Here’s an apron I made from a Liverpool FC shirt for my boyfriend’s birthday. I bought a cheap 2nd hand shirt off eBay and converted it in rather haphazard fashion into an apron! It has these gorgeous double-sided velvet ties. It went down well – I thought he needed a manly apron to cook in.
This is the sketchbook I made for my mother; I’ve meant to post this for ages. As with the other sketchbook I made for myself, it has a fabric cover and is filled with Fabriano 5 Liscia (hot-pressed) 210gsm 50% cotton paper. All the posts from South America (see category to the right) were drawn/painted on this paper. As you might be able to tell, it takes watercolours amazingly – nothing comes through the other side and after a couple of days the page on which you painted becomes flat again. If you’d like one made for you, drop me a line. These ones are 189mm/7.4″ x 122mm/4.8″, but you can have any size or fabric you want..
This is a watercolour I did just before we went to South America. My cousin commissioned me to paint her (engaged) friend’s two labradors; she and her girlfriends were then going to give it to her as a surprise wedding present. The wedding was this weekend, the painting was a success, so at last I can post it here! Painting black, glossy dogs with watercolours is, I assure you, a challenge. However it was a lot of fun, and hopefully I got some way to resolving the issues.
Not a lot of action with the sketchbook at the moment as I’m back studying the human body. I’m continuing to use the (amazing) 19th century classic, Artistic Anatomy by Paul Richer, which I was reading before we went away. Started by revising the eye and now I’m on to the neck – it’s so fascinating and really deepens your understanding of the body’s form. It takes ages though as you’re constantly looking up what everything means/where exactly you’re meant to find it. For example: ‘Sometimes there is a curved line separating these forms running from the superior insertions of the temporal muscle to the front of the external orbital process.’ Argh.
We’re back in London, moving in to our new place and not posting enough on here. We now live on a park so lots of opportunities for figure studies.. Also below, a visit to the British Museum, one of my favourite places. On this occasion I went to see the Italian Renaissance Drawings exhibition, stuffed with gorgeous sketches and half the population of London.
This was the final drawing in the exhibition, Portrait of a young woman in profile to the right by Titian. It stands out for its softness and femininity – artists at that time tended to use men as models for female characters, I assume because nude female models weren’t the done thing. So women often looked a little (or a lot) masculine. But not in this drawing, which I think is so sensitively executed it’s as though there’s a real breathing woman gazing out through the stains.
Here are three souvenirs I bought in Peru – all beautiful examples of crafts found around the country. It’s extraordinary how many different kinds of craft the country boasts, and the quality of design. I read that Peruvians have, through time, mastered every kind of weaving technique known except for those that are machine-made.
Here is a lovely example of weaving, bought from the Allyus Ecológicos artisans’ cooperative in Cusco. All natural fibres and dyes.
A close-up:
This is a fabric made by women of the Shipibo tribe, in the northern Peruvian jungle. The ink is from the fruit of the Huito tree and when first applied, it’s clear, but after a while turns dark (hence also used for temporary tattoos). The women create this pattern from experience, ie knowing where to lay the dye. I totally love it.
And lastly this was a present for my mother. It’s a little gourd, minutely etched into by the master artisan Oswaldo Osores Medina, who is from a town called Cochas Grande in the district of Huancayo (the only place to produce etched gourds). After etching they rub oil and charcoal over it to bring out the picture. The detail and lightness of touch is amazing – the woman I bought it from only had 2 of his pieces and said they were difficult to come by (although he’s still alive). It’s quite moving to look upon such patient, devoted workmanship; apparently the younger generation aren’t that interested, so who knows what will happen to such a special art.
What an incredible country, to produce such a fine level of design and craftsmanship in all these different forms.
Well we are home and very happy, eating roast beef and drinking PG Tips. Our month volunteering in the Peruvian Amazon was brilliant – pretty difficult to draw any animals though as they’re either impossible to see or moving very fast. But anyway here we go, my last travel sketch entry…
The lodge we volunteered at is called the Manu Learning Centre, owned by the CREES organisation. It was a beautifully designed place, all dark polished wood and thatched rooves. The buildings had open sides so you were breathing open air 24/7. There was no electricity except occasionally for the kitchen/internet, so at night it was pitch black except for candles, stars, headlamps and fireflies. There was wildlife everywhere in the garden; much easier to see than in the rainforest actually.
The purple flowers below are loved by hummingbirds, whilst the so-called walking palm on the right was one of my favourite trees. As my notes say, when young they can move up to 2m by putting roots down on one side, thereby bringing them closer to the light. I thought they were straight out of a Lord Of The Rings/Labyrinth-type movie.
The MLC lodge was just above a river, the Madre de Dios. When down there you really felt like you were in the rainforest – misty hills of deep green jungle rising up whichever way you look. It’s vast, despite the deforestation which you see taking place in many areas.
In our last week we went on a 4 day expedition into the nearby area. First night was spent at another volunteering lodge where they had in-house monkeys and a macaw. Below is Chico, a 9-month-old Red Howler monkey who, despite being a wild animal that had only been there a week, desperately wanted human affection. He was there because he got injured falling out of a tree; I don’t think natural selection would have had a lot of patience with that, but they took him in so we’ll see what happens.
On the 2nd day of our expedition, we went to stay with a native community. Most of the people in this area of jungle were actually Andeans who had moved there (Cusco/the Andes are 8 hours’ drive away) seeking a better life, but there are also native jungle communities scattered around. It was fascinating. These are some of the natives demonstrating their crafts to us – basket-weaving, jewellery-making and carving spears (which has to be done topless apparently). They still used spears/bows and arrows to hunt in the forest. Randomly they also had two very indignant turkeys wandering around, permanently tense and occasionally gobbling in horror over some unseen issue.
The people on the right were in Cusco airport, waiting for our flight to Lima at the end of our trip.
And then it was all over. As usual everyone on our flight to Madrid was asleep except for me. I feel kind of mischievous drawing sleeping people, but they make such obedient models you can’t not really.
So goodbye South America. Peru was wonderful; actually I might post some photos of the crafts I bought, they’re all so beautiful. Thanks for checking my blog if you’ve been following it; it’s back to sketches of everyday British life now I’m afraid. But there’s no extra value in the exotic really; it’s all just life trying to get by whichever land you’re in and species you are. I will miss the variety of life in the rainforest though, and going to sleep to the sound of thousands of creatures buzzing in the night. Quite pleased to see the back of the microscopic ticks though.
Ciao x