20:20 print 2014

A couple of posts ago I put up my print which i'd made for the 20:20 print exchange and the lovely comments mentioned how spontaneous the image looked. Knowing my print was anything but spontaneous, but having worked hard to try and get that 'sketchbook fresh' feel I decided to post the how I got there sequence.

It starts with the sketchbook

Then some free drawn open bite

Next a hard ground line

Oh too spindly, not enough line, so more hard ground line

Now I need more tone - a nice rich spit bite aquatint

And to give more light and shade - some judicious burnishing

And there you have it - 6 steps to achieving sketchbook freshness and movement in a little etching

When I'm reading other blogs I'm most fascinated by the process shots of art work developing so I'll try and do more of this myself...

Gallery tour Autumn 2014

As my part of my day job I organise a 4 day Art Study Trip for A level Art students. This year we went to Manchester, Liverpool and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, among other places.

We saw a fabulous selection of artwork; here are some favourite drawings and prints,  Apologies for the reflections in the glass.

Manchester City Gallery's show 'The Sensory War' is a moving collection of imagery from 1914 to 2014.

CRW Nevinson

Spohie Jodoin's haunting metamorphosed drawings

CRW Nevinson capturing the bleakness

Seeing Kollwitz prints at first hand was a real treat

The Imperial war Museum North showed a great picture show of childhood experiences of war.

Artist, Jane Stobart, at the Bloomberg Contemporaries Show in Liverpool

Ursula von Rydingsvard's drawings at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

It was a thoroughly inspiring few days.

Now I need to get sketching, I need to make a piece of work to go into a joint teachers and students exhibition...