What the Governor teaches me.
My urban sketching adventure began in the Spring of 2014 when I had stopped work due to a serious illness. Unable to work, and with hours to fill I found urban sketching online - beautiful pictures that inspired me to pick up my pencil after 15 years.
My first actual outing to meet an urban sketcher was at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Lynne Chapman was there to talk about her sketching and lead us on a sketch crawl round the museum and so my sketching adventures began..
On that day I sketched this object in the Power Hall. It's called a Governor but I can't tell you in detail how it works. All I know is when the steam engines are on it spins really fast.
Below is the first drawing I did of it - that day two years ago. I wanted to use colour to give shape and form to the object - I remember being pleased with it at the time.
Fast forward again about 2 months and I'm back here again... And again I draw the governor... this time I had stepped back to using pencil and seeing if I could create form with tonal layers - more successful, and further down the object I go..
Finally this was this weekends visit and drawing nearly two years later. This time it was ink washes and importantly - adding the background so it doesn't just float on the page; a proper urban sketch.
Each picture represents a step in my sketching development. From simple attempt at tone and shape, to more tonal layers , to layers of ink wash. Looking back now I can see the development even over the two months between the first and second attempt; By the time I got to doing the third - I remember feeling confident, able to interpret and represent it on the page more confidently than before.
On this particular day I also drew this Avro plane that had temporarily moved buildings. Fortunately there was enough space that I could sit a distance away to get a good view.
Why is this an important drawing? I didn't attempt any kind of drawing of any of the planes the first time I went; the second I remember looking and saying - no chance... Now I have learnt to 'see' the angles and lines and tones. I realised the importance of getting distance to draw, to accept my mistakes (plenty in both drawings).
The governor is an object that challenges me each time I visit - how have I changed, how can I show the tones, layers, shapes and shadows... the governor teaches me about myself and my art every single time I draw it.
My first actual outing to meet an urban sketcher was at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Lynne Chapman was there to talk about her sketching and lead us on a sketch crawl round the museum and so my sketching adventures began..
On that day I sketched this object in the Power Hall. It's called a Governor but I can't tell you in detail how it works. All I know is when the steam engines are on it spins really fast.
Below is the first drawing I did of it - that day two years ago. I wanted to use colour to give shape and form to the object - I remember being pleased with it at the time.
Fast forward again about 2 months and I'm back here again... And again I draw the governor... this time I had stepped back to using pencil and seeing if I could create form with tonal layers - more successful, and further down the object I go..
Finally this was this weekends visit and drawing nearly two years later. This time it was ink washes and importantly - adding the background so it doesn't just float on the page; a proper urban sketch.
Each picture represents a step in my sketching development. From simple attempt at tone and shape, to more tonal layers , to layers of ink wash. Looking back now I can see the development even over the two months between the first and second attempt; By the time I got to doing the third - I remember feeling confident, able to interpret and represent it on the page more confidently than before.
On this particular day I also drew this Avro plane that had temporarily moved buildings. Fortunately there was enough space that I could sit a distance away to get a good view.
Why is this an important drawing? I didn't attempt any kind of drawing of any of the planes the first time I went; the second I remember looking and saying - no chance... Now I have learnt to 'see' the angles and lines and tones. I realised the importance of getting distance to draw, to accept my mistakes (plenty in both drawings).
The governor is an object that challenges me each time I visit - how have I changed, how can I show the tones, layers, shapes and shadows... the governor teaches me about myself and my art every single time I draw it.
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