I didn’t make my long suffering art students draw without looking this week – I took in a series of objects for them to draw and tried to get to to look, really look hard, before committing to paper.  We were also looking at measured drawing, which means that holding your pencil at arm’s length and squinting at an object is not just an arty pose, you’re actually comparing sizes so you can get the drawing in proportion.  There’s a constant questioning going on in your head while you’re drawing

sketch book front cover

; “this part is longer than this bit, which starts about here…. this section is about a third of the size of that bit, and the width is just a bit less than the height……”, that sort of thing.  It’s surprising how easily your eyes are deceived.  If you get a chance, get hold of a book called Incredible Visual Illusions by Al Seckel, which proves how what we think we see may not be what we actually see……. if you get my drift.

What’s on the drawing board at the moment?  I decided to design a sketchbook with fun hints on how to draw.  Well, everyone needs a sketchbook, don’t they.  (yes!)  Here’s the front cover; there’s more of the same on the back…..

So much for a daily blog….. well, I’ll try for weekly.  New year, new term and my watercolour class at Haverfordwest community college were back at their drawing boards eager to get to work last wednesday, so I’m aiming for an art tip each week.   This week we were working on drawing theory, learning to look at an object (for example your hand) and follow its lines with your eyes and pencil at the same slow speed.  The trick is to keep your eyes on the object, not looking at the page at all.  Try it – what ends up on the paper will be a mess because you’re not looking where the pencil is being placed, but it will get you in the way of looking and seeing – and you may be surprised at the result.  We’re going to do more next week, silencing the impatient part of the brain that says ‘oh, don’t bother looking at that, I know what that looks like!’  Read Betty Edwards “Drawing on the right side of the brain” for more background.  It’s a good teaching method – it worked for me!

I used to think that being an author was very glamorous, involving signing books for a queue of adoring fans.  For most of us, of course, it’s not quite like that.  You can forget the queues of adoring fans, for a start.  If you’re very lucky,  you look up from reading this month’s Practical Boat Owner to find a nine your old gazing intently at you from in front of your table.  “Read these already”, she announces and moves on.  No, the delight of book signing at the London Boat Show is the chance to chat to the other authors (proper ones like Sam Llewellyn and Tom Cunliffe) and enjoy a first class gin and tonic just at the time of day when spirits are beginning to flag.  Then there’s time to stroll around the show catching up with old friends and filling up on lukewarm fizzy wine drunk out of plastic cups.  Nothing like it….. anyway,  I’ll be on the Kelvin Hughes stand at Excel during the first weekend of the boat show if you’re passing that way, so come and say hello.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on my regular PBO cartoon for the  Dave Selby column which is always hilarious.  This time I’m trying to think of a funny connection between tea drinking and small boat rallies…… storm in a teacup perhaps?  Or more typhoo that typhoon……. you’ll have to buy the next issue (or is the one after next?) to find out.

My son tells me I should be including images in this blog not just words, so I’ll try and do better next time.