Art Diary - October

This month seems to be all about harvest. Of course I never need much encouragement to draw and paint fruit! I'm playing with a contrast of scale on this page.

I've been challenging myself to draw in a more economical way. Mostly my drawings rely on relative tonal values and, of course, colour but it's refreshing to try a different approach and just concentrate on pure line.

I'm also mixing up the media I choose. Pen has never been something I've used much before (it's scarily permanent!) but I'm loving the Faber-Castell Pitt artists' pens I bought recently. They work beautifully on their own but are lovely with a watercolour wash too.

There's no opportunity for fiddling about when you draw with a permanent pen - you just have to go for it.

Pretty much like Laura's students at yesterday's workshop! Screen printing mixed media drawings using an acrylic medium that couldn't be allowed to dry on the mesh meant there was a sense of urgency about the work. No bad thing if it makes everyone really productive!

The techniques were very experimental and somewhat unpredictable but that's what made the results so exciting and kept me keep popping back into the class to see what was being produced.

There are more pictures of the workshop over on Laura's blog

Can't wait till the next workshop - always sends me home buzzing with ideas for my own work.

Talk again soon,
Linda x