Foggy Morning, Chelsea Moorings (20) Chelsea Marathon

This makes number 20!

A sketch of a foggy morning around the Chelsea Moorings.

Foggy Morning, Chelsea Moorings (20) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Oil on Canvas

If interested in purchasing the drawing please Click HERE

I am a third way through on the marathon!!!

Two-Thirds to go!!!

I have really enjoyed every bit of this marathon, even though it's taken longer than I expected I am really happy with the scenes I have chosen and the way I have started to understand more about how I perceive complicated scenes and the manner in which I have resolved them.

I am ready to keep this going!

There's nothing more fun than getting out there and just enjoying the pleasure of painting outdoors!

Not all the works in this marathon are outdoor paintings but then one thing I have learnt is to keep on giving both the indoor and outdoor pieces the same spirit of the SKETCH! Which is always my goal.

I am also working on improving the Broad Pencil Technique which I have used for this scene.

The initial sketch, Foggy Morning- you see how rapid the lines flow. It's what I love about sketching.

There's always lots and loads to learn, discover and experiment!

Painting is pure addiction and sketching is the mother of all pure addictions!!

Lets get out there and paint Chelsea!!!!

Please feel free to comment, like and share with the social media buttons below

The World's End from Cremone Gardens (16) Chelsea Marathon

This is number 16 of my series of drawings and paintings of Chelsea in London.

It's all about the Chelsea I love, the way I see Chelsea!

The World's End from Cremone Gardens (16) Chelsea Marathon, 10" x 8", Graphite on Museum mountboard

If interested in purchasing this work please click HERE

I sat in the studio and I was trying to get some admin stuff done, then I felt this strong inclination to draw!

I just felt like grinding graphite on to Museum mountboard, it was a strong feeling, never felt that way in a long time.

The picture of the scene from where I was sitting.

So I made use of the strong feeling and just before that feeling decided to fly and fade away, I quickly grab my graphite sketching kit and go to the nearest place I can draw.

As I walk from my studio along Lots Road, I stop at Cremone Gardens, take a walk through and once I get to the end near the river bank, I look up and see these lovely buildings crowded by some really nice trees, I make up my mind, that this is going to be my sketching spot!

I do the first part, then I become hungry......

The first stage of development

Then I come back to it later on to finish it up!

Second Stage of development

I started by sketching lightly with the graphite pencils then I used the graphite dust for broad shape washes after which I finished up with strong strokes and darker lines.

SPECIAL QUOTE
"I love the look of an empty spread on my sketchbook. It gets me hungry to fill it........"-Adebanji Alade

Please feel free to comment, like and share with the social media buttons below.

The African Wrapper II, 8" x 11.5", Graphite and charcoal dust on museum mount board (The Process)

This is another one of my African Wrapper Series.

The African Wrapper is popularly worn by African women and it is a notable feature in the fashion of who we are as a people. 

The African Wrapper II, 8.5" x 11", Graphite and charcoal dust on museum mount board

 To purchase this piece please click HERE

I have positioned the model here to reveal a bit of elegance and sudden spontaneity for the piece to have a refreshing feel as she lifts part of the garment.

Stage 1- I'm so pleased to have some stage shots of this piece. I really enjoyed working on the piece at this stage. I almost stopped it all here. I loved the flow of the water mixed with charcoal. It had a wonderful "watercolourish " feel to it. I used a sable brush to start it off here on a Museum Mount board

This one was done by starting off with Charcoal dust mixed with water and finishing off with graphite.

Stage 2- I got really dark here with more charcoal dust picked up and applied with water to the surface. Because the mount board isn't that absorbent, the washes sit well on the ground.

I normally write words into the dark shaded areas, I do this to create textures and also to add real words that apply to work and things going through my mind as I work on the piece.

SPECIAL QUOTE

 "Let your workings remain a mystery. Just show people the results." - Lao-tzu

The 400 year old Mulberry Tree, Lenses Abbey, mixed media, 8" x 10", 2011

There's something that fascinates me about trees and sometimes I can't really explain what makes me love them. Maybe one of the reasons could be the animated features of the trunks and branches, especially the ones of those that are very old and have stood the storms and winds of life.

This particular tree stands in front of the Lenses Abbey in Abbey Wood and some photographers reckon it was planted 400 years ago by King James I, men. You can't really appreciate this tree in the summer but in the winter it's leaves are all gone and it's grand old beauty shows.




The 400 year old Mulberry Tree, Lenses Abbey, 10" x 8", Mixed Media, 2011



This piece was done mainly with gouache with additions of watercolour and coloured pencils.

Special Quote
"Everything in creation has its appointed painter or poet and remains in bondage like the princess in the fairy tale 'til its appropriate liberator comes to set it free." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Flying Moleskins-Kezia-the Spark and wonder!

This is my contribution to Sheila's Sketchbook, this is part of a world wide sketchbook exchange I am currently taking part in with 12 other artists. She asked us to put in it anything we loved besides art. My answer to that is-Children!

So I decided to draw my little girl, Kezia, who is a spark and wonder!


Kezia-the spark & wonder! 6" x 6", charcoal an graphite, 2011


When in church, I enjoy teaching children Sunday school lessons with captivating stories form the Bible and I am always delighted to see their facial expressions when they enjoy the lesson!

This drawing was done with charcoal dust and water, and graphite for the details on museum mount board.

Special Quote
"Be Like a postage stamp-stick to one thing until you get there"-Josh Billings

Homeward Bound (Majidun Waterside), 10" x 8", Mixed Media on Museum Board, 2009

This is my entry into this Karin Juricks DSfDF. The original reference was a lady rowing- I had to think long, on what to do with this one as I didn't get a buzz from the blues. Then I remembered I lived right in front of a waterside in Lagos, Nigeria for 3 years and I'd wake up and see women rowing to and fro from place to place and their main occupation was to get their boats out as far as possible into the forest beyond, and they'll cut logs of wood which they'll bring back to shore for selling. The logs of wood served as fuel for cooking! I wish I had proper photos of this place, it's only now I really appreciate the rustic beauty of places like this!



But with some "retrospective experience" I worked this composition out to show a woman arriving to the shore after a hard days work. My main goal here was just to capture a sunset mood of lighting with emphasis placed on the rustic beauty of this scene.

You can see by clicking this link a painting I did a long while ago of this place from my website.

This painting was done with acrylic, wax resistant crayons and Biro on museum mount board primed with gesso.

Kezia in Sleep Mode III, 8" x 10", Sanguine, 2009

Another Quick shot of Kezia in sleep mode before she changed gears!



This was done with Sanguine coloured pencil on museum mount board.

EMOTIONS VII, 8" x 10", Sanguine dust/pencil on Museum Mount Cardboard, 2009

This is number 7 in my current Emotions series.






I recently sketched this guy in one of my previous posts.



These are some of the procedures I take when doing these drawings:

Here I have used the sanguine dust with a ghosting technique applied to the board with tissue paper and carefully I have used a an eraser to take out highlights as if I was painting with white.





Here I start to add detail with the Sanguine Oil base pencil, I like it because it doesn't get dusty and messy as the oil free version.