Boat 2

Another sketch from my sketch from my sketchpad, photographed and then coloured on the iPad. This is such a quick way of working! Although the illustrations are a little rough, I like the feel it creates. I am not sure how I would translate this into a work on canvas or paper. Or perhaps I don't... I will experiment more with this theme and see what happens.

Boat

Drew this first as a rough pen and ink sketch in my sketchbook. I then took a photo of it and added tone and texture on the iPad. I hadn't planned it much, I started with a basic idea and went from there.

Hop Picking

Farm worker on a hop picking machine back in late summer. Once the hops have been stripped off the bines at the front of the machine they are fed by conveyor to the secondary picking mechanism. This guy's job was to ensure the flow of hops into this was even and to remove large clumps or blockages which were re-fed back in later.

Illustration based on a series of photos I took at the time. I have had a few ideas for pictures and this was one I immediately wanted to do though it has taken over two months to get round to doing it. I may work on a few more sometime.

Harbour Drinks

Decided to experiment with a seaside theme to see what would happen. I wonder how long this would have taken me to paint on canvas rather than on the iPad? Probably a lot longer. I could have added more detail but decided to stop whilst the going was good.

Comma Butterfly

Comma butterfly on cider apples in west Worcestershire. There was a red admiral fluttering around as well but wouldn't oblige me by settling anywhere I could photograph it. I took several photos of this comma early one morning. The sun was lowish in the sky and I had big problems trying to find a place where I wasn't casting a shadow on the subject as it fluttered from tree to tree in the orchard.

This image was created on my iPad using Procreate and took several stages of experimenting with various techniques to get to this stage. I'll leave it like this though it could always be tweaked here and there.

Garden Animals

 A little exercise in line work. This evolved over a couple of weeks as it took quite a while deciding how to progress at various stages.

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September Update

I have been working on various creative projects in the past few weeks:

1. The pen and ink doodle above was a 'lunchtime filler' over a couple of days as an escape from rather intense concentration on other things.
2. I have completed a small acrylic painting for an open exhibition in Hitchin in October. Going back to traditional painting was hard work and far more time consuming and stressful than digital illustration. I will post a photo of it here once I have completed making the frame.
3. A couple of days were spent camping out out in deepest Worcestershire gathering information for my novel. It took me about four lunch hours to then write up all my handwritten notes.
4. Several pieces of nature writing emerged from the above which I am editing and will post soon.
5. Another illustration has been completed which I will post when I can share more information.

Hop Picking 2019

The hop harvest has always fascinated me and a few days ago I had the opportunity to visit a farm in the Teme Valley in Worcestershire to watch the huge hop picking machine at work. I was there last year but didn't really get what I wanted so spending a whole day drawing on the farm was like being in heaven! The sketches were rather quick as I wanted to work freely and unplanned machine stoppages could easily happen at any time. The black and white sketches were A3 pen and wash sketches whilst the coloured ones were done on the iPad. I took lots of photos and have a few ideas for some proper illustrations to work on during the autumn.

Offley Place Summer Garden Party

A very hot day yesterday. Sketched this jazz band in the sunshine until my iPad overheated and shutdown! I found some shade and once it had cooled down I continued with the outlines and then coloured it in once I got home and after a refreshing ice cream. My character work is so much more expressive working like this than if I used my sketchbook. Lines flow so much more freely with more expression and I can change the form of the lines and colour so quickly.

Claas Lexion 750

This illustration took a while to think through and create. I drew the combine first then added the landscape, not being quite sure how the elements would blend together. On the whole I think it works. Affinity Designer on iPad Pro.

Marbled White Butterfly

Marbled white butterfly on knapweed with scabious and bedstraw. Procreate Illustration on iPad: a blend of photo-realism illustration and looser paint effects (no, it is not a photo).

Hogweed

Cardinal beetle on hogweed growing beside a field of beans.

Goat's Beard

After a few repairs to my bike I have been out exploring the countryside. The hedgerows are a full of colour and luscious growth and in the above picture I have tried to capture some of the plants I saw growing alongside a field of wheat. I particularly like the goat's beard whose seed heads are far more spectacular than those of a dandelion. Using Affinity Designer on the iPad is quite fiddly but the results are worth the effort. There are a few things I could have done to add more accuracy to the plants if I gave myself more time and had more confidence the iPad could cope with the complex image. It was beginning to struggle just a little bit.

No.12 Coffee House, Letchworth

Pen and ink illustration made whilst sitting outside No 12 Coffee House today. I later added a little shading when I got home on the iPad to give it a little depth.

Sheep

Poppies

Drying Washing

I think I have spent nearly two weeks thinking about this picture. I sketched various versions of it in Procreate and then wasn't sure how to proceed as I rather liked the rough nature if the original. After many days procrastinating, decided to keep it in Procreate as I like the pencil brush and so re-worked a tidier version.

Ashridge

I visited the National Trust woods at Ashridge early yesterday morning and sketched this group of what I think were DofE award leaders at the cafe. 

Woodcock Illustration

Having successfully put some crows in my previous picture, I have here progressed to a woodcock. 

Favourite Flowers

iPad illustration. Thought I'd do a tighter black and white 'pencil like' sketch in a similar style to my recent, more loose drawings. I like the added crows! Might actually frame it to see what it looks like on a wall.