Just taking a break from the imaginative effort required in cartooning to do some simple drawings from life; as simple as possible: I’m also taking a break from adding colour. These are all drawn with my Lamy Vista which is filled with De Atramentis Document Ink Black.
I’ve learnt from the cartooning though: I’m convinced that the focus on character and storytelling is also relevant when drawing from life. Even this Buff has an individual character and hints of having had some history.
A few months ago, I’d always have this Olympus Tough TG-4 in my bag or pocket but five months ago, just before lockdown, I bought my first iPhone, so I’ve been trying that out. The main place where the Tough beats it is for macro shots.
Over the past couple of weeks it has felt almost like getting back to normal being able to have the occasional coffee out. It’s good to be able to sit at a cafe table and draw again.
Sun Hats
But really I’d like to draw a freer more organic shape so our sun hats, which have seen a lot of wear this spring and summer provide me with my next subject.
Sweet Peas
We planted mixed but so far only white have appeared. This is our first picking of them and we’ll keep on with that to encourage them to keep flowering.
My shoes are getting thin and worn on the sole, so before a hole appears, it’s time to order some more. You can’t get this kind of cushioned Comfort Vibram sole repaired at the cobblers, I’ve asked. So what sort were they? I can’t find them on the Merrell website and the name on the label has worn away; luckily my blog comes to the rescue, as I drew them years ago when they were new: they’re Merrell Jungle Beluga AC+. How could I not remember that?!
Cream Scones
Just before the lockdown, I got chance for one last cream scone and latté at Blacker Hall Farm. The restaurant isn’t quite fully open again but you can buy a takeaway coffee and scone at the deli counter in the shop and use their grassy picnic area. I sat on the grass under the shade of a large oak tree to draw some of the plants in the close-cropped turf, including greater plantain, on the right, also known as broad-leaved plantain. It grows low so it has largely escaped the mower and it’s tough so that it can stand a certain amount of trampling. It’s a true plantain, so it isn’t related to bananas and what are sometimes referred to as ‘cooking plantains’, but I always imagine that little seed-head as resembling the bunches on banana plants.
Tomatoes are red, bananas are yellow, but despite temptations, I’m still having a break from watercolour.
These are Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Majestic vine ripened Tomatoes but hopefully in a few weeks time we’re going to have lots of our own tomatoes. We planted seeds of beef and little plum tomatoes that a neighbour gave us and ended up with so many plants that the greenhouse now has a jungly look. Plenty of tomatoes appearing but so far they’re all green.