#30Faces30Days in Procreate with Sktchy

I posted my first ink drawing in April 2015, having heard about Sktchy through my friend Joan Martin.

 

Sktchy is an online community that fosters creativity with a particular focus on portraiture. Members upload photographs that are used as inspiration. It’s also a friendly supportive place to creations. The artwork is displayed alongside the inspiration post - revealed with a swipe to the right. 

In the beginning my portraits were all analogue, using ink and watercolour, as well as some in oil and a few in acrylic. I had one of the smaller iPads and used an Idonit stylus - one step up from the stubby black finger like cheapie stylus which covered most of the line one was drawing. Frustrating to say the least!

I started adding digital elements about August of that year as seen in this work with text added:

#WAXTIP 

and this digital collage:

#WAXCOLLAGE

In April 2018 my digital progress made a dramatic leap forward with the release of a smaller, more affordable iPad that supported an Apple Pencil. It was definitely a game changer to have a drawing tool that was touch sensitive and very responsive. 

I have done a number of online classes with Sktchy, with various artists who have contributed so much to my knowledge of digital art, and Procreate in particular - it’s the best art app by far. 

This brings me to the beginning of May and the start of #30Faces30Days. This online challenge features a daily full length video tutorial using a muse selected by the tutor and concentrating on their own unique style. Each day brings new approaches and ways of working in Procreate. It’s excellent value for money. I decided at the beginning that even if the days style/approach was not my ‘jam’ I would endeavour to complete something using the tutor’s techniques. 

So May is all about Procreate and a portrait every day. I’m very pleased that so far I have kept up and have finished a portrait every day. 

Here are the portraits up to Day 15.

Term 2 in the Studio

The weather is changing and the temperatures start to drop after the heat of summer. It’s my favourite time of the year - I always feel much more energetic.

The Easter break seemed to go so quickly and all of a sudden the first class of the second term starts this evening.

I have just updated the Art Class page on this blog. We are all enjoying the creative time spent face to face while still observing a COVIDSAFE protocol. 

We are all enjoying the face to face creativity. A couple of artists have opted to continue to join via Zoom and this is working smoothly. Should you wish to remain isolated, there is still the option to continue using Zoom concurrently with a physical class, where the student can login to the class and take part online.

We usually start each class with some discussion about a particular theme or artist using a PDF which scan be shared blithe in the Studio as well as on Zoom. Learning to assess and critique other artist’s work aids in developing an editing eye for one’s own art.

The core of my teaching approach is to foster each artist’s individual creativity, so the emphasis is on personal creative projects. In the Studio in Hamilton Road each artist explores their own themes. This may take the form of a series of drawings, a painting in watercolour, oils, or acrylics.

During each class there will be some demonstration of technique as well as individually mentored tuition.

The weekly class timetable remains the same.

The weekly class timetable remains the same.

Term 2 2021

Wednesday 12th April to Saturday 26th June

Weekly classes

Wednesday 6.00 pm - 8.30 pm
Thursday    9.00 am - 12.00pm
Friday        9.00 am - 12.00 pm
Saturday    8.00 am - 11.00 am 

There are some vacancies in each class so if you have been thinking of enrolling in classes at the Studio now is a good time to do so. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me should you have any questions. 

Catching up with drawing every day.

I realised that almost two months have passed since I wrote about my 2021 project of drawing every day. Since then I have had mixed success. There are days with regular drawing and documenting the drawings, then at other times days go by with no work photographed. 

There’s been a mix of digital and analogue; a mix of media - ink, water soluble graphite, watercolour and charcoal. Some days I have a long extended drawing session, other days it’s a quick scribble, and I’m actually fine with that, it’s how life is. 

Subject matter has ranged from flowers and objects used for some of the classes in the Studio to a series of figure studies using photographic references. The figure drawings have been done with water soluble graphite pencils and a water brush or ink and water brush. This allows for a quick tonal drawing using easily portable materials. I like using the Derwent Sketching pencils which come in Light, Medium and Dark wash. 

There are also a number of Sktchy portraits done using Procreate. When drawing digitally, I aim for a result that has the look of an analogue drawing or painting rather than being obviously digital. I also make a concerted effort to limit the number of brushes used in a single work. This way I get to know the individual characteristics of that brush. 

I also realised that when a few days went by without a dedicated drawing being done it was when I was busy with all the animal mother and baby watercolours, so I wasn’t being a slouch!

So here are some of the drawings for February and March. 

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