Tag Archives: drawing

Rain, rain, rainy day.

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The top sketch is of Brunswick Bound – a bookshop I am fond of. I sat with my friend B – we went to VCA together – and it was nice just to drink tea, sketch and buy books. I then visited another friend – Nicholas Jones – in his studio and did a very rough sketch (above ). I’d like to go back and draw for longer.


I’ve been sketching people about town a lot lately. The above one is of an artist recreating an old work in chalk on Swanston Street. His friend watched me and then introduced himself when I had finished – he told me his name was Wayne and said that his name will probably change again soon. We talked very briefly about art and composition and then I made a mad dash to meet my better half for a delicious dinner.


I was also at the Wheeler Centre and I decided to do some more sketching out front of the State Library of Victoria. I had aimed to draw the building but found I wanted to do quick sketches of people sunbathing, reading and chatting on the lawn instead.


I’ve been thinking a lot about Dürer lately and deciede to do a quick drawing referencing his prayer hands drawing. I nicknamed it “Dürer with nailpolish” – not sure anyone apprictaes that, but I do.

I’m thinking of doing a series of portraits of men – as my last two big drawings of Nicholas Jones and TUSK were very popular. So I asked my long time pal and fellow artist Mo Campobasso to pose for me as well. We chatted about Dürer’s self portraits.

Portrait of poet Ainslee Laura Meredith

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I finished this portrait a number of months ago but didn’t have time to get it online.

My drawing style is changing, I’ve begun to use a lot more crosshatching in my big drawings, which I am really enjoying.

Ainslee is a Melbourne based poet who recently released a book of poetry called Pinetorch. You can follow her on twitter.

Françoise Mouly, Art Spiegelman, comics and sketches

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What a week!

Monday morning Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly visited Squishface studio – along with a number of Melbourne’s finest comic artists, cartoonists, illustrators – magic makers. I was absolutely star struck and honored for the conversations, advice and encouragement given.

I think this photo, taken by Gregory Mackay, sums it up rather nicely:

That’s Mandy Ord, myself, Ben Hucho and Art.

I slipped off after the coffee as I was so overwhelmed and inspired and also – I had to get daughter from daycare. But wow – what a Monday. WHAT A MONDAY.

The next evening I attended the event ran by the Wheeler Centre at Melbourne Town Hall and had my mind blown again with meeting more amazing people and hearing Art speak for some two and a half hours on the history of comics, his experiences and inspirations. The passion and humor of this man kept everyone quite and attentive throughout the entire presentation.

Nicki Greenberg did an amazing job hosting the event and so I drew her and Art’s hands while they were talking.

During the event I also drew the back of Nicki’s head and then realized Oslo Davis was sitting across from me – so I drew him too.

I’m still trying to find the words but I just feel so lucky – so lucky – to have had these expereinces and meet these amazing and inspiring people.

 

 

Drawing our vintage camera collection

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I’ve taken to drawing our cameras over the last fortnight – it’s good for my brain and nice to be doing something a little more freehand.

We have quite an large collection and I’m also making plans to draw and paint other objects I admire around our house. There’s the bulky type writer I recently bought – ugly but functional – the vintage kitchen cabinet I snatched up from Gumtree, then random pieces of crockery and tea cups. You get the idea. Lots of things.

I want to draw all the things.

Working, thinking

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I feel like I have been drawing this drawing forever. Which is utter nonsense because I only started it last week .. perhaps the week before.

But I’m at that point where even though I work and things get drawn and it’s evolving – I feel like it isn’t going anywhere.

Perhaps this is the danger of focusing all of my time on just one artwork. Maybe this is why I ( usually ) work on many artworks at once. Because if there is just one work then I think about that work. I think about it while I’m working on it, I think about it when I am packing up from working on it, I think about it at dinner time, I think about it while I’m showering, spending time with loved ones, changing a nappy. I think about it on trains and in cafés and I think about it while I am trying to sleep. Which is the worst because with no other outside influence I think about it in a hyper-realistic state. I note the textures, the way the ink takes hold of the paper, the layers – I feel myself drawing it.

So then I am doing all of this thinking and feeling and it’s taken up so much of me it almost feels like it is going to implode. There’s too much and when there’s so much information and feelings it’s almost like I’ve experienced this artwork completely and then I think, well, I don’t have to finish it. Because I’m kind of lost to it and what’s the point anyway.

So this is the point I photograph and upload it onto this blog to say look, I’m making things and something is happening – even if my tired brain, eyes and hands tell me otherwise.

 

 

Fishbone

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The sky is brilliant this evening- it’s dusk and I am in the hospital looking out over this side of Berlin- it’s cold but brighter. The clouds are in two layers; the layer closest to us is a patchwork of fluffy cotton-balls, while the other layer is patterned like a fishbone and wraps this side of the earth as a blanket. The wind is howling, howling
and I am happy – I get to go home tomorrow.