Indian ink was invented by the Chinese (who later traded it to India) while the Europeans were still playing with rocks in the neolithic age. The ink’s black colour comes from lampblack, traditionally made from the fine, sooty residue from oil lamps. It’s essentially a…
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Kaolin, or china clay, is the principle ingredient in scraperboard (UK) or scratchboard (US), a medium that has long been popular with illustrators. It is typically bound to a lightweight card backing, making the product relatively inexpensive but not very resilient. A hardier version of…
Continue reading Kaolin-coated boards (1: small work)
Remaining Open Studio dates (May 2019): … Friday 10, Saturday 11, Sunday 12, … Tuesday 14, … Friday 17, Saturday 18, Sunday 19, … Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22, … Monday 27 (Bank Holiday). Links: my page on the Open Studios site, Exhibitions blog Visit my…
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The striking monochromacity of silver birch is a natural fit with pen and ink, but I wanted to do something different with it. So I decided to try drawing on wood. I had several 12 by 12 inch squares of plywood – by chance, it…
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In the main post for this painting, I mentioned the dramatic stacking effect of the waves. It brought to mind some half-remembered words concerning a fearsome ninth wave: Wave after wave, each mightier than the last, Till last, a ninth one, gathering half the deep…
Continue reading Gathering the Deep: about the title
Shelves was painted in 2016 in response to the theme Inspiration, for a competition. It won the competition. It was also the painting that got me shortlisted for the Artists and Illustrator’s magazine “Artist of the Year 2017” award.