"The artist...is also a born adventurer. His explorations, unlike those of a tourist, are rewarded by the discovery of beauty spots unmentioned in the guide books, and with tireless curiosity and an exceptional proneness to wonderment, he will come upon objects of remarkable interest overlooked or even shunned by more disciplined observers."

Augustus John, R.A.




Friday 5 August 2011

Recent Sketches

I started this blog with the intention of it being a kind of sketchbook diary, hence its title. Since then though it has changed and developed and now contains more finished studio work than field sketches. Ten years or so ago, pretty much all I was doing was sketchbook work with very little, and in some years no finished studio pieces being produced. Now I seem to have turned full circle, with nearly all of my time taken up with studio work and very little time being spent outdoors. I need to redress this balance, ideally I would like to set aside some time each day for some serious observational drawing, even if only for half an hour or so. The following are some recent sketches made over the last month, actually they are the only sketches I have made over the last month. So you can judge for yourself how much time has been spent outside, (even some of these were drawn from inside the house looking through the windows!).



A dejected looking Dunnock in the back garden in a heavy rain shower.
6b Progresso Graphite Pencil.



A Heron sketched as it flapped lazily overhead as I sat in a supermarket carpark.
Rotring Art Pen.



Two Jays sat on the fence at the bottom of mums garden. Eyeing up the fat balls hanging from the birdtable, trying to work out how to get to them.
Rotring Art Pen.


A female Sparrowhawk drawn as it flashed passed chasing a Blackbird. The drawing on the left is all wrong the wing shape looks more like a harrier!
Rotring Art Pen.

This afternoon we had an hours walk around Winscar Reservoir on the northern edge of the peak district. This Common Sandpiper was on the edge of the shoreline, the Wheatear on the moor above the reservoir.



Common Sandpiper.
Rotring Art Pen


Female Wheatear
6b Progresso Graphite Pencil and Watercolour.

4 comments:

Matteo Grilli said...

Beautiful series of drawings..

Stewart said...

Superb Stuart. I think your Sparrowhawk is excellent. I've seen them looking quite harrier-like when in hunting / stalking mode, and you seem to have accidentally captured it!

Stuart Brocklehurst said...

Hi Matteo, thanks for the comment, glad you like the work.

Stuart Brocklehurst said...

Hi Stewart
There is a fine balance in trying to catch the wing shape as the hawk twists and then accelerates. The wings look longer at this point but I drew the secondaries too thin.