Sunday 25 March 2012

19th- 21st March: another embarrassing self-portrait, a rubber duck and a scone

19th March: another of those rather embarrassing self-portraits that frankly I'd prefer not to post, but a drawing a day means what it says, so here it is... And it's trying out a new technique which I do quite like.

20th March: I quote- 'I'm not looking down!' (for once).

21st March journal page

Monday 19 March 2012

15th- 18th March: pine trees, snow and little wooden cottages


13th- 14th March: inside views and cross country skiing in central Stockholm

13th March: extracted from a group of four sketches experimenting with showing inside and outside, erm, side by side (oh).

Royal Palace Sprint- a cross country skiing race that goes right around Stockholms Royal Palace- including up and down the steps. Roads are closed, snow is imported in lorries and structures are constructed for people to stand on. The atmosphere was amazing, the wind chilly, and the world's top cross country skiiers performed feats of strength and speed which seem astonishing to me as a novice!

Royal Palace Sprint continued

Royal Palace Sprint spectators: standing on the steps of a tall statue- a bit far away to see the details of the start and finish, but you could see the skiers passing and going up the slope . As I sketched, more and more people stood in front of me, so I drew them instead.

Tuesday 13 March 2012

8th- 12th March

8th March: The Bear
9th March: sketchbook cover, still playing with ink bubbles and a straw
10th March: extract from a page of quick illustrations of Melodifestival- the Swedish pre- Eurovision competition. I think drawing it made it more entertaining...
11th March: drawing as note-taking. Quick sketches of Eija-Liisa Ahtila's story-board type drawings at Moderna Museet. I'm not sure what to call them- they are sketches that -it seems- she makes to think through ideas for filming, but they're also really lovely drawings in themselves.
12th March: extract from a visual to-do list. I've started doing one of these each week to help keep track of everything- somehow it seems to be more effective than a normal list. Maybe just more interesting...

Thursday 8 March 2012

3rd- 7th March

3rd March: quick line drawings while watching Midsomer Murders- very popular on Swedish TV.

4th March: a sheltered spot beside the bus stop
5th March: a frustrating life drawing session. The model was good- he did all sorts of entertaining things like wrapping himself in the carpet and lying on the floor- but somehow that interest wasn't translating itself into my drawings.
6th March: attempting to draw twilight from memory- still a challenge!
7th March: more tv drawings, this time from The Day Today.

2nd March: optimistically (?) sketching outside

It's March, the sun is shining, the weather has been above freezing for a few days... what could possibly go wrong with sketching outside in Stockholm?
We headed to an industrial area near Liljeholmen, starting off with a cement factory. A very interesting cement factory beside a lake. However, the lake is still frozen- and a strong wind was blowing off it, carrying cement dust in our direction... I regretted not having worn my thermals!
Nevertheless, we managed to stay put long enough to do a few sketches:


Railway carriages from the cement factory: fascinating big metal shapes to draw
Having warmed up inside Färgfabriken- a gallery with a very nice cafe- we noticed that someone had very kindly placed a picnic bench on a patch of grass in the sun, out of the wind. And even better, it offered some interesting views. Needless to say we settled down happily for a few more sketches. All in all it was a successful day of drawing, albeit with a rather chilly start.
 

Friday 2 March 2012

27th February- 1st March


27th February: life drawing

28th February: favourite mug (wearing a 'hat' to keep the tea warm while it brews).

29th February: continuous drawing while watching tv
1st March: shock news- sunset is only just beginning at 5pm...we've come a long way since December!


22nd- 26th February: ink bubbles, ancient cypriot figures and ice hockey.

22nd February: making bubble 'prints' with soapy ink and a straw
23rd February
24th February: more inky bubbles
25th February: Cypriot ceramic figures at Stockholms Medelhavs (Mediterranean) Museum

26th February: one way to make a dramatic entrance at an ice hockey match! The team- AIK- skate out through the archway, brightly back-lit, with flames at the top and smoke to add to the effect.