Sketchbook Update and a New YouTube Channel

It's well into February already and the sketchbook continues to grow,  I haven't  updated for quite some time, probably since the final entry in book 2, which was June 2022! So here goes with the story up to date. I'll begin with my latest page, which was a little different for me, then I'll tell you about my new sketchbook channel and share a few images from last year. 

My latest entry from January 26th 2024. I had to ask myself why I didn't draw this beautiful oak tree before... the answer is that sometimes the obvious things can be 'too close to home' to see, and this reminded me that there is no need to travel the earth to find special things. that said, my underlying interest in drawing the whole tree probably came from painting the autumn oak branch for the Irish Society of Botanical Artist's, Irelands Native tree exhibition, which was held in October 2023 (image below). I've drawn a few trees or partial trees in the past few years and ventured into drawing trees through keeping a sketchbook.

The featured tree is the largest of three oaks (Quercus robur) that can be seen from my window,  the age is unknown but after a chat with the landowner, the assumption is that it must be 200 years old, maybe more  ... but now that it's stirred my interest I want to know more. That's the other great thing about keeping a sketchbook, you become invested in the subject, you build a relationship and when it's so close to home you can document it throughout the year. There are many oaks around here, including ancient ones at Trentham Woods. Many of the ancient oaks in Britain were planted by landowners for the purpose of ship building, the most famous ship being the HMS Victory, built in the 1700's it is said to have been built from 600 oak trees! The ships survival  is testament to the strength of the oak timbers.

Pencils used in the Oak drawing: from left to right, Rotring 600 0.5 mm HB, Faber Castell TK- Fine Vario HB 0.5mm, Faber Castell clutch TK 4600 HB, and 2B (2mm lead) and Faber Castell 9000 HB - 2B.  It's a fairly loose drawing, so I kept the range of pencil grades fairly small but if I was making a final larger drawing I would use a wider range, probably 4H to 6B.   

This page is mostly graphite page and gave me an opportunity to play with a few different pencils. I used the good old Rotring 600 mechanical HB grade for the outline and smaller branches, I do love the weight and balance of this classic Rotring pencil, it suits me and it's beautifully engineered, its more expensive than most mechanicals but the mechanism seems very stable, unlike others which break with heavy use. I also played with the Faber Castell TK-Fine vario, which is and unusual mechanical pencil because it has a hard and soft setting, the soft setting is sprung so that eases pressure on the paper for the heavy handed. I'm not sure it really took off as a concept and got a bit of bad press but it's a novel idea, and I like novel ideas. For the tonal work I used the trusty Faber Castell clutch HB and 2B 2mm leads, which always do the job and a few FC 9000 wooden pencils. I'll write more about other pencils in a different blog post.I added the budding branches with an enlargement in watercolour for additional info about the tree at this time of year, and a little colour lifts the page

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Here's the tree alongside its two smaller neighbours, note the photo distortion at the outer edges of the image, which has greatly enlarged and distorted the right side of the tree, this is the reason why these things shouldn't be drawn from photos. I'd like to write more about the perils of photo distortion... but there's no time just now, sometimes we have to use photos to support work but drawing should be from life. 

Below is a detail from the Autumn oak branch painted for the ISBA exhibition October 2023 

My other news is about the new YouTube Channel, which I launched late in 2023.  This channel is dedicated to the sketchbook and is titled, the Botanical Sketchbooker. It's a simple concept, which I wanted to make easily accessible and free, so YouTube is as good a place as any. I do hope to encourage others to sketch from nature and their local surroundings, basically it's just me sharing what I do, my materials, practice, plants and thoughts on the process. There are a number of amazing artists who keep similar books of their native plants and I love them all. 

BUT remember that you can do whatever you want in your sketchbook, it's entirely driven by your own interests, it can be native plants, flowers in your garden, houseplants or even the things that you've been collecting in a box or on a shelf, such as dried seed-pods, leaf skeletons and branches etc. There is no award, certificate or market to bow to with this activity, it's just for you and that can feel quite liberating! (probably the take home point here). 

The sketchbook channel is new so you won't find lots of content yet, it's a bit of a slow approach and to be honest, sometimes it feels a little awkward to share my personal sketchbook but I'm sure that I'll grow into it. On the channel talk is about materials and practical things but also about plants, choices, reasons  and general thoughts on nature.   

My first page for 2024 began January 20th, it includes some found things, a lichen encrusted branch, a tuft of mossy bark and an old crow's skull, that's been sitting on the windowsill forever! This was great to do at this time of year because it can be completed from the comfort and warmth of my desk... I'm a fair weather person and trailing around in the cold isn't for me! I do like to start early in the morning though and the thought of a good sunrise is alway motivation. Morning is definitely the most productive time for me but I don't impose any rules on when and where I should complete my pages, so occasionally I'll work into the early hours of the morning, the only broad rule I have is not to spend much more than a day on the pages but this can be split across two days.  
 

The branch in this page was blown my way by recent storms and this page followed on from a previous page of broken twigs, painted in December, which you can see further down the page. As you can see I dropped a second branch behind the main one but painted it in lightly, so using aerial perspective which is useful when trying to create depth and separation, whilst creating a little more interest, the branch looked a little too stark without it. 

I strongly belive that the sketchbook is good for an my development as an artist, it improves  observation, allows me to learn more about plants, to experiment with approaches, techniques and composition and importantly I feel it is good for the mind.  The plants that I paint are chosen for the simple reason that they capture my interest and make me think about my surroundings..... and how wonderful nature can be. Often I discover something completely new that amazes me and usually read about each subject in the evening.  Most recently I've been adding information about the weather which is very relevant considering that all of the twigs and branches in my recent pages arrived courtesy of the January storms. Comparison between years between weather, flowering times and conditions can be very useful over time and provide an important snapshot of our local environment - such sketchbooks books could even turn out to be a valuable ecological insight in years to come

Beginnings, pencil sketches and working on each branch 

Four twigs: December 23rd 2023: I had been in Paris for a few days and delayed home by storm Pia, when I finally arrived home  an array of material was scattered on the Lane to choose from, So I chose the most diverse selection of twigs. Ash with moss, the second one I was unsure what it was, but it had a large lichen, third was the dark was hawthorn with the wet bright green lichen and finally a silver birch, these poor trees were pretty smashed ups by the storm. 

The seasonality here in the uk is always a reminder of time ticking away as is the blooming of any plant,  my advancing age is certainly changing my perspective on what's important. For years I worried about whether I was painting the right subjects, and contemplated whether I should paint more commercial subjects, like big flowers or maybe should try a different medium, eventually I just settled into my own skin and found that the things I love, which are reflective of my interests, maybe they're not so commercial but I've actually found that much paid work came my way from the sketchbook too, and that was a surprise, so doing the things that you are passionate about can pay too if you are consistent, lets face it we all have to earn a living and and committing to being an artist isn't always easy.

 The past few years of sketch booking, I have enjoyed it immensely and feel very fortunate, I am forever grateful to my dear friend Debbie Crawford who suggested that we should have a weekly sketch date during the Covid pandemic, that's when really indulged in the book, in more recent years, as things returned to normal, I have time for a weekly entry but try to create a page every couple of weeks, sometimes I'm too busy with other work but that's ok too...and I always look forward to getting back to my book.  Below is a seasonal selection from 2023, I picked one to represent each month here.

November 2023 Mistletoe

October 2023  Fly Agaric 

September 2023, Wild Strawberry

August 2023, Scots Thistle

July 2023 Wild Raspberries

June 2023, Flag Iris 

May 2023, Creeping Buttercup

April 2023, Forget-me-Not

March 2023, Goat Willow

February 2023, Cyclamen coum

January 2023, Ash tree, back to trees again at the lean times of year

One other thing that's worth a mention is artists block. A times artists can be afraid of the white paper and the quest for perfection dominates, yet this only seems to hold us back, maybe my perception is wrong but being a 'perfectionist' can make it hard to actually get anything finished or even started because of this self-inflicted pressure - but that pressure can also come from over-thinking what you 'should' be doing as an artist.... I've been there. Not everything has to be perfect, not everything will be perfect, it goes wrong, its normal, its part of the process of learning and learning never stops. Not that much helps when we feel that way and sometimes I think a pause can be part of a process of re- emergence.  

Today pressures are different than they used to be, yes we are more connected but also spend a lot of time alone, endless scrolling of social media can at times be off-putting, especially if we make the mistake of comparing ourselves to others. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love social media and think it has transformed the artists' world making the globe a much smaller place. In fact if it wasn't for social media I wouldn't know Debbie or all my other botanical friends and neither would I have such an effective means of communicating, for me it nurtures ideas, its like a giant library, but only if you look in the right places -  on the downside, constantly seeing the progress of others when we're feeling a little low on inspiration, with daily reminders of successful memberships, certificates, awards, accolades and being accepted into exhibitions, can make us feel like we are failing and it's depressing for some. Being or feeling rejected can feel harsh and defeating. Of course all of these thing are just what happens, and rejection and failure is also part of the artists life, but feeling unsuccessful or not as good as others can  contribute to creating a block. In addition, life can throw in other challenges, such as health or relationship problems, this means it's not always possible to achieve what we want, sometimes we fail, at these times the sketchbook can be an amazing safe place to retreat and reflect. 

And so, although a sketchbook may have no obvious or instant reward in material terms, it may seem even pointless to some (yes I've heard that before) it can be surprisingly rewarding with much to be gained and it might surprise you what can come from it. 

Thanks for reading, having returned to my blog again I see there have been over 1 million views! I suppose it's not a lot as blogs go but I guess people are still reading....so thank you. I will try to write more. 

Out with the Old and in with the New Year

Having woken up on New Year's day with the cold from hell, I was feeling more than a bit sorry for myself. But there's always an upside to everything and being confined to the armchair provided a good opportunity to reflect and plan for the year ahead,  and, to do a bit of sketching.

Let the sketching begin! Crow skull, graphite on Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook paper, life size. 

Initially I thought I hadn't achieved all that much with work over the last year but making a rough plan at the beginning of the year and reviewing it at the end is very useful.  I won't be beating myself up too much about the 'incomplete things' - it was a hectic year! Life events tend to drain energy, time and money but things settled mid November 2014 when I finally started to put down some roots again. Now that I have somewhere to work and the Festivities are dealt with the time has come to get stuck into some serious work but I feel the need to warm up first with some sketching. In fact sketching has been elevated to the number one activity in my New Year resolutions! 

Roe deer skull, Graphite. Life size study A4 Stillman & Birn Zeta Sketchbook. Completed using the hatching.

The sketches don't necessarily have to be botanical and it's sometimes better if they're not - other subject seem to help me to loosen up the drawing style. I made a start on some old skulls, they're very good subjects, as are seed pods and shells, dead insects etc. .... you see they don't move or wilt! The aim is to work fairly quickly on these sketches, always from life .....and done on a regular basis. Sketching and tonal drawing is all important,  and a botanical painting is pointless if the drawing is off and the tones aren't there.  My daughter, Polly, is home from University too so she's been joining in and yes she's got a blog too!

Looking Back

Having had a good think about last year and looked at the positive things as well as the things I could have done differently it's not been so bad!  I'd forgotten half of the things so trawling through the blog made me realise that more has been achieved than I originally thought.
 Painting and drawing is my job. I teach people, sell original work and illustrate all sorts of weird and wonderful natural things, from rice packaging to the internal structure of a bony fish! It's a notoriously unstable and slightly chaotic work choice, particularly if you're a solo act. Sometimes it's hard to make the best decisions because I'm torn between what I want to do and what I have to do but wouldn't change it for anything else in the world. This career choice means that I have to work hard, plan well and be organised. It's not just about painting either, there's some serious multi-tasking including, promotion, websites, book keeping etc. etc.

RHS Show Orchid Show in April at the Lindley Hall. Great fun but unprepared!  Photograph courtesy of Alena Lang Phillips

Last year I wasn't terribly organised when I committed to the April RHS show, I had applied for the October, Shades of Autumn show - but for some unknown reason I ticked the box selecting the London Orchid Show as second choice.... That was my first mistake! Never put a second choice if you haven't got time! I've done 5 RHS shows since 2004 and always applied for London as first choice but never been allocated it, so felt I had to do it when it finally came my way. 

Behind the scenes the frantic preparation! before the plants die

 Other work commitments meant I was left with just a few weeks to paint 6 works on vellum...it wasn't the best idea but it was 'do-able' if I kept it small and simple. That was a criticism by judges, they wanted more like this one, and less of the simple studies. It went a bit wrong at times and I didn't have time to present them properly either, but I got them all finished and made it to London. I have since done a bit more work on some of them and mounted and framed the the unsold ones. 

Fritillaria meleargris, exhibited at the London Orchid show

It was a great experience and I enjoyed it enormously, met lots of lovely people, many of who I've only ever communicated with via email. I was awarded a Silver and sold two of the paintings but I know that more time is needed to prepare for such high profile show and so I learned from it. Long term planning is the key and it's something I need to refocus on after the upheaval of the last 2 years. If I ever apply again I'll prepare the paintings and then apply for space when and only if I'm happy with them.
 

From the Royal Brompton and Harefield Exhibition flier

I also managed to exhibit 16 paintings at the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital Trust with my good friend Julie Whelan. A fantastic opportunity, thanks to Julie. Arts in hospitals is a great initiative, it brings a diverse selection of work into the hospital environment for the benefit of both patients, visitors and staff, and, with commission going to a good cause! We dropped off the paintings at the hospital and were given a tour of the old world famous Harefield, they have some super work in their collection including a beautiful urn by Grayson Perry. The paintings went on to be exhibited at the Royal Brompton until November.

Planning Ahead 2015
The new workspace is sorted and reasonably comfy,  so I'm ready to roll! I've had a clear out of materials and invested in some big vellum skins and other materials.....so no excuses for slacking! This year I want concentrating on more complex works in graphite on paper and watercolour on vellum ( although I reserve the right to change my mind at any point).  Here's a bit more drawing practice underway.... just! I drew this rather complicated rough composition of bindweed during a trip to Germany in the late summer, decided to dig it out today as practice. I have to work from photos and some dried specimens, not my favourite approach but I want to finish it. Hmmm....it's going to be quite challenging!

A bit more drawing!

......do you ever wish you hadn't started something! I'm working on Arches HP, size 18 x 24 block. I like this paper for graphite work but not for watercolour. It took an age to plan the composition but it will no doubt take much longer to complete. I can 'chip  away' at it when I feel like it tough as I'm only left with photo reference and a few dried specimens now. Who knows it may well run into the next flowering period!

Fortunately I took hundreds of photos! and captured quite a few mini beasts

.....and collected dried bits of the same plant from behind the shed at the bottom of my daughters garden!...I trod on a nail to get this!

Basically I want to keep drawing and painting this year to make up lost ground. Sounds obvious but putting together a body of work that I'm happy with is important, it won't be for any particular purpose, no specific exhibition or show and I'll decide what to do with it when it's complete. I won't be working to anybody else's criteria. Something to plod on with in the background and with the subjects I choose.

The Exhibitions Calendar ... OK what's achievable? 

I'm spending time researching the exhibitions calendar for the next few years. I hope to submit work for this years SBA Annual Show, In Pursuit of Plants. 
It's 3 years since I last did the SBA show and I aim to submit just one large piece on vellum.
 
Back in May I wrote about the Jade Vine painting. I'm almost ready to send off the digital image this month for the Sydney Florilegium Exhibition, which takes place next year at Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.  I've worked on this over a two year period after tracking down the plant at Kew and Durham Botanic Garden.

I visited Kew to observe the amazing jade vine earlier this year. 

Work in progress. The finished painting will be scanned and sent as a digital image at the end of Jan, that's for the for printing. The original will be packed off to Australia shortly afterwards.

Teaching and Websites
Over the last few years I've written a number of online courses,  it's great fun and I have some lovely students. It's a constant learning curve for me as well as for the students and it's important to learn from their feedback. The materials are delivered via a dedicated course website, which I constructed and manage and we have a private Facebook group too. This year  I'm undertaking some new materials on Composition as well as adding to existing courses and developing things a stage further.....gotta keep up with the technology!

A video still from the  Botanical Watercolour Course

 My method of teaching, I hope, looks at the fundamental techniques and theory behind drawing and painting for the botanical student. It's not an 'easy option' approach and requires hard work but I believe it's an approach that will give students the building blocks that they need to develop their own style and to work independently as artists in their own right beyond the course. 

A still from the Course website

Blogging Birthday Ahead!
On Jan 18th I will have been writing this blog for 6 years! There have been some gaps over this period,  initially it felt like a bit of a waste of time - there seemed no way of finding others with the same interest but the amazing Sigrid Frensen found me and was thinking along the same lines. Sigrid had started a Botanical Art Facebook group, which I later joined as co-admin. It now has over 2000 members! So the whole Botanical digital world has grown enormously in the last few years and it's much easier to find people, and, there are now lots of amazing botanical art blogs to read. Writing the blog  is something that I really enjoy, hopefully others find it useful too and it's a brilliant way of keeping a diary for me..... I'll need to think about some way of celebrating!

Continue with the Sketchbook Project 
See my previous blog post. This time next year the project will be coming to an end and I'm very very excited to get my book back!

Finally... see more of the World and Exhibitions
One of the things I've pursued this year is travel, something that I hadn't really done a lot of up until a couple of years ago.  I've seen lots of exhibitions, including most recently the Picasso Expo in Brugge, also the Dali exhibition.  I've visited many galleries at home, looking at a wide variety of styles, from the fantastic Shirley Sherwood Collection and Marianne North at Kew, to Andy Warhol at Tate Liverpool and Turner Prize winner Martin Creed at the Hayward. It's something that has been invaluable.....diversity is definitely good for the mind! Travel has also given me the opportunity to draw and sketch plants away from home and in the field. Here's one from earlier in the year from a trip to Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

Linaria vulgaris, sketches

 I'm travelling to Donegal in a couple of weeks so will see what I can find there to paint....there's always something to paint no matter where you are, whether its from the back garden or further afield.

That's about it for 2014 and the rough plan for 2015!