Found a new, unused sketch-book in a box recently. From now, it’s my new paintings book; the paper us much better, being thicker at 170gsm rather than 140. Even though the old book still has a dozen blank pages, I’m going to move over to this one from now.
A5 sketchbook, acrylic paint
From photos of a graveyard statues. The stone must have been beautifully carved, perhaps in the 1920s. Now it has weathered and has lichen growing on it. Some surfaces show the paths of decades of rain. Some of these have probably endured 100 winters, thousands of rainstorms and hot summer’s days. Lichem makes up most of the discolouration though there is moss in places too.
These are all on A5 cartridge paper with acrylic paints. Each has an acrylic ground which is dry before the image is started. There is no pencil makring up. Layers of paint are added as thin glases.
I need to do something to the upper figure to move it into the background. Perhaps a red wash.
More sketchbook acrylic paintings.
Working quickly on this one. Immediately got the eomoetry right with little trouble.
All are acrylic on A4 pages in multiple layers. The method is generally the same – prepare the page with a mid-tone ground; 2 sessions; work from mid-tones towards light & dark, last marks are black and pure white (often just a dot).
Short hot spell, 31°C,
Final version. Sorted the ear out and worked in with pthalo blue, including hair highlights.
I still make mistakes with proportions early on in a picture. It’s annoying because I’d like to avoid making them.
On the plus side- I tried working without the reference for a while to concentrate on thinking in colour. I may do a bit more on this one.
This photo, from 2009 is of a hawthorn tree in Leicestershire. I used to pass it on cycle rides to Market Bosworth but it was only visible in the winter when the hedges were clear of leaves. It looks to me like it belongs in a story of haunted houses.
Sleeping can reveal that I am aware of how my mind deals with sleeping or waking. Falling asleep is like flicking a switch, the switch has to do several things at once. It will switch off hearing and bodily movement. The mind has to do the opposite switches when we wake up. Something seems to break the sequence when we’re in REM dream sleep.
Sometimes, we want to wake from a dream and have to struggle. Sometimes, we wake but the switch to allow the muscles to move doesn’t come on immediately. This leaves me in a state where I am awake but can’t move, not even to open my eyes. This is a state of Sleep Paralysis. I get this about once a year.
It’s not just me, this theme has attracted artists like Fuselli. SP seems to reflect the times, demons in the past and UFO alien abductions more recently (especially in the USA where aliens ISNA more popular theme). Others have recounted the feeling of crushing or a sentient presence in the room. I don’t get any of that but the strangest I have had is a loud grinding buzzing sound inside my head.
I may just leave this one as it is. It resides in an A4 sketchbook on prepared paper and only used a No.8 round brush. It’s excellent that brush becauyse it has a very fine tip so I have felt no need to pick up another brush.
The immediacy of acrylic onto paper is refreshing after long weeks of work on oil paintings. I can see faults with those oils but am, frankly, sick of worrying about them.
Spirit of Turpentine 