we move around

A while back I shared some of my still life drawing secrets, and here's another. Sometimes I use the ironing board to set up my still life. Like in the one above. Why? Well, you can get completely different perspectives, and some unusual angles, of your subject matter. All at eye level. And, what's more, you can adjust the height. Which is great if you draw from a big sunken arm chair like me.

all the weaving of my dreams

Finally a new post on my children's book blog. If you want to know more about this mad drawing (and, quite frankly, why wouldn't you?) then head on over HERE.

remember when you were young?

Well, folks. I've been busy drawing away but this, yet again, is another secret squirrel project. For now, anyway. This is a little snippet (isn't that a great word?) of the illustration I have been working on. It's a one-off drawing from a children's book. I'll reveal it all when I get the go ahead. Also, I believe that this image should be available in some form or other (postcard, I think) in the near future. Not sure how much more I'm allowed to say so I'll keep my trap shut. 'Cos, you know I'm good at that.

and you tell yourself

OK, this is the last thing I am going to say about shoes, from now on. I feel like I've talked about nothing but bloody shoes recently. So, I'm changing the subject. From my next post, of course.

show me where it's at

A bit rubbish, I know, but I just thought I'd share this little story with you whilst I get on with a couple of big time consuming drawings. A couple of posts ago I was bemoaning the demise of an old trusted ballpoint pen. The ancient old blue biro was seen off by a drawing of Adidas trainers. I was also saying how difficult it is to replace an old pen when you become so attached.

Anyway, the next day, whilst out shopping I found this pen on the floor. It's a lovely blue ballpoint pen by Faber and Castell. And the logo on the pen? Adidas.

even after all this time

I remember at the beginning of the year, making a whole load of New Years drawing resolutions. I then proceeded to draw loads of shoes. Even though that hadn't been one of the resolutions. I had a big old shoe binge (or should that be purge?), for about a month and half. It seems that I have one of those every six months.

It's totally unintentional. I'm not that obsessed with shoes. I like them, yes, but I don't spend most of my day thinking about them. Despite what you may see on this blog. It's made me think about it. Why? Why shoes? Why do so many people like shoes so much?

Anyway, here's another drawing of a Stan Smith. It belongs to Josh, who has a thing for Adidas trainers. So it's not just a girl thing.

and it just don't matter now

As I've said a million times before, when it comes to drawing with ballpoints (or biro, if you're British) I'll use any old make. I have no loyalty to any particular brand. Biro, Bic, Papermate, Staedtler, unbranded, Tesco Direct. Any. Found pens, old pens, new pens, free pens, chewed pens. I'll use anything. There is just one problem with this. When your pens run out you can't always find replacements. That's especially annoying when a pen becomes a favourite. Like this one. This drawing of Josh's Stan Smiths has finished off my favourite trusty non blotchy unbranded ancient chewed up old biro.

This drawing is now available to buy HERE.

bright in my northern sky

I wish that I was better at scanning things. Because, I think, this drawing contains some of the most complex cross hatching I've ever done.

I often get asked about my cross hatching. How I do it. How I found this style of cross hatching. Truth is I could never answer those questions. Not very well, anyway. It would be like me trying to explain eating, or something. How do you eat? Well I put food in my mouth and chew. That's it. I couldn't give much more of an explanation. Cross hatching? I put the pen on the paper and draw lines. Lots of lines.

Seriously. I don't know how else to put it.

rollin' over

Pppsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssstttttt.

Seriously. Don't tell anyone. You really do have to keep your cake holes shut about me posting this. It's a stop gap post whilst I catch up with myself, and actually make a new drawing. So why the secrecy? Well, remember when I was away a little while ago? I was actually completing illustrations for a book. It's a little book that should be out in the autumn. This is one of the illustrations from it.

As I got toward the deadline I realised that I might just have left things a bit late (why change the habits of a lifetime?) and so I spent the last month just drawing. Quite literally. I sat in the chair for a month and drew drew drew. When I could be bothered I'd schlep my sorry ass into the kitchen for some tea or some food, but that's it. Pure drawing.

But, I ain't allowed to show you any of it. Or tell you about it. Yet. Not until the book has been printed. I can't wait for that time. I'm really pleased with some of the work I produced. And was absolutely astounded by what I could achieve when I got my arse into gear, rather than sitting round thinking about it.

Anyway, what it does mean is that when the book finally goes to print I'll have loads of new drawings to share with you. There should never ever be a time when I go for a week without posting.

Now go away. Keep your traps shut. And don't tell anyone you've seen this drawing. Or I really will have to kill you.

stumbling over what to say

Ooops. Apparently gold pencil does not look anything like it should when you scan it.

I've had a kind of impromptu holiday that has involved a huge amount of walking. Walking in unsuitable shoes. It seems, I, without fail, always wear totally unsuitable shoes for every occasion. Over my weekend break this has included wearing the tiniest little ballet pumps, with an ever increasing hole in the sole, for eight hours around a theme park in the rain and a pair of mini kitten heels around a cobbled street village.

through your window

As promised, here is the second method I use, when it comes to drawing shoes. This, it has to be said, is my favourite method of all. And, I use it not only for drawings shoes but for most of the still life drawings that I make. In fact, this is probably how about 90% of them were created. My friend says it's cheating, but I don't think so. This method means that everything I draw is the actual size of the object. Plus, for me, it brings the object and the drawing closer together. I feel that the object really becomes a part of the drawing when I draw like this;

Method 2

Oh, and by the way, I have used exactly the same tools as in the last post minus the tracing paper. You don't need that.
Step 1. Get your Converse boot, or whatever it is you want to draw, and draw around it. Yes, actually put it on the page and draw around it. I've used pencil to get the initial shape in the drawing above. It'll never be true to shape, because it depends what angle you are coming from (in so many ways), but I like that.
Step 2. Then draw around the pencil outline with a ballpoint to give you a ballpoint outline (apologies for the totally bloody obviousness of what I'm saying). It doesn't matter if it differs from the pencil outline, it's your shoe and your drawing.

Step 3. Adding 'values'. I'd never actually heard this term before I started drawing blogging. I think it might be a US term (?) or even a technical term. As I said in the last post, I've had no training so maybe that's why I'd never heard it before. So, for those, not in the know, like me, add some shading! By looking at your shoe you can see where the darker bits are - hatch there.

Step 4. More hatching. More more more. Continuing on from the last step, building it up and adding some texture.

Step 5. Adding more detail and continuing with the therapeutic cross hatching. Really feel those textures. Touch your boots!

Step 6. Finishing touches. Adding the lovely details and, again, for this drawing I've added a bold outline. If you don't want a bold outline leave it out. Not every drawing needs one. Finish when you want to finish. It's your drawing. Let the drawing tell you when it's done.

Well, that's the process I go through. But, hey, don't listen to me. I haven't got a bloody clue what I'm doing!

Both of the drawings, from these last two step by step posts, are available in my little Etsy shop HERE.

two way street

Over the past few years, of drawing shoes, I have worked through many different processes to get the end results that I am happy with. As I'm self taught it's been a process of elimination to find the ways that work best for me. I have narrowed it down to two methods, that I now employ, when it comes to drawing shoes from still life. I'll show you both in the next two posts.

You can see all of the tools I have used to make this drawing in the picture above. They are; a cartridge paper sketch book; tracing paper; pencil; rubber (I believe that means something different across the ocean!); three blue ballpoints; one red ballpoint. I want to stress at this point, because I'm asked so frequently, I use ANY kind of ballpoint pen. No special makes or brands. Any. As long as they aren't blotchy I'll use them.

Method 1
Step 1. I am pretty obsessive about getting the shape 'right', so if I'm sketching something, like an Adidas trainer, I will do the sketching stage on tracing paper. I realised, a while back, that I do not have any 'sketch' books as such. I only ever produce finished drawings. I do, however, have huge amounts of roughs, they are just on tracing paper. Doing things this way means I can work on the shape I want to achieve and then transfer it easily to paper. It also means that, if I should want to, I can reproduce the same image (in different mediums). Which is something I do quite often.
Step 2. When I've got shape I want I transfer it to paper. In the image above you can see the ballpoint outline. I would obviously start with a pencil outline, but the scan I did for that was rubbish - you couldn't see anything. So when the pencil outline is put down on the paper, I go over it faintly with a ballpoint.
Step 3. I have started to add some shading (values?) to some areas. I work out where this shading should be by observing the shoe and where the shadows and light fall. Excuse me if all this sounds really patronising, it's not meant to. It's just how I have learnt to draw. Step by step.
Step 4. Here comes the cross hatching. This is the part where I feel I can really get into the zone with this drawing. I love this bit. The shoe is starting to come alive, and more texture is being added through the hatching.
Step 5. A continuation of the last step. More building, more hatching, more texture. Also at this point I'm starting to add the detail. That's another bit I love doing.
Step 6. The finishing touches. My most favourite bit. Details, a bit of extra hatching and a splash of red. In this drawing the final finishing touch was to outline the shoe with a bolder line, using a ballpoint that has a bigger nib.

I'm sure there are more sophisticated methods of creating drawings but when you haven't had the training you don't get to learn them. That's OK with me, though. I found my way of doing things through practice.

In the next post I'll show the other method I use to make my shoe drawings. Hope it's useful in some way.

you're a rare rare find

Sir Wilfred Digby Jones McPickles

You know, I'd really love to have a dog. I would like a dog not for the companionship, or to get fit, I'd like a dog so that I could dress him up as a Victorian gentleman. Then I would get him to parade around the house with my cat, who would be dressed in crinolines. Just for my amusement. Until that time arrives I've drawn them.

The phrase 'what am I doing with my life?' comes to mind. Again.

Lady Flora Josephine Fossington Smythe

Actually, when I was away, a month or so ago, I was working on a book deadline. I'm not sure how much I can say about it yet, but as part of my research I found myself looking through lots of Victorian and Regency silhouettes. There are some stunningly beautiful examples, and I'd recommend doing a little research (Googling) yourself. I think you'll be inspired. I was. It's also how I'm trying to justify these two drawings.