Sketchbook Skool

For many years now I have had sketchbooks. Previously the ritual of drawing daily was really only adhered to if I was away on holiday. I have a number of these and they are in effect travel journals, a wonderful reminder of great holidays.

At home in the studio, my sketchbooks had became messy work books, filled with rough sketches, measurements of planned paintings and the odd written note. I seldom dated anything and wish now that I had coupled the drawings with more written annotations to record more of my thinking or at the very least added the date.

These days, although I am a working artist, I had forgotten how much pleasure there is in daily drawing. I had forgotten the ritual of meditative sketching; of experimentation and discovery; the pleasure of filling a book with your images, thoughts and ideas. I like the idea of working through my creativity in both words and images, with each enhancing and enriching the other.

The Living Room ink and watercolour Zeta Sketchbook

  © 2014 Carol Lee Beckx

 

At the beginning of April I enrolled for an online course, my first ever. The first six week semester of Sketchbook Skool has been something of a revelation to me. The online camaraderie that has developed through posting ones sketches, seeing other people's work and giving and receiving comments has been so rewarding. I filled an A5 Fabriano Venezia sketchbook during the course, as well as using a number of pages in other sketchbooks.

I have started to post the drawings on my Flickr page as a separate gallery - SketchbookSkool. 

At the end of the course I made a few notes (the notes became an essay) and posted this on the group's Facebook page. Danny Gregory, who initiated the course together with Koosje Koene, asked if he could quote me. He posted my thoughts on his blog -The six weeks that changed my life. 

The second semester starts on July 4th. To cater for the tremendous interest in this course the first semester will run again also starting on July 4^th.

If you would like to learn how to make daily drawing and keeping a sketchbook part of your life then do yourself a favour and enroll.

Click here for more information about the course.

Research for painting cakes

Recently I posted the completed still life paintings for Deja` Bru Café. I spent an afternoon doing a quick sketch of the cakes so I had some reference for the oil painting. I thought you might like to see the preliminary sketch.

Cakes at Deja` Bru Café - Ink and watercolour - Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook

 ©2014 Carol Lee Beckx

Then a few days ago I went for coffee but couldn’t resist the Sticky Date pudding. There’s always a conflict when you decide to sketch your treat and there’s a strong temptation to forget the drawing and enjoy your treat. I’ve solved this partly by asking for extra hot coffee but the warmed pudding would just have to wait. At least until I have completed a quick ink sketch. The practice of the past weeks when I have been drawing daily has given me the courage to go straight in with pen and to live with the lines that may be in the wrong place.

Sticky Date Pudding & Cream at Deja` Bru Café - Ink and watercolour - Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook ©2014 Carol Lee Beckx

Both sketches were completed using Black Noodler’s ink in a Lamy Safari pen with an extra fine nib. Watercolour was added after the coffee and pudding was enjoyed. This also gave the ink time to dry.

I must add that the when I did the first sketch with the different cakes, the lovely staff at Deja` Bru Café brought each cake to me on a plate and then wisely removed one and replaced it with the next cake. So no cakes were harmed during the painting of these.

There was no such restraint with the Sticky date Pudding and cream!

Paintings for Deja` Bru Cafe`

At the end of March - whew that seems a long time ago - I wrote about painting at Deja` Bru Café. This week the paintings were delivered. I thought you might like to see the finished paintings.

Deja` Bru Café - Coffee - oil on canvas - 300mm x 300mm © 2014 Carol Lee Beckx

Deja` Bru Café - Cakes - oil on canvas - 300mm x 300mm © 2014 Carol Lee Beckx

Deja` Bru Café - English Breakfast & Choc Muffin - oil on canvas - 300mm x 300mm 

© 2014 Carol Lee Beckx

It was a great experience to paint in the Cafe particularly since delicious coffee was constantly available.

Disclaimer: With great restraint, and tremendous willpower, the delicious cakes were used as subject matter only and were not consumed by this artist.