Drawing Tuesday - jewellery / treasures

While messing around in search of the next woodblock-print idea, a couple of days ago, I painted some "cave mouths" (bottom row) -

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and moved on to similar things (top row), and the last one (duplicated top left) led to something else -- page after page of "gemstones" in my A6 notebook -

Years ago, in a textiles course, I did a collage incorporating "jewels" - the red rectangles in middle of left-hand page are enlargements, done in pastel - aiming to get the reflective qualities of the facets, and the strange depths -

It was thought-provoking to revisit that fascination with facets, which dates back to 1993, and to see how it has now become an abstraction.

From Jo - Brooch - Danish 1960s.

From Carol - So lovely to do something in detail which would be almost impossible in a museum, and so much choice.

A Victorian bracelet, silver wire, enamel with a small cameo. Given to my Mum in her teens by an elderly neighbour for ‘her kindness’. Old but of no particular value except to me.  I do wear it sometimes, it is a beautiful little thing and reminds me of the better qualities of my Mum.

From Judith - Playing with Procreate,

a necklace made from horse shoe nails

and a very quick watercolour.

From Najlaa - I kept this picture of the necklace in my inspiration folder to do something with fabric. I like the idea and hope to do it one day.

From Sue - Here’s my sketch of a variety of my ethnic necklaces on tailor’s dummy. Must wear them more often when dressing up when we’re allowed out to ‘party’!

From Janet B - Two necklaces chosen purely for their colouring-in potential. 

From Richard - Oh dear, precious to me but possibly grounds for divorce, and Sue will very definitely want to go to the hairdresser now.

From Janet K - My favourite necklaces. watercolour, coloured pencils and a bit of gouache

From Mags - Took me ages to select which of my hundreds of earrings to draw, I've been wearing a different pair each day in lockdown ! I mostly wear dichroic glass ones  so it was good to rediscover those bought on my travels and at craft/ designer shows.

From Ann - These are brooches and items of jewellery that I consider treasures too! The watercolour and coloured pencils brooch is a treasure of my mother's and the pencil drawing of an art nouveau silver brooch... a gift from my husband many years ago! Enjoyable in many ways to look back and reflect on.

From Jackie - difficult to choose which treasure/jewellery to draw... but found this unexpectedly ... a sliver charm bracelet which was a present from my parents.

 I added charms which I collected as souvenirs from holidays in the 50’s ... 

a strange motley collection of 'charms'… it was a treasure to me and I loved wearing it!

From Gill - This is my very heavy marble jewellery bowl.

It felt quite nostalgic drawing pieces I usually wear when I go tango dancing. Can’t see me wearing any of this for quite a while!

Drawing Tuesday - Vases, jugs, pitchers

The evening before, I looked around and gathered a few vases and jugs -

 ... and found more the next day -

Each of them has its story, and 25 have shown up so far - drawn separately, that's nearly enough for an alphabet book, and I was tempted to start one then and there! But I did a group portrait -

Was it the chair or was it the bending forward - my back wasn't happy at then end of the session, and I was rather glad to see the back of it -

From Carol - Doing a dimpled jug was a challenge. It was nice to take time and think about all the reflections.

From Sue - Here’s my sketch of an array of our jugs & vases.

From Janet B - I enjoyed drawing a Westerwald jug, a souvenir from my year in Germany in the mid 70s, and then as I’m never able resist a bit of kitsch, an Asda Westie milk jug.

From Judith - Playing around today!

From Mags - In the morning, short of time, I did a small watercolour of four jugs with histories seen from above. In the afternoon , in homage to Morandi (remembering the fantastic exhibition and workshop at the Estorick http://magsramsay.blogspot.com/2013/04/morandi-workshop-poetic-still-lifes.html) I drew the bottles by the sink.... It took a while.

From Janet K - My attempt at Morandi cross hatching. I am enjoying drawing at home - though I miss the convivial lunches - it gives me time to start again when the first try doesn't work. 

From Najlaa - This is the vase I did. I have the picture from long time and no chance to draw it.

From Jo -  two attempts. I think I prefer the black and white one, although the coloured one took longer as I kept going back and "scrubbing" at it! - mainly adding more patches of colour.

Staedtler Triplus Fineliner

"The blue bottle at the ack does not exist. The others came from the shed."
 Wax crayons, a bit of water soluble pecil - and much general scrubbing!

From Gill - My metal jug in the garden  just drawn , with pencil and crayon on embossed paper.

From Ann - Loved the Morandi theme ...jugs, vases. And enjoyed all the challenges of a pencil drawing but also the calm that came to me.

From Hazel - I drew 3 containers found in my studio today. The light was strong this morning and I got involved with the shadows cast. I drew with pencil and coloured pencils. I am always surprised by what you see when drawing from life.

 From Jackie - three vessels left to right: made by me in 2006 a dramatic salt glaze firing wheree the kiln shelf collapsed not to be righted till kiln was unpacked with fear and trepidation 2 days later... middle pot by Michael Casson, saltglazed. 3rd pot French round vessel I have known since childhood

From Richard - Pastels

Fountain pen; really good new one, with big piston-type ink reservoir and nib choice available, bought online: TWSBI ‘Eco-pen’.

From Sylvia - Nice to try drawing again!

Drawing Tuesday - Bags, purses, bins

My chosen bin, the recycling, was full of signs of The Good Life (empty bottles, ice cream container, drink cans) but the body of the bin had one of those basketry textures that take forever to do. So I amused myself by trying to figure out where the invisible parts of the recycling were - an exercise that helped with making the basket a better size and proportion -

Then it was time to tackle the basketry -

Even at the time I knew the drawing needed more contrast.


From Janet B:  My name is Janet and I’m a sacophilic. So,  worried that I would be spoiled for choice, I grabbed the first four bags I found: three shoulder bags that were hanging on a wardrobe door and a large knitting bag. I propped them up against a filing cabinet in my sewing room and then  had a very relaxing morning. No warm up, just straight in with a 2B and four Derwent Procolours. 

From Sue:  Here’s my baggage off-load! 

Had 30 mins left over, so added this interesting handbag - a present from a friend some years back. Recently spotted it in an Eastern shop locally -Now costs over £50!!

From Jackie:  This bag has been sitting lifelessly ever since my birthday...March 23rd lockdown day 1. I thought it looked rather deflated and decided to give it a purpose!

From Hazel:  I chose this bag to draw as I love the colours, patterns, textures and decorations. A real feast for the eyes. I drew it with inks and coloured pencils.

From Richard:   I drew my satchel - with Derwent colour sticks to avoid being too tight. I should have drawn it larger to make that work better.

Then my study waste bin with aquarelles - galvanised steel has such a lovely crystalline pattern. 

From Janet K:  Two bags in my collection. Kermit is from a Muppet friend - the bag has many more frogs on it - didn't draw them all. The woven bag is made in Zimbabwe. A gift from a friend who was living there, her husband worked for Save the Children at the time.

From Najlaa: This is from a hand bags book, I have it for long time.

From Carol:  Italian bag on an Ikea chair – happy memories of laughing with an American lady in a lovely bag shop in Venice and wondering if we could get away with buying several bags on our husbands credit cards (I should have brought more).  I wonder where she is now!

From Joyce:  Here’s my bag a favourite but no particular story. Watercolour with a little pen and ink.

From Judith: Fell off the bottom once again!

From Mags:  Didn't realise I had quite so many bags on the back of the door...

From Jo:  "I doodled as I didn't feel terribly inspired, except by the Saga of Lost Laundry, although 'Saga' is is hardly accurae: they went to the laundry; it closed; the end."

Two bag-washes suspended in time and space -
somewhere between Aldeburgh and Colchester
... not to mention the dry cleaning ...
and a Welsh tapestry blanket....

Top: from the box-room.
Below: Japanese frog-mouth purse. The original has the frogs printed
all over it. No designer named.

Bags for Life (a bit discontented)