I’ve been in a bit of a ‘painting funk’ for a while, lacking the motivation to do any painting for no apparent reason. I just don’t feel like it. This happens from time to time, and I find the best strategy is not to force it, and after a while the urge to paint tends to reappear when it’s ready.
In the meantime, I’ve found myself more drawn to sketching, and specifically I’ve started experimenting more with pen and ink, and a bit of watercolour.
Here’s a selection of recent pages from one of my sketchbooks:
To begin with I mainly used a Faber-Castell Pitt brush pen (black) and a grey Tombow brush pen to add some tone.Then I bought a Pentel refillable brush pen for the blacks, which I’m really enjoying.I’m basically sketching random things from reference or imagination, or a bit of both.The fish thing here started as a pencil scribble, which I then worked into a weird sea creature.Practicing some basic 1, 2, and 3 point perspective. Essential concepts to understand.Horses and boxes.Constructing animals from basic shapes.Look behind you, a three-headed monkey! (If you get that reference, you might enjoy these).A bit of urban sketching. Still getting the hang of watercolours.That sunflower is in my friend’s garden. It’s the tallest one I’ve ever seen. Must be 4 metres tall!More animal studies.A collection of studies from a day out walking in the Yorkshire Peak District.Our dog (top left), our friends’ new puppy (bottom left), a house, and my dinner!More ink and watercolour studies.
I’m not sure if this is just a temporary phase until I’m called back to oil painting, but at the moment I’m really enjoying the freedom of it. Let me know what you think, would you like to see more of these?
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