Painting of Dory (stage 1)

I have started the painting of Dory, she is 68 and a very wonderful looking for her age. She is Spanish and in charge of the janitorial Department of my studio block, I approached her to model and she agreed and will be my model for life painting for the next few weeks. What drew me to her was her white/ grey hair, I haven't painted a woman with such lovely silver lines, so I decided to give this one a go! This Monday she was able to sit for 90 mins, she is more of an active person and said this was the hardest work she has done!

This is the progress so far. she saw the result after 90 mins and wished she had been smiling. I said you can't keep a smile for 90 mins! I am not sure what I want to do with this piece but I am just enjoying the fact that I am painting from life again after a long while of feasting on pictures. It is so liberating to get the model right before you with paint. You get to talk discuss and with your sitter and they watch in amazement as you mix blobs of colour in to flesh tones. One comment she made after watching me dab into so many colours is, "I never knew I had so much colour on my face."

She'll be coming in once a week maybe for the same duration, so I'll keep you posted with the progress.

Sketches at London Zoo in August XI

I visited London Zoo on Monday and did some sketches of wild pigs, flamingos, pelicans, monkeys and a donkey! I need to go back, went too late and ran out of time.

(My 200th post) Sketches on the train, tube in August X

Yesterday I still hadn't found my sketchbook and I am tempted to continue sketching with these cheap 10p ones. Because they are so flexible, paperback and light to carry.

But this morning I found my sketchbook. I started sketching on the tube in 2005 when my tutor Jeff Stultiens at Heatherleys School of Fine Art, sent us out to do something different than just drawing and painting the model in the class studio. He wanted us to go into the trains and sketch as much as we could, we even went with the class model and sketched her on the trains too with others! We had to come back and make a painting(this is the painting included on this blog-it was done entirely from sketches) from all those sketches and even add a celebrity in it to make it look interesting!

Since then I haven't recovered from that exercise, it gave me the medicine I needed to get back to sketching from life. At Yaba College of Technology , we were trained this way. We has courses on OUTDOOR PAINTING and GENERAL DRAWING. In these courses my tutor Olu Amoda, could send you to draw anywhere. He was one of the first tutors to really make us draw and not just scribble and stroke!

As I look back to this great heritage that has fashioned me to become a compulsive sketcher. I want to thank all of you out there who take time to comment on these blogs or just silently visit from all over the world. You are an encouragement to me especially Silvina Day- Who fell in love with the sketches and presented me an award recently. Also Katherine Tyrrell for mentioning me in her amazing blog recently.

We are all on a journey in this life. Eternity is with us everyday! I just pray that with the help of Jesus Christ and His Love we all realise the debt of Love we owe Him by living for His glory in this present world!

Sketches on the train and bus in August IX

I forgot my sketchbook, but I had this small jotter for 10p that played a replacement role!

Sketches on the bus and the post office in August VIII

Different places same people!

Sketches on the train and tube in August VII

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Sketching the statue of Humanity, Charing Cross

I had a fantastic time today sketching the Humanity statue at Charing cross, opposite the National Portrait Gallery.

In the days ahead I'll be doing these sketches, gearing up for plein air!

This was done in pencil,in an A3 Sketchpad with cartridge paper.

Sketches in the train and tube in August VI

You'll see half a face in one of these sketches. Well, when I couldn't get a full view I had to conclude that, "half a face is better then none"

Sketch of Dupe Fasawe, 11" x14", Coloured pencil and sanguine dust, 2008-

The first recepient of an Art prize (Best in Fine Art) I sponsored at Preston International an amazing Secondary School in Nigeria - This was set to encourage young talent in Nigeria, my Fatherland!

Sketches on the train, tube and bus in August V

I have done some sketches in pencil today becuase I couldn't reach out to my pen and I once again discovered that pencils were truly made for paper!

Sketches on the train and tube in August IV

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