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

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.

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.

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.

"You left out my tattoo"

The beautiful Sophia in charcoal on a chalk ground. When she saw the picture she said "You left out my tattoo". It was just a small one on her right hip.

Lay your sleeping head, my love....

Chalk, charcoal and pastels on black paper, and as I drew the lines of W. H. Auden played through my mind:

Lay your sleeping head, my love, 
Human on my faithless arm;
Time and fevers burn away
Individual beauty from
Thoughtful children, and the grave
Proves the child ephermeral:
But in my arms till break of day
Let the living creature lie,
Mortal, guilty, but to me
The entirely beautiful.

Full poem here.

Reclining nude

Bitter Tales - a collection of short stories

Exclusively on Amazon. US readers here Bitter Tales UK readers here Bitter Tales
Also Canada and India 

One reviewer said:

I love the authors writing style here. The sentences have a certain poetry to them and they read like silk. The descriptors that he uses fit the picture in my head so perfectly. His style of writing combined with his ability to describe pictures allows me to read this story so smoothly that I can see a movie instead of the words.  

Adam B at The Enchanted Conversation