What did we do before Smart-Phones?

Smart-Phone Dreaming

A quick sketch in the summer heat using my Hero 86 and Koi watercolour set.

Lunch Sketch

Bird Feeder Sketch

I was working from home today so I was able to sketch the birds outside the kitchen window during my lunch break.

Illustrated with my Hero 86 calligraphy pen.

Another Hero arrives through the door.

I ordered it from HongKong a month ago, I thought maybe it would never show up, but it did and this makes me so happy - little kid, happy! Grow up but don't grow old, as they say.

Hopefully this pen leaks less than my other Hero. It can be purchased on eBay, it's called a Hero 593 calligraphy pen. My first Pen from China is called a Hero 86 calligraphy pen by the way, I'm am very happy with it even if it is a bit leaky.

Direk Kingnok interview

Direk Kingnok is a watercolour artist I admire very much, I recently found this interview on a blog called, The Royal Arts: http://theroyalarts.blogspot.se/2011/12/direk-kingnok.html#!/2011/12/direk-kingnok.html

Direk Kingnok's website: http://www.direkkingnok.com/

His Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Direk-Kingnok-Watercolor-artist/157671970976244

Watercolour by Direk Kingnok

Less of a Hero

I was going to sketch today while I waited for a train at the station but then the honeymoon period between my pen and I came to an abrupt end. I still love drawing with it, I'll have to try filling it to a third and see what happens.

Practicing with my Hero

Here are a few sketches I did in the last few days with my new Hero calligraphy pen. The first two sketches are from a book called, "Anatomy for the Artist". The other sketch with watercolour was from the wonderful street photographer, Vivian Maier's website. 
No preparation penciling was used for these drawings, I'm trying to push myself to be free with ink and watercolour, trying to lose the fear of making mistakes.

More Hero

Stockholm Town Hall

I am too busy to find time to sketch outdoors at the moment, I look forward to my summer holidays which are coming soon. I did this sketch of the Stockholm Town Hall from a photo while having lunch in front of my computer screen. I used my new Hero calligraphy pen.

Thai Take-Away

I wondered what to sketch during my lunch break, and then I saw it there, right in front of me, the Thai Take-Away, why not!

Thai Take-Away

Sketch with my Hero

I did this quick sketch with the Hero calligraphy pen I received in the post from China last week. It's definitely fun to use, hard to use, I think I will have to relearn how to hold a pen in fact! I sketched my Beetle with it.

VW Beetle Sketch

My Hero arrived!

Yes, my Hero Calligraphy pen arrived today from China. I'm really looking forward to trying it out later, I will post the results, the prospect of using a bent-nib will be a wonderful creative challenge. Hopefully not too challenging!

Two sketches today

Solvalla Betting Kiosk

I found time to do two sketches today, one with detail and the other without. The sketch to the left I did during my lunch break. I work at the Solvalla horse trotting track just north of Stockholm and so this is why I picked a betting kiosk as my subject. I find it to be one of the more attractive buildings in the area.

The Sketch below I did on the way home from work, the sun was shining and Medborgplatsen (town square) was full of people. I needed to get home to my family for dinner so I used less detail.

Summertime in Medborgplatsen

Quickie

No pencil was used for this watercolour sketch, time was short so I drew it with ink and at speed in a standing position. The lines are shaky and scratchy which I quite like, I find that the faster I sketch the better the result, I learned this with my life drawing, a two minute sketch being more free and alive than a 15 minute sketch. No time to think and using ones instinct isn't a bad thing sometimes.

Solvalla Stables, Stockholm.

Forgotten watercolour sketches

I forgot about these watercolour sketches I did while on holidays in Brittany last month. There is something about boats that I am drawn too, I grew up by the sea and have sailed since the age of ten so it is not so strange I guess.

Trawler watercolour sketch

Green Trawler  watercolour sketch

Trojan Horse outside my window

Believe it or not there is a Trojan horse outside my office. I work at Solvalla, Sweden's biggest horse trotting stadium. I used my new Moleskin Watercolour Sketchbook for this lunch time sketch (I listened to the advice of Luis from my previous post!).

Meeting the Urban Sketchers

Luis sketches in Stockholm.

I met Nina Johansson and Luis Simöes from Urban Sketchers last weekend, It was a very inspirational meeting. We sat outside a café on Nybrogatan and chatting but mostly sketched. I'm new to this Urban Sketching thing so it was a bit difficult just drawing whatever was in front of you. In the end I wanted to draw the shop opposite but Luis was in the way so I drew him too, it was fun! Luis told me to use better paper, which I took onboard. I also learned that composition is so important when Sketching, a quick drawing will never look good if it is squeezed into the confines of a page, not given enough white space to breath in other words.

Luis Simöes is currently on a World Sketching Tour, check out his blog and see where he has been sketching and where he plans to visit.

Koi Watercolour set

Like I mentioned before, I was not well last week which meant I felt sorry for myself, which meant that I bought a few toys to cheer myself up, which in turn means they are starting to arrive now! :)
Today I received my Koi Watercolour set which holds 24 colours. Do I really need this? No, of course not! Will it make me a better artist? No, but I'm totally willing to pretend. :)

This Koi Watercolour set contains 24 colours, a tray, sponges and a Waterbrush.