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Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts

Monday, 2 July 2012

Canadian Geese and load of old rust!

Had a nice walk around Vernon Park in the sunshine yesterday. Stopped by the lake to watch the Canadian Geese. I just love their curious looking heads:



On Saturday we head over to Anchor Supplies - this place is great! So much texture and compositional things to look at. Here are some photos I look to do some studies from:







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

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Blog blog birdy birdy

I've been having so much fun with this blog recently! Maybe it's because there's only a couple of months left to my first year at uni (and I already feel a bit like I'm in summer mode), but I'm really into researching at the moment and finding so many wonderful makers! The internet is amazing, distracting, yes, but amazing!! I have discovered so many things from the hour or two I spend browsing everyday..newsletters, blogs, and facebook feeds - information and connection at the click of a button!

Today I came across Tara Badcock Tasmanian embroiderer-extrodinaire! These birds are hers:
I love the addition of the long feather!


and she quotes so beautifully too! :
My favourite and constantly inspiring quote is from Mark Twain, “You might be on the right track but you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

If you want something to happen in your life, you have to make it happen and if you’re on the right track then the Universe seems to conspire to help you succeed.
So true!

Another bird-y maker is Abigail Brown - who really is incredible!





Another to mention at this point too is Donya Coward. Local to Nottingham (and a studio that's a stones throw from uni!) her taxidermy creations have been mentioned already on here but beautiful nonetheless and worth another shout!



Monday, 9 April 2012

Creating in Clay: Week 3

Themed making this week...I continued with the birds!

I really wanted to play with the expression on those taxidermy birds...

...so thought it was time for some quirky teacups!
using the leg as a handle here...it might be a bit too delicate, but we'll have to wait and see!
now for the saucer - with an egg to hold the cup in place!
using the slab form and mitre joining techniques from last week!
and moulding some more bird heads..this time the pelican
doesn't he look just lovely on top of this butter dish!
And here's a funny little fella...
Poking his head out of an egg...or is that a soup bowl!?
sat on a 'pond' with two more eggs (aka salt & pepper pots!)
Now it's a case of waiting until fired and taking the Easter break! One more week when we get back then it's on to Glass and our last of 2 projects of the year!!!

Creating in Clay: Week 2

Tea cups, templates and slab forming on the agenda this week. 

We started with a template for a slab formed bowl
and cut it out from our pre-rolled slabs
I decided to add a little something to the centre! It was taken from my drawings,
but he actually reminds me of the seagull in this:



all the components ready to form together
all secure and I've added an extra bit of detail around the rim
some extra clay to smooth out those edges
tidy up the underneath and leave it to dry
Here's my tea cup - the handle got knocked whilst it was drying :( 
There are a trio of 'eggspresso' cups too but I don't have a proper picture - I'll update when I get back!