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David Perry

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My latest effort at following advice to draw and paint anything has resulted in poor success! I tried a broken sea shell, mostly white. It is not a good result for all sorts of reasons which I understand...a good learning experience. So, what next...anyone? Tell me something to draw...makes it more interesting than just walking into a room and grabbing something. Please...nothing white. D

Sylvia Evans

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Black dog !
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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At times like these - since we all have disasters - I find drawing my own hand a strangely settling experience. It is a bit white, in a mottle-y sort of way, but, hands being quite challenging, it is good practice. http://www.isleofwightlandscapes.net http://www.wightpaint.blogspot.co.uk

David Perry

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Black dog it is. Thing is...black dog as in my far-too-much-loved Labrador, Yagi, or black dog as in the sometime accompanying feelings of, well, you know how it is... D

Derek Snowdon

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Dog's aren't easy if you are coming out of a poor success as you term it. Robert's suggestion of a hand is very good, it is tough but there all the time and won't move unless you're developed a pilot's twitch!

David Perry

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Thanks Derek. The interesting thing is light isnt it? I sit down to draw or paint, then when I next sit down the light has changed and it's all different! I see the need for a north window, or a Lowry-esque 40 watt light bulb! Youre right about black dogs though. He is far from black even though he is black. D

Derek Snowdon

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I have seen your shell job David and commented, somemore darks basically. A simple home made light box could be the answer.
our Lady2

Jim Morris

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David. Don't beat yourself up thinking about masterpieces all the time. My best enjoyment is my sketch book and I paint just anything I feel like from an egg on the table, an old bucket in the garden to a landscape/seascape/portrait as the mood takes. I also take my camera around and record reference pics for ideas.Practise, practise, practise is the thing and who is really going to care if the first attempt isn't perfect? I can draw and paint quite detailed things, but I don't want photographs, rather impressionism. Work in a sketch book and you'll find your sketches are often ideas for a finished painting. More than anything, enjoy it. Art isn't a punishment..(-:

Alan Bickley

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David, Wanderer69 has nailed it in a few words or so, he is so right. So many artist's set out to produce a finished and highly polished painting worthy of inclusion in the RA, which will never happen, just sketch constantly, using crayons, coloured pens in fact anything that makes a mark and use scrap pieces of paper if you are worried about making a mistake on your pristine white sheet of 140lb stuff. I've said it before, it is only a piece of paper, throw some tint on it to start the ball rolling if that helps, it helps me and most mistakes can be rectified, even in watercolour. My latest additions to the gallery are full of mistakes as I don't draw any guide lines to work from, but I build any errors into the composition and create multiple lines rather than say one accurate line. Finally, draw just anything, your black dog if you want but make multiple quick sketches from life, why work from photos when you have the real thing sat there. If it moves, as it will, start another sketch and so on, this way your drawing will look spontaneous and more interesting than a laboured approach, good luck.

John Kay

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There's some good advice here, I think it's a mistake to want to have a painting fully formed in your imagination before you start. Instead I find it much more useful to look for combinations of shapes than combinations of objects. Using a viewfinder helps, why not, you would use the one on a camera if taking a photograph. Most cameras have a zoom facility on it and I use it to change the viewpoint and scale. Some of my best paintings emerge from untraditional "painterly" sources. Hope this helps. John

Derek Snowdon

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David we did chat about going out sketching at Pepperbox Hill or somewhere. The results of that would surely prompt you with subjects to let loose on and also build up an archive for future work as they do for me.

Alan Bickley

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What a great idea Derek, the best suggestion by far and I may even join you at some stage in the new year... Not only some good old plein-air sketching but a chance also to take some photo's as a reference for later work back in the studio, that's what I generally do, but I do use them purely as reference and inspiration, and not slavishly copy them, I don't get anything from that although many artist's do work that way and of course that is their choice. A good day's sketching should provide enough material to keep most artist's going for a fair number of paintings during the cold and rainy months ahead.
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