pastel has given the drawing a more softer, even mysterious feel.

Sketch in pastel pencils ©Fenfolio2015

 Then I wanted to create a drawing with more sharpness and with a more graphic style. I used Derwent Graphik Liner Painter pens on dark grey coloured paper for my fifth drawing.

Drawing in Graphik Liner pens ©Fenfolio2015

 Finally, I wanted to use collage and colour to compare it with my monochrome drawings. For this one I used tissue paper, watercolour paint and inktense pencils on watercolour paper.

Callanish stones drawing in mixed media
©Fenfolio2015

After all these exercises I realised I prefer drawing on darker coloured paper and in monochrome. It's something I will keep in mind for the other prompts!

Upcoming exhibitions

During the whole month of May I will be exhibiting a selection of my mixed media paintings, drawings, digital prints and collagraph prints at Whigmaleerie Gallery, High Street, Banchory.

Collagraph print with embossed textures on the side,
rubbed with silver polish and black conté
©Fenfolio2015

In one of my previous articles about Intaglio Printmaking I mentioned I had submitted some collagraph prints for the MarkMaking exhibition at Union Square, Aberdeen. I'm delighted that both (including this one above) have been selected to be on show from 9 until 31 May. Proceeds go to Macmillan Cancer Support. You are cordially invited to the Private View. Unfortunately I'm not able to make it myself but if you would like to meet up with me there on another day, please contact me.

E-vite MarkMaking Exhibition

Artistic Explorations: Intaglio Printmaking (4)

My visit to Isle of Harris (Na Hearadh in Gaelic) in November continues to give me new ideas for art projects. This time I chose one of my photos of a ruined chapel as my starting point. It was taken along the Scholar's Path. This path was once the main access (on foot) to the crofting townships along this stretch of coast, before the "Golden Road" was built closer to the shore.  It was used by school children to walk to the school at Grosebay on the other side of the peninsula, and then to Kyles Stockinish when a school was built there.

Ruined chapel along Scholar's Path ©Fenfolio2014

The vibrant colours in the picture above are the result of one of the creative features on my compact camera. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't as in this case. It just didn't represent the right atmosphere so I edited the photo into a more monochromatic one by using a few apps on my Ipad. In this way the rich, earthy textures of Harris' dramatic landscape are the main focus.

Edited photo of ruined chapel ©Fenfolio2014

Back in my studio I created a collagraph plate on a 20 x 20 cm grey board and used various materials such as netting, wood shavings, black lava gel, natural sand, Asian paper, scraps of woodchip wallpaper, scraps of fabric and dried grasses. I also scraped into the grey board with a etching needle.

Once I sealed the plate with Shellac and taped up the back with parcel tape, I inked it up with Caligo waterbased ink (sepia). Before I ran it through the press I placed pieces of my own handmade paper from an old blouse (see: Artistic Explorations: Handmade Paper (2)) with some spray mount facing up onto my inked plate. This is called Chine Collé. Finally I placed a sheet of Somerset Soft White printmaking paper on top of that and this is the final print.

Collagraph print with chine collé "Na Hearadh I " ©Fenfolio2015

For the second print I used brown/black ink, orange and green kozo-like paper and Somerset White Velvet printmaking paper. A completely different result! Now I'm vary curious to see how it will look when I use coloured inks combined with chine collé so that's what I'm up to next.

Collagraph print with chine collé "Na Hearadh II " ©Fenfolio2015