I spent a fascinating day at the Ardington School of Craft experimenting with textual art, tutored by Simon Sonsino. Splashing inks about and then trying to incorporate lettering /words into the result. As one whose writing is illegible even to me, this was going to be a challenge, but great fun. At one stage it involved frisbeeing inked papers around the garden to get spin patterns.
A younger male model today, who had the same name as me, which seemed strangely strange. First, a series of quick poses, where he turned through a few degrees between poses, but otherwise held shape. This is a very rewarding way to draw. It can seem almost like animation.
We tried another series of poses where he stepped around a stool, but that didn’t really work for me. Then a couple of straight charcoal drawings of an interesting seated pose.
I do like charcoal. I’m beginning to like pencil more than I used to.
I think this is complete. I started out on the wrong foot, using the wrong colour of paper. A lot of the paper colour shows through, because of the heavy ribbed texture. A warm colour would look OK. This dark blue grey just looks drab. I think I need to get some different pastel papers.
I don’t think Piero wool feel threatened any time soon.
In my bid to learn to draw better portraits, I’m working through a while range of colours of exemplars. I was given the wonderful David Hokney book, the History of Pictures for my birthday. It is full of wonderful things. I have just started a copy of a sleeping soldier by Piero de la Francesco. Long way to go yet.
Drawing a model who looks like a benevolent pirate. Started out by splashing acrylic paint all over the paper. Once that was dried, drawing the figure in charcoal and a little colour. Aiming at detail in just selected areas. The first attempt was awful, but these three are not too bad.
I think she is wonderful. It is the contrast of her completely modern body against that fabulous backdrop of egyptian hieroglyphics that always catches my eye. This is what ancient Egyptians must have actually looked like. How Klimt got away with her flaunting herself like this on the main staircase into the new Royal gallery I don’t know. The Viennese were so messed up about propriety and sexuality. I can see why Freud had so much fun getting old Wienerins to talk smut to him. It’s an endlessly fascinating city.
She starts to emerge. I’ve managed to get her left arm tangled up in the gilded Corinthian capital on the right. I really should measure these things out and not just do it by eye.
My copy of Klimt’s egyptian goddess advances. I have just about completed her background. I can’t put off drawing her for much longer. Doing all of this in pastel is quite a challenge, in particular because of the small scale. The whole picture is only eight inches tall
I moved to Vienna when I was eight. We were taken to the Kunsthistorische museum on a number of visits. All I can remember was the egyptian carvings. I think I liked them, even then. I must have seen Klimt’s naked egyptian, up over the staircase. She made no impression then, but I was only eight! I look at her every time we go back now. She is glorious. High time I tried to draw her.
JEGS ART 