
Discovered Again: Charcoal Portraits
It’s quite hard to capture the characteristics of a person in a sketch. I did these so long ago (2008) and don’t know the models, so I’ve no idea if I did a good job, but I think they’re quite convincing!
It’s quite hard to capture the characteristics of a person in a sketch. I did these so long ago (2008) and don’t know the models, so I’ve no idea if I did a good job, but I think they’re quite convincing!
Here are a few more life drawings that I recently found in a sketchbook I did in 2008/09. It reminds me of how much I like drawing with charcoal. I need to do this more.
Today I looked under my bed and pulled out a dusty portfolio. Inside I found a sketchbook of life drawings I did in New York back in 2008/09.
Back in 2001 I climbed up a tower in Tabor (Czech Republic) and looked out over the city. I can’t remember which tower, but I do remember the view. These are the sketches and paintings I did following that trip,…
Looking back through one of my old sketchbooks, I’m realising that I had quite an obsession with rooftops! These line drawings were done in the Czech Republic and are just a few of the sketches I found.
These quick drawings were done whilst travelling around Eastern Europe in 2001. I love to sketch when I travel and sometimes it captures a place better than a photo. These sketches were done in Prague (Czech Republic), Krakow/Cracow (Poland), Pécs and Budapest (Hungary).
This is a painting of a tribesman from New Guinea that I did years ago in my sketchbook looking at tribal body decoration.
Quick sketches done in Paris years ago, looking up at the ceiling in Notre Dame.
In 2001 I travelled around Europe with my family. In 3 months we visited 12 countries in a small campervan designed for 2, but we squeezed in 5! I did these drawings of dragon bridge in Ljubljana on that trip.
In my previous post I shared sketches I’d done of arched ceilings. Here are a few more that I did in Krakow and Prague, but these are less detailed and focus just on the abstract shapes and patterns created by…
I find architectural structures very inspiring and have always loved arched ceilings. The curves of the walls and shadows create so many patterns. Here are a few sketches I did years ago when I was in Krakow, Poland. I have…
This is another drawing I did years ago of a woman from the Nuba tribe. The decorative patterns on her body are created by scarification.
This is a drawing from one of my sketchbooks looking at tribal body decoration. This woman is from the Nuba tribe in Sudan. The decoration on her chest is scarification; a long and painful process that involves incising the skin…
Inspired by the Indian screens I’ve been sketching at the V&A, I decided to look back through my hundreds, actually thousands, of travel photos I took whilst in India back in 2008. I knew I was going to find a…
A couple of sketches of the glass domed roof in Galleries La Fayette, Paris. Remember to look up!
One of my favourite sketchbooks is based on tribal body decoration. This is a painting I did of a Nuba tribesman from Sudan. I love the geometric patterns and soft pastel colours with the dark contrast and hint of ember.
I’ve had to make the hard decision to leave London and move back up north to my parents. It looks like setting up your own business is full of sacrifices! Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end….