Jars and Bottles

This was my first attempt when I looked at the group I had prepared I thought that there was no way in the world I could attempt to draw that.  I did not know where to start!!! So I started with the bottle and gradually the drawing came together.  I was very pleased with result.

   




I added felt pen to the outline of this drawing and the mistakes are very obvious. Also with the slightest movement off the pencil line the whole shape changed. I think the bottle and the glasses were good but the small jug and the jar with the lid are not quite correct. However, I am very happy with the result for my first attempt and enjoyed the process.


... And just for emphasis I have added three of the same image and dont know at this time how to remove them!!!

PAESAGGIA D'ITALIA (Landscapes of Italy)

The City of Ascoli Piceno, thanks to the contribution of the Group Gabrielli, prepares, at the Galleria Civica d'Arte Contemporanea "Lincini O.", from 16 April to 6 November, the exhibition "Landscapes of Italy between Corot and factors" with 'exhibition of works by Giulio Gabrielli (1832 - 1910). The exhibition was organized as part of celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Italy and brings together 120 works by the artist Giulio Gabrielli Ascoli which will be made in connection with those of the best known landscape artists of the nineteenth century which was contact during their period of study in Rome, Florence and Naples (Giant Von Pitloo, Caffi, Corot, Costa, abbots, Sernesi, Vito D'Ancona, League and Factors). A section of the exhibition is devoted to relations with some of the people of the Risorgimento Gabrielli Marche and in particular its role as curator of the artistic and archaeological heritage city, as the founder of the Pinacoteca Civica and the Municipal Library. "Being close to the right and participate in the exhibition of an artist shine Ascoli who helped make our area famous in the world - said the vice president of the group, Barbara Gabrielli - is a very important aspect. The artistic heritage of the Gabrielli is a journey not the only view, but also a time to try to set emotions capable of stopping time to get in touch with the places of memory ".



The Information above was supplied by the Galleria Civica de Art Contemporanea 'O. Licini' Ascoli Piceno
The exhibition was very interesting with most of the paintings using a board of paper.  The majority of pieces were painted in tempura which I guess the artists of that time would have made themselves.  The few oil paintings on card were a little faded as the oil had soaked into the card.  The scenes depicted were of the beautiful italian countryside and the town Ascoli Picena.  Walking around the same streets, seeing the same buildings which were in the paintings was incredible. A couple of the paintings were of a revolution type scene with lots of people and a few horses and huge italian flags.  The paintings were in very muted colours of burnt siena, burnt umber and the flags were just so beautifully painted in Red, white and Green, totally different from the rest of the painting.  There was also a very beautiful piece of many people in the big 'piazza' at night with horses and flags.  A very dark painting except for a small section which created a very dramatic and beautiful painting.
There was also a collection of studies of different things such as olive leaves, peppers, grapes and flowers.  The artist was extremely talented in creating the dark and the light in the studies.  An added bonus for me was to be able to see his tiny sketch books.  Some as small as 10cm x 8cm.  He drew with pencils and then used very soft watercolour to enhance the drawing.  Sadly when I looked at the book they had produced for the exhibition all the drawings, I think had been digitally enhanced so all the photographs were much more rich than the actual paintings so I don't think that it truly represented the artists work at all.

Start Drawing, Part 1: Summary of Mark Making Excercises

I became very aware of how I was holding my mark maker and fully concious of the different marks made using different angles and pressures of the pencil, pen etc.
I enjoyed stippling with a thicker pencil as the normal sized pencil seemed very slow and I always seem to be in a hurry with everything.  I liked the process of doodling but found I needed to make some sort of pattern or something that was in my head and not just draw like a child as per the illustration in the manual.  I will keep trying however as I understand the process.  Using the Inktense pencils was the most enjoyable process for me as the colours are beautiful and the lines can be thicker or thin and the opportunity to add water to spread the colour added another dimention.  Using the greens with straight up and down lines was excellent for depicting grasses I thought.  The use of charcoal for me is very messy and I found I did not have much control over the medium, even after spraying it with a fixative.  I did, however, enjoy making the marks with charcoal, the beautiful long curves and using the side of a smaller piece make a great mark.  In the future I would consider using charcoal on a large piece of paper to do a big landscape to eliminate all the little details.  The pastel pencils I used made very precise lines which would be excellent when painting with soft pastels.  I also enjoyed very much using the water soluble oil pastels as I really like the marks made when the damp pastel was dragged down the paper. And adding water to them made them seem very versatile to use.  I used a small stick and some ink to create marks that I would in the future use as small trees and vegetation at the bottom of a landscape.  Very interesting marks from the stick.  The cross hatching excercise was enjoyable because of the different colours available and the addition of water to blend the colours.  For me the whole excercise was very interesting and I found it had an effect on my drawing of the landscape.  I was aware of the marks I was making and tried to improve them.  I also realize that I have to draw with plenty of time and not rush the marks I want to make.

''Thistles Along the Roadside'' by Van Gough.

This is a beautiful piece of line making by Vincent Van Gough in Pencil, Pen and Brown Ink.
Dated 13th August 1888.
The artist has used very simple uncomplicated lines, dots and circle shapes to describe the plants and the roadside.

One of my favorite sayings:

Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There is plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forwards, backwards or sideways.
H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Welcome to my learning webblog: Drawing 1

I first began to draw and paint over 15 years.  And after traveling around the world for the past few years I find myself settled and living in Rome, Italy.  And want to work towards being a more proficient artist.  In the past few months I have worked on different and new techniques for my art practice and have discovered that there is much more I want to do.  The biggest problem I have always had is that I have had so much to do in so many different areas of life that I have always had to create artworks in a rushed and hurried pace.  I find myself now being able to take a breath and really concentrate on my works and very much want to improve my skills and techniques.  I have been greatly influenced by the incredible colours of Australia and the early painters such as Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts.  There was a group of painters who went out into the country in Victoria, Australia in the early 19th century and live in tents and painted for months on end.  Producing incredible works of art in very hard conditions.  I have also been greatly affected by the colours of Spain, from paella to the incredible flamico dancers.  Now I am able to enjoy the colours of Italy.  The beautiful colours of the italian countryside is spectacular and I am able to paint as much as I wish.  I now want to dramatically improve my drawing skills to start with.