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Friday 29 June 2012

In too deep...

Right, this is beyond rediculous...I am so far behind in my updates for this blog! I need to get things in order so that my mind is clear. It has all been very very busy these past couple of months...I've had end of term presentations, essay hand ins, a visit to Collect, course feedback,  a family move, long walks around inspiring degree shows and have lots and lots of links to sort through! sounds like I've given myself a full time job! eeeek! Though it should all keep me out of trouble over the long summer break :)

Today I went along to New Designers which is like one huge degree show! I have a stack of business cards to work my way through from here too. I want to analyze and highlight what it was I liked best. After my recent drawing trip to Spain however, today was all about yummy surface design for me! So maybe that's where I will start, with Spain and surface marks, before working back to get in a position to somewhere that I can carry on from...

Tuesday 26 June 2012

Day Seven: Heading back Home

The final day was a leisurely one, breakfast, house tidy, pick up, beach bar, beer, cocktail, beer and plane home! I squeezed two more drawings out before I left one in the house as we were waiting for the mopping to dry


And one of my adoration for the back bar at the Torre del Mar beach bar.


This was some bar!! Beds on the beach and Moroccan style lighting - real heaven!

So that was it! My week drawing in Spain. What did I learn? tonnes! I met some really great people, full of ideas about things I have never even thought about; and feel blessed to have experienced and been taken along such an amazing journey of self discovery. I feel reconnected with my visual voice; full of inspired excitement, passion, drive and positive energy.  I can't wait to explore the rest of my summer, and life, through drawings in my sketchbooks and can't wait to go back to Spain! X x

Monday 25 June 2012

Day Six: Stayed the day in Cutar

Because of the football and late night arrival, we had a morning tutorial based on our work from yesterday. I felt knackered by the end of yesterday. My head was all over the place trying to try too much out. This was picked up by everyone. It was noted that I should stay observational, make the most of drawing in a situation and stop creating studio pattern work away from the studio! It made total sense when put like that and having had time to reflect on in since then, whilst even putting these posts together, I know exactly what was happening and how I will benefit from it in the future. So, with all that in mind, we were spending a lazy day in the village today so that tomorrow's departure could run smoothly.

I took myself off around the tight cobbled walkways and selected various things to draw and focus on. Bearing in mind all that I had dealt with, struggled with and overcome throughout the week I applied all of this to my drawings for today. I let go of hang ups and just enjoyed it all a lot more.

I started with this compositional piece, looking at shape in amongst all the building work:


A little further down the alleyway was a gorgeous perspective view of the street. I attempted that once, twice, three times, four, concentrating on different things in each instance:

 I like bits of all of them and I think there is work and development that can be explored here.

I then walked to the very top of the village and sat down to paint the church and the rooftops. There was something very calming about creating this study drawing....


The heat was picking up so I moved myself around into some shade. I found a spot that had a great framed view of a house deep in the valley. I attempted a quick sketch drawing in this instance and like the energy and quick decision making in it because of that!


Before heading back to the villa for lunch I went down to the base of the village and painting a scene of this up towards the church. I felt it interesting to have these two vantage points.

Then I head back to the villa and caught up with Frances, who had been set a mark making exercise.  I wanted to capture her in the creative moment, arms waving, head shaking moving in and out of creative thought and space.


The tree that was next to her I just found so beautiful in shape and texture, the bird cage too, screaming for attention!


As a final few drawings I sat upon the roof terrace taking in the view from the villa once last time before I go. There were an assortment of cacti up there which I decided to draw:

  
along with a study of the windows creating pattern across the landscape.


My last drawing of the day was inspired by Martyn playing guitar. The sound of the strings in the warm Spanish air was just perfect and needed recording.

Sunday 24 June 2012

Day Five: Old Rum Distillery and Maro

Day 5 already? It's all going so quickly!! We were taken to another great venue this morning - a crumbling old rum distillery! It was such an interesting space. I became slightly overwhelmed and panicked I think, trying to record everything rather than pacing and taking my time.

 This first drawing grew from one page into two, there was so much to record and I didn't just want to stay in this one spot. I feel this unresolved and panic abandonded....


 The whole space was incredible though, just look at this photo!!!


I decided to wander around the space a bit more and record some quick drawings of shape


I started abstracting shape from all over the building, all the rust and crumbling holes, each of these had their own shapes and dimensions to play with.

 I worked with all the shapes and recordings that were around me, overlapping on site and playing with minimal colour combinations that I have most enjoyed since yesterday.


 Trying to record another composition, but the pen this time is too vivid for this sensitive building

The pattern overlayed on the top is taken from this discarded pellet shot board. I was playing with the light effect ideas from yesterday but in situ with what I could find.


Inside the building the negative space was really interesting


Again I took lots of photos and will be using these as reference for future ideas and projects


After the Distillery we head to Maro for lunch, another drawing spot and el playa! Lunch was Calemares and I left some which I wish I had drawn :( Waiting for it to arrive though and there was a small gap in the wall with exposed piping, I liked the shape so scribbled again


After lunch we had a shady spot to draw from with a multiple of choice: landscape, colour study, shadow shape or ruin. I opted for the colour study to begin with as I'd felt cheated in my attempts earlier on in the day


I chose to backdrop with the colour then draw over the top with the industrial lines of the cabling and the lampost, I quite like the effect... Afterwards I was looking around for a different kind of subject. I saw these railings casting a shadow and so drew that but on their own (and with bad colour choice: purple and pink) they didn't seem to work. I then looked around for other shapes to compliment and took the steps that were coming down from a church (green) then the zig zag of another set of steps (yellow, alternating) plus the horizon line (grey)


I stuck with the horizon line and drew this in an alternating fashion from different viewpoints over the top of one another. I like the abstract linkage and feel there is lots that could be developed here.


 Then as a total constrast I took to recording the birds that were flying in and out of a window in the ruin of the mill. They were so talkative and I followed them flying. More studies like this are definately on my agenda! I like the monocle wearing birds on the left - real character and lots of open development for this...hmmm?

 this was my set up at the ruin!
 We went down to the beach after this and I had intended on drawing this beautiful rock formation that was down there, but I swam up to it instead, which was actually just what I needed!!

As we head back from Maro we stopped off for Tapas in Benamargosa. I had spicy snails and a russian salad! There was whitebait on the menu too, yum yum! With a bullfight playing on the TV we stopped for a short while so I had a quick sketch of our scene before we head off.



Then we went back to Cutar and found that England v Italy was playing on the TV in the local bar! I wasn't interested in watching the game but thought it a great opportunity to draw some people! So I went along to draw the crowd, whilst they all watched.

I used bold expressive pens for this drawing


And I'm really pleased with the minimal line and colour in this one

Saturday 23 June 2012

Day Four: Caleta

Today we went out to market, alongside the harbour, beach, bar and art shop for coloured pen supplies! This was another nice day, albeit very hot and difficult to work in at times - thank goodness for my big floppy hat!

After tutorial last night talking about the application of different degrees of colour, line and mark-making I borrowed a set of coloured fineliners and bought a pack of broad and fine tipped felt pens - this caused an explosion of colour today! Starting off with some simple line experiments...
Then visiting an awe-inspiring harbour!! So much texture, colour and composition - I wanted to record it all!!! Lots of photos for future reference, to which I will dedicate a whole other post too, but for now, my drawings, starting with the boats and their funny shaped lamp heads...


I really enjoyed overlaying all the media, the colour combinations of the ink and the watercolour was great, really textural. The sun was getting really hot though and there was zero shade other than from the hat on my head, so this one was a little ambitious for the situation:

However this worked much better as it was on a smaller scale:

I loved the composition left by these lobster pots


and after yesterday's introduction to Luis Gordillo 
I was inspired to abstract the circles in to this nice pattern:

We stopped for lunch at this point, rehydrating over a number of Fanta limones y Nesteas! After lunch we head to the beach bar. I loved the layout, all the wicker and cane, lampshades swinging overhead. It called for more drawing, but as I opened by book this happened:


It got me very distracted with all my new pens so I just had to play with the colours...


I then applied a bit more consideration


and wondered what it would look like if you overlayed this idea....



After experimenting a little more with pattern, shape and exhausting my new vibrant colour pallete:


I started to draw out the bar and its lighting features:



Robyn and Martyn fell asleep providing a great life study


Then it was time for a dip in the sea before documenting the beautiful bright parasols:



Friday 22 June 2012

Day Three: Malaga

We head out to Malaga today. A few vists planned; first stop was to the old Moorish settlement Alcazaba de Malaga. I loved this venue. I have an affinity with Moorish architecture and its stylings, and here it was in complete abundance - WOW! Taking the advice from last nights tutorial, and the short discussion on composition, I walked around the settlement, choosing my favourite spots to work from. I took lots of pictures of the interiors:









But it was when I came round to draw that I really had a great time!




We then went on to the Contemporary Art Gallery and visited Picasso's old sherry bar:


We drank dry and sweet sherry, and found they had a very cool way of keeping your tab 
(in chalk on the bar top!)


Malaga's old town had some beautiful street scenes:




whilst being dotted with quirky installations...

I loved these olympians:


and this bench too - WOW!


After the gallery we had a short break in the rest garden outside the cathedral. I made the most of this space of moving figures and scribbled down a page of quick sketches, which I enjoyed.



Exciting tutorial - we are all producing some different and interesting work...I wonder what the remiander of the week will bring...?