Illusion

 Charcoal pencil and coloured chalk. Only yellow, green and a dash of blue. The flesh tints are an optical illusion. 

Exhibition: The Nude 2021

 

One of two of my drawings accepted for The Nude 2021 exhibition at The Candid Arts Trust. 

It runs from June 4th to 14th (Except Mondays and Tuesdays) at 3 Torrens Street, London EC1 1NQ.

Cubism

At the Tuesday session of the The Jolly Sketcher. Model Faith.

On the other hand....

The life room was crowded, so I decided it would be more convenient to draw left handed rather than across my body. I've drawn left-handed for short poses, it's quite a common exercise, but never attempted a long drawing as far as I can remember.
I think one of the difficulties of drawing with the other hand is that all we change is our hands. Otherwise we stay in our habitual stance and shortly afterwards lose our balance. I find it helpful to find where my feet are, and switch the position around.

As I have written elsewhere Jimi Hendrix was an artist who was highly ambidextrous.  

In repose

Model: Carla

1960s Feel

Loulou is an anarchic model who pulls me into unexpected places. On this occasion she landed me in Post_War London.

A Begonia in winter

I did this in early January, the first week in fact. Pleased as I was with it, I couldn't help reflecting that it is probably the best thing I'll do all year.
Model: Begonia

Tattooed Nude

Model Sofia

Two approaches to Sophie

The same model in similar poses from the same viewpoint drawn one week apart. For the top one we were asked draw inspiration from the work of Egon Schiele. In the bottom there is barely any line at all. I used to work with the maxim that there are no lines in nature and tried to define everything by shadow alone, so this drawing is a reversion to that.

Both drawn at the Life Drawing sessions at the Oak And Pastor pub, Junction Road, London N19. Tutor Jonathan Ellis.  

Out of the darkness 2

I covered the paper with charcoal then drew with an eraser and added chalk highlights. The same technique here.
Model Dwayne.
This was done at the life drawing sessions on Monday nights at the Oak And Pastor, on Junction Road, London N19.

Standing female nude

Model Stella, who is also here

I should have mentioned before that the tutor at The Lord Palmerston is Jonathan Ellis and has been since the beginning of the year.

My first colorization

I came across this vintage photo of a woman with extraordinary hair. It was ideal as a cover image for my book Leah And Her Twelve Brothers, and better still once colorized with pixlr.

Female nude arms akimbo

Model Nicole.

Seated ballerina

Model:  the supple and charming Vanessa.

Seated male nude

Done at new class led by Andrea Morreau at Calcott Community Centre on Cathcart Hill, London N19. It meets every Friday 10am to 1pm.

Close to a kestrel

Another view of a kestrel on Hampstead Heath

Technical note: this was not done with a telescopic lens. It was shot with a 50mm lens on a slow film (100 iso) then scanned to high res, blown up and cropped. Hence the detail.

See also : Kestrel in flight and Kestrels on Hampstead Heath

Call of booty

A rear view of a vivacious model named Stella, who forgave me for the emphasis I was obliged to give to her arse due to the position of my easel in a crowded room.

Kestrel in flight

Going through some old paperwork I found a CD of pictures and this is one of them. It was taken a few years ago on Hampstead Heath. As I recall I didn't have time to get an eye to the viewfinder, and took the shot literally from the hip.

Out of the darkness

A different approach: the paper is rubbed with a light coat of charcoal. The drawing is done with an eraser and highlights added with chalk.
Model Sophia.

Jimi Hendrix on Carnaby Street 1967

This candid photo of Jimi Hendrix out shopping emerged as a lot in a sale of Pop Art at Christies last year. In the era of the smartphone we are used to seeing pictures of the famous caught off their guard, in the 1960s they were more unusual. Jimi carries a bag from I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet,  a boutique which specialized in selling retro military costumes. In his right hand Jimi has a cigar, which he has presumably just purchased from Finlay's the tobacconist, just behind him. Playing Sherlock Holmes, we might deduce that the photographer had seen Jimi go into Finlay's and waited for him to come out.
Jimi was left-handed but as child he was put under immense social pressure to use his right-hand and in adult life he wrote as well as smoked right-handed.
What is most striking about this un-posed photograph  is that it shows Jimi's very pronounced stoop. He was also pigeon toed and walked what a shuffle. Like Baudelaire's albatross, out of his element he was maladroit.


My book on amazon.com Jimi Hendrix: London (MusicPlace) and amazon.co.uk Jimi Hendrix: London (Musicplace) (Musicplace Series) by Saunders, William published by Roaring Forties Press (2010)