Paper Cut Outs

 

I've been messing around with paper cut outs this week. They are a lot of fun to do. I'm finding it really refreshing using block colours and simplifying lines and things rather than covering everything in pencil shading like I always do.

Seagull in a Phonebox

On my way home last year, very early in the morning, I saw a seagull trapped in a phonebox eating chips. It was pretty weird. I want to try to collect lots of strange stories like this and maybe make a wee book or a zine or something.

Johnny Randolph

I've been trying to rely less on pencil for shading and use stronger lines. But as you can see, I got scared part way through and had to get my mechanical HB on the scene to sort things out.

Carrying on wi' Kes

Just a little drawing of Billy Casper and Kes. I've been working on a couple of other Kes related bits as well as some other random drawings in college these week. Things seem to be going pretty good.

First Flight

I've been working on a couple more ideas based on Kes. Here is one I've just finished up. In other news, I saw two foxes this weekend in Leeds.

Kes

I haven't done any work just for the sake of doing work for a while so I thought I'd have a go. I've just watched 'Kes', something I've been meaning to do for ages, and I've taken lots of screen grabs and things to work from.
This is loosely based on a scene in the opening few shots of the film.

I will be heading back up to Edinburgh next week to start my second year of Painting, which I'm really really looking forward to, so expect more regular updates soon.

Mazzarella Thomas

Amazing paintings by Mazzarella Thomas. I love the lines and the flatness and the perspective and the weirdness of them. Bravo sir!

Bucks and Does

This is a drawing I did a couple of months ago for a zine/collective thing called Bucks and Does I'm involved in. I've basically just tagged along with all the cool people in the first year illustration group and have managed to get myself a double page in what looks like a very nice zine.

I haven't actually seen the printed thing but they will be for sale during the festival up in Edinburgh for around a fiver. It's all hand bound and printed, with quite an eclectic mix of work in there.

I think the plan is to release one bi-monthly or something like that based on a rhyming title. I belive Bro's and Hoes is next.

India Sketchbook

Some images from my sketchbook, as promised.

Drawing Sale

'Dal Lake' - 21cm x 30cm - £20 ex. p&p

'Col Sar' - 21cm x 30cm - £25 ex. p&p

'Old Raj Houses' - 21cm x 30cm - £25 ex. p&p

'Mountains and Clouds' - 21cm x 30cm - SOLD

I've made some of the drawings I did whilst I was in India into some larger, proper drawings. I really shouldn't have gone to India because I really didn't have the money and that means that now I've got to do things like this, which I'm not entirely sure how comfortable I am about, to keep my paint box stocked up. 

If anyone is interested in buying any drawings from me then don't hesitate to ask, email me at pop_shuvit(at)msn.com and I'll get back to you as soon as.

Alfred Wallis

I watched a really good documentary this week on BBC called British Masters. I think it's been on a couple of weeks now, I've watched a few of them and some are really interesting and others and really really boring. This weeks was great though. It was all about Cornwall and St Ives in particular. The bit which I really enjoyed was about this guy though, Alfred Wallis.

He was born in August 1855 and was a fisherman all his life, sailing schooners around the North Atlantic. He took up paintings in 1922 at age 67 after his wife died to try to keep himself company. He didn't exhibit or show anyone, just filled his house with his work. 

Then in 1928 Ben Nicholson and Kit Wood were walking past his house and saw his door was open, poked there head inside and were just blown away by Alfred's work stacked up around his front room.

He couldn't really afford canvas and oil paints (even if he could I'm not sure he'd have used them) so he just painted on bits of cardboard and wood he found on the beach with industrial paints they use to paint ships.

I really love the honesty of it all.

"I do not put colours what do not belong. I think it spoils the pictures. There have been a lot of paintings spoiled by putting colours where they do not belong." - Alfred Wallis

Return from India

It's been a very long time no speak hasn't it? I've just got back from 6 weeks in India, which was absolutely amazing and am now ready and raring to get back into doing some work.
I kept a sketchbook as a kind of diary while I was traveling around, I tried my best to draw in it every day but there was too much other cool stuff to do.
When I get access to my scanner at the weekend I'll scan a few pages and post them. I'm planning to work on some paintings based on things from the book as well as some paintings of the old ladies and other characters who come in to my parents tea shop where I'm going to be working over the summer.

In the meantime, you'll have to make do with a crappy webcam shot of me showing you a pixelated sketchbook.

More McNaught

I can't tell you how much I'm into Jon McNaught's work right now. I love the little details and observations. There's a really interesting interview with him here.

Other Peoples Stuff

A few photos I took of a few people's work from last week. The top two are by my good friend Archie Stewart who I did these with. Really love the tiny men and the pillars and the shelves. The bottom two are by another good friend Violetta Munoz. The photos don't do them justice at all, the stripped down line drawings look amazing in the frames. Lovely stuff.

Finished!

This is my final hand in for first year painting. Scary stuff. I'm very pleased with how it turned out, both the project and the year. I've got tonnes of time on my hands now so I should be spending it drawing, that's the plan anyway.