I have been working on a series of drawings using my new
theme and the many different patterns that I have discovered when out taking
photos by the sea.
It is a very slow process. I could of course produce
drawings much more quickly if I used a different, broader technique, but I
guess I am a bit of a masochist. Because I like detail, when it comes to
drawing I want to be able to show as much of the detail as I can. To do that I
use just a sharp HB pencil, a pencil eraser and a tissue and I build up the
drawing in many layers, which naturally takes time. I apply pencil, then take
colour away with the eraser then blur everything with the tissue so that the
individual pencil marks are no longer visible then start the process again and
again, gradually making the depths darker and the highlights visible until to
my eyes at least, the image no longer looks flat.
Because it is a slow process and I can get impatient I
intersperse bouts of work on the drawings with broader brush pieces such as
collagraphs or lino cuts and paintings.
I keep on coming back to the drawings though and having
another “fiddle” so they are probably never truly “finished” until I have to
mount them for exhibition.
So far there are 6 drawings each 40 x 40 cms at the “fiddle”
stage plus one just started. As I plan to have around 10 on the theme I still
have a way to go.
