Highlights from year 2 of art school

admin — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 18:54:42 +0000

Click on the images to see a larger version:

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Sometimes I remember to take pictures of the process.

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And sometimes I do not:

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There was fun playing with pastel pencils:

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And an experiment with a lino cut and print:

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And I got to hang out for a few weeks with this little chap, by blowing him up to unreal proportions (original picture from Carl Bovis):

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All in all, I learned a lot and I can definitely see progress when I compare with my work from last year. It feels good to create in the old-fashioned ways on paper, for a million different reasons. Get your pencils out, now go draw something! (Free bookmark commemorating my 2023 relocation for the first person who gets that reference! Post your answer in the comments!)

An old post from last year!

admin — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 16:15:16 +0000

After a long time away from this little blog, I returned and noticed this old post sitting there patiently in draft. I thought I might as well publish it, so you get something to look at while I cobble together the next one. After almost a year in the job (and a marathon that ate a lot of my free time!), I am finding a bit more space and maybe even a rhythm to post again. Hope springs eternal!

Click through on the big pictures to see them on Flickr for Alt Text and some more detail

Phew! It’s been a while! Since I started my new full time (and awesome) job I have had time to draw but not to post. Enough of the excuses already, let’s have a look at some of the drawings I did since the last post

Art school finished in June, and I got a good report card The teacher kinda liked this, based on the feedback he gave

Still life with bottles, “Symphony in Green” aka “The Reflection Challenge” – colour pencil on paper.

Below you see the original and some shots of the progress. It took me quite a few sessions (of 3-3.5hrs each) to get there, but I learned a lot.

Still life “Symphony in Green” or rather “Reflection Challenge”

Sketch and hesitant first colour

Glass bottles in colour pencil, layering gently

Drawing in progress with four out of the five bottles coloured in

I also entertain the vague hope that 500 years from now I may be known as ‘The Master of the Bottines’, like my late medieval heroes. Not sure how it happened, but at one point that was all I was drawing for a couple of weeks!

Children’s boots in graphite pencil – adding the stitching details was fun!

A classic at our Academy: the old boots. Needs some work on the perspective but texture is ok.

I’m starting to know what boots look like…

I can’t wait to see what the second year holds! But before that one kicks off, I’ll share some more drawings from the 100 day challenge – I completed that and it was a blast

Post script: The second year is good, too. Learning new things. I might even share some pics soon

art classes – Radio Blackbird Illustrations

Highlights from year 2 of art school

An old post from last year!