The Face of Homelessness, Bath

Face of Homelessness, Bath, Oil on Board, 12" x 12", 2012

This post mainly features on my keen interest in depicting interesting faces. All year I have been working on this project of homeless peoples faces and I'll be sharing the ideas behind this and sometimes where I can, I'll document some stage by stage thoughts that go through my head while working on them.

Same Model- sat for me for my Big Issue Series 9

I meet these people while commuting or walking down the street. I'm always armed with my sketchbook and  pencils and my camera, if they allow me a photograph or two. Once I fall in love with a face, that's it! I'll just find every way possible to convince them I need to draw, sketch or paint them.  We get talking and share some of our interests while the sketching or photographing goes on. This particular guy I painted here is called Rodney, I met him in Bath.

That's Him with the Big Issue Sketch

For the whole of this project I adopted the Zorn Palette, which consists of 4 colours. Titanium White, Cadmium Red, Yellow Orche and Ivory Black. These three colours are basically used as 3 primaries. The Cadmium Red is RED, The Yellow Orche is YELLOW, while the Black acts as the BLUE. Once I have this thought it mind, it's easy to mix secondaries and even tertiary colours.

STAGE 1-The Sketch is done in conte, I used 2 colours sepia and black-the sketch is not that accurate but it givers a sense of the  proportion and composition of the head on the square surface.

STAGE 2-The method I embark on here is called-"Inside Out"- Where I just start from a particular place INSIDE the face, this time it was with one of the eyes. From that point I just paint shape by shape till I get to all the OUTSIDE features. So its starting from the INSIDE and moving to the OUTSIDE.

STAGE 3-I plan to move upwards and here I  have almost covered the whole surface here, introducing a dark background to  bring out his  light toned  face.

STAGE 4-Here I start moving downwards, trying my best to adjust errors as I go along. This method demands full concentration and good drawing skills but the slower one goes the better.

STAGE 5-At this stage I have only one shape left and that's why this method is quite exciting as one is able to  watch the picture come to life from little brush stroke applications,

STAGE 6-Finally I have all the surface covered and it's all done wet  on wet , with  no underpainting. 

I really love weathered faces, faces that have seen life, I love the faces that tell stories and while talking to these guys, it's always a great opportunity to listen to what they have been through!

SPECIAL QUOTE

"One is never fully satisfied with the portrait of a person one knows"-Johann Wolfang Von Goethe

Sketches on the Bus, Train and Tube in November I

These are more of the sketches I do on a regular basis on public transport. I love this exercise and I think it is something anyone who embarks on long journeys around London should try and do at one time or the other. There are so many interesting faces on the bus, train and tube!

The human face remains to me a thing a wonder...I am on the train, I have just finished sketching an old man, then he gets off at London Bridge and sitting by his side is a lady, she's on the phone, her face is well treated, a sight that would hold any guy for a second or two-I hold my breath and sketch for 20 or so minutes...it's the life of an urban sketcher-this is the page spread....shame I had to change at Woolwich Arsenal...

I hope I can cover all that I have to post before the year runs out. I thought I'd be able to do lots of back-dated posts but I couldn't. But I'm back on them now and I am happy to get back to blogging again!!!

As usual, these are all done onh the train, in full blooded speed, with everyone packed and watching! It's a great experience and sketching doesn't get any better than this when one is fully out there, armed with a sketchbook, Bic ball point pen and a Number 75Tom Bow Dual Wash pen.

These two sketches were done on the bus, I was on the Bus 11, facing the front window and right opposite me was this lady biting her nails. I sketched her from Kings Road to Buckingham Palace Road.

It's one of those days, I haven't sketched all day! I hate those days......I have been in the studio painting my life out....then I lean back on my chair in the studio and I catch a glimpse of my face in the mirror behind me! I'm a bit alarmed but all the the same-It's time to pull out my sketchbook! I sketch my face with a few items in the background to hold the composition together. 

I love sketching random heads on a page! This one makes me tick! These are all sketched from London Bridge to Abbey Wood. A journey that lasts up to 25 minutes!

These are more random heads on buses this time. Bus 11 and Bus 53!

Some of these heads are just glimpses I manage to catch on journeys-The old man was a good shot, I sketched him from Charing Cross to London Bridge. The profile of the lady on the right was sketched on Bus 37 on the way to Clapham Juction.

Here, I am on bus 11 and I sketch this lady's profile from Buckingham palace Rd to Victoria Street. I make 4 attempts as she keeps on moving, each time she moves, I start again. It's all about pure observation, no room to measure but its about imaginary plumbing and angles relating to others, Plotting's are essential. The guy sleeping on the right was comfortable in his world, nothing seemed to bother him. He was just content and relaxed until he got to his stop. People are experts at these short naps and if you think they are really sleeping, you'll be shocked that immediately they get to their stops they spring to life! I sketched him from Greenwich to London Bridge-a journey that lasts 8 mins.

I made 2 attempts to sketch the guy on the left, from Charing Cross to London Bridge, this journey lasts approximately 7 mins. I just love this man's features and hair, it's hard to resist. His features were outstanding. Then a man with a cap on the right was just pure delight! I just love faces like this, full of character! I make a more detailed study of him from London Bridge to Abbey Wood, a journey which lasts 27 minutes.

Special Quote
"You can't do sketches enough. Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh"-John Singer Sargent 

Sketches on the Bus, Train and Tube in October I

These are a few sketches I have done in the past two months, I'll be posting more as the days go by. In this post I'll also be explaining a few thoughts that must have been going through my mind as I sketched these people and the journeys durations on public transport.

Just a recap on what I use: An A6 Daler rowney Sketchbook with 150gms of acid free paper, a simple Bic Ball Point pen (Medium) and a Number 75 Tom Bow Dual wash pen(Cool Grey).

All these are done with the mind to observe, study, appreciate, record, explore, investigate, report, capture and practice the simple skill of sketching people I meet everyday on my journeys in London. Sometimes they last only a few seconds, sometimes they go on for up to 15mins or 30, depending on the journey and whether the person moves or changes position. The whole essence of this is a constant way of seeing and improving the necessary-EYE-HAND-CO-ORDINATION that representational artists need to thrive in their craft and above all it's simply my passion!

The lady on the left was sketched from Canon Street to Victoria on the Circle Line-I have made a few colour notes-I might want to paint from this later. A person sleeping or reading as I think she was-are great periods to sketch because they don't move. The guy on the right, kept moving, he was always looking into space, hence, I kept on altering the right side of his face and it really affected the overall anatomy. But I had more time here, as I sketched him from Abbey Wood to London Bridge-A journey that takes 27mins.

This page  has four heads-I sometimes decide to put more that 2 heads on a spreadsheet to make the page look interesting, to save space in the usage of my sketchbook, to create a composition or to interpose different heads at different stages of completion. The woman on the left was sketched from Canon Street to Embankment, she had a smile as she read her book. From experience, I know she'll be absorbed in it, so I sketch at moderate speed, catching the most important lines and curves. The next guy was sketched from Woolwich Arsenal to Abbey Wood, I like faces like his, with a strong masculine character. The next lady, whose features are hidden with a beautiful cloth she wrapped round her head to cut off any distractions while she slept was a wonderful opportunity to sketch. I regard this one as one of my bext because, I hardly see people looking this way and I was glad I recorded it in such a short time-From Woolwich Dockyard to Woolwich Arsenal. And around the right hand corner is a faint sketch of a man I sketched from Canon Street to Mansion House. His face hardly has much information but it's amazing how a few lines can bring out the character of a face.

Writing about this page freaks me out! I don't even know where to start, there are 6 heads and all I can say is that they were very short periods to sketch, hence, the very look of incompleteness. The one sketch I really liked here is the first one on the top left hand side. I sketched her from Bermondsey to Waterloo, and it was as if she was meditating-there was a calmness that spoke all over her features- I was happy I had to get off the train and not overwork it!

The first three standing figures here were all sketched at Charing Cross. Masoud, the Filmaker was doing a video of me sketching right in the middle of the busy streets and I saw the first guy at the Bus Stop and also the lady. While the guy playing the guitar was a busker a few blocks down from the Bus Stop at Charing Cross. The other head of a lady was sketched at Earls Court, she had a real intense look.

Apart from the sketch of the guy wearing a cap on the lower level. The three sketches in the middle of the page are of the same guy. This is a technique I devised when an interesting person keeps moving and I really want to capture them. I work on three heads at the same time. As he moves, he retains the position of one of the three positions he has here and that makes life easier for me. I sketched him from Charing Cross to Woolwich Dockyard- A jouney of about 25 minutes.

Just to note here-The guy I sketched three times in the sketch above, is the same guy who comes in as the second head from the left. I think I really enjoyed his features. The first guy with the head tilting was a very hard one for me, as I attempted sketching and recording with my camera at the same time but it flopped. so I just continue with the sketch until he moved. I sketched the next lady at Westminster and the last head is a line drawing of some of my features

These three heads were sketched from London Bridge to Canada Water on the Jubilee Line. I have nothing much to say here than that I like the way three heads worked out on the page. they were not all sitting together, but at different stages of the journey they just caught my attention.

And finally these were all random heads sketched on a journey on South Eastern trains- I can't remember much here but I know that I tried two heads of the same guy in the middle of the page-on the top level. I always like pages with two or more versions of the same figure.

SPECIAL QUOTE
"If you desire to know how to do a thing you must first have a complete desire to do that thing. Then go to kindred spirits-others who have wanted to do that thing-and study their ways and means, learn from thier successes and failures and add to your quota"-Robert Henri, The Art Spirit

Plein Air Painting of MV Bolgen & other Boats at Cadogan Pier

MV Bolgen & other boats at Cadogan Pier, Chelsea Embankment, 18" x 10", Oil on Canvas Board, 2012-picture taken with my  I-Phone-sorry about the quality.

This morning I embarked on painting one of my beloved scenes around the Chelsea Embankment. A walk along the Chelsea Embankment is one of my best walks in London and it's always great to paint a place one loves.

Adebanji painting the MV Bolgen and other boats along Cadogan Pier, Chelsea Embankment

Here in this post I have decided to share some "stage shots" of the painting in progress. It's not a step by step procedure but just a good way of seeing how I go about these pieces using the "inside-out" technique of painting shape by shape, from the inside of the painting till it spreads all over to fill up the surface.

1. Ready to go, The Canvas board is given a warm wash of Burnt Sienna, this was already done in the studio with acrylic.

2. The very important grid lines and diagonals-this helps me position the main  features exactly where I want them

3. With some careful strokes laid with some precision but with the mind of an impressionist, I sketch and paint at the same time, working on the boring buildings in the background first, and then coming closer to the boats.

4. I think here-I had finally got the hang of the buildings and then I began to gradually come lower into the middle area, where most of the action takes place. 

5. At this stage I got the first few strokes of the water in, and a few reflections, the water keeps changing, it's always better when it is still.

6. I am really deep into it now, working on the reflections and trying my best to nail the right colour of the murky River  Thames on a grey day.

7. And finally- it's details and pulling the whole piece together, I hadn't made up my mind on whether to stop-then the rain came to my rescue and that was it for the day!

Hope you enjoyed this-I always have fun looking over the palettes of other artists-it's always a treat!

SPECIAL QUOTE
"The tide was in and the creek glassy, so I met the Mayor of Kingsbridge, who was off to paint his boat and a man who quizzed me- not the first time- on the build quality of my box easel! He was a joiner and was redesigning one-god, did I get excited! We exchanged emails and I never heard from him again!-(Peter Brown on one of his experiences while painting "Salcombe down from Southpool Creek")

My latest video on why I am an addictive sketcher!

This was put together by MGL MEDIA and I hope you catch some inspiration from it! I'm not going to say much, just watch and enjoy the next 8 minutes! MGL MEDIA also have a blog which can be accessed by clicking HERE


SPECIAL QUOTE
"For our purposes we will define  a habit as the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire. Knowledge is the theoretical paradigm, the what to do and the why. Skill is the how to do. And the desire is the motivation, the want to do. In order to make something a habit in our lives, we have to have all three."-Stephen R. Covey-The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Sketches on the Bus, Train, Tube and Train Station in September I

These are some current sketches...the power my of my observation started to slack a bit, I suddenly didn't do as much sketches as before and I could immediately see the difference and the strain and lack of flow.
So, nothing beats the constant day to day practice. I thank God for the opportunity to keep these sketches going- they really help to sharpen my drawing skills.

All sketches are done with a Bic Ball point Pen and a Number 75 Cool Grey Tom Bow Dual Wash Pen in Book-150g/m.

Sept 003-Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook- These three guys are homeless and once Charing Cross Station opens at 4,30am they always take this place, it's an everyday thing.

The method I adopt on public transport changes from time to time. Now I just see myself as a sketch addict-That's what I tell people and that sums up what I do.

Sept 001-Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook

Sept 002- Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook- it was an early morning bus ride and this guy was just moving all over the place. He must have been wrecked as he was far far away....

Sept 004- Adebanji Alade's sketchbook- I was having a video recording on the train and I wanted to show it was still possible to sketch an incomplete face and still get some character, isn't it amazing what eyes can do!

Sept 005-Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook

Sept 006=Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook

Sept 007-This Asian Lady was right beside me and she never for once looked into my sketchbook to see if I was sketching her.

Sept 008=Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook

Sept 009-Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook

Sept 010-Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook

Sept 011-Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook

Sept 012- Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook- As mentioned earlier these guys always occupy this space when  Charing Cross Station opens at 4.30Am. Apparently one of the guys was missing on the day I sketched this one.

Sept 013-Adebanji Alade's Sketchbook- This woman was totally lost in thought , looking out of the window.

SPECIAL QUOTE
"Approach your subject in all humility and reverence-make yourself highly sensitive to its beauty"-Hawthorne

My Sketches at the First Urban Sketchers Exhibition

Currently running since the 16th of August till the 6th of October, 2012 is The First Urban Sketchers International Exhibition at Ackland Musuem at the University of North Carolina. A lot of the members from all over the world submitted sketches for this exhibition.

A majority of the proceeds from the sale of the sketches will go directly to Urban Sketchers to support their educational programs such as the annual Sketching Symposium and the Urban Sketchers Workshops Program. The remaining proceeds will support the Ackland Art Museum.

I contibuted 3 sketches for the exhibition and they were mainly based on monuments and statues in London.

The Official Olympic Time Counter, Trafalgar Square, London

The Sketch of The Official Olympic Time Counter at 116 days before the Olympics

Adebanji sketching  The Official Olympic Time Counter at 116 days before the Olympics 

The scene of  The Official Olympic Time Counter at 116 days before the Olympics 

The Gladstone Statue, Strand London

The sketch of Gladstone statue, Strand

Adebanji sketching

The scene   Gladstone statue, Strand

materials used for   Gladstone statue, Strand

The Samuel Johnson Statue, Strand London

The sketch of  Samuel Johnson Statue, Strand

Adebanji sketching   Samuel Johnson Statue, Strand

The scene of  Samuel Johnson Statue, Strand

materials used for  Samuel Johnson Statue, Strand

A review of the Opening day of the exhibition can be seen HERE.

Another review of the Exhibition can be seen here by Blue Greenberg HERE

SPECIAL QUOTE
"You experience a place or a scene differently when you decide to sketch it-----something unusual happens.....you have to experience it know what I mean!"-(Adebanji Alade-Sketch Addict)