This
Edding 1800 pen drawing from Charlie's Bar at the back of the Hall is
my lunchtime relaxation. I've been painting at the lakeside for a couple
of hours, laboriously blocking in the proportions of the panorama which
includes Walton Hall, its iron footbridge and ruined
Watergate; holding my pencil at arm's length to measure the proportions,
then washing in the background colours.
I
find painting takes so much longer than drawing. I'm so used to the speed
and precision of pen and ink that I find a B pencil, which I used for
the initial drawing, gives an indistinct line on watercolour paper. This
frustrates me because once I've made the decision on precisely where I
want the line to go but the line itself still seems undecided. It's more
a modgy approximation - a stippling - that could go one way or the other.
It's like trying to draw with one of those big peppermills
in an Italian restaurant!!
Commissions
This is my first commission for a year and I realise why
I no longer take on commissions: I'm plagued by doubts. When I arrived
this morning I discovered that the viewpoint I'd discussed with the client
no longer exists: willows have grown, obscuring the view.
The client asked for a 'soft watercolour'. Is this really
the way I see the scene? Am I doing my best to capture the spirit of the
place?
Luckily the client seems happy with the viewpoint and the
way the picture is going so far.
Barbara likes it too. She thinks it's about time that I
got more colour into my work. Sometimes I need to do things that make
me extend myself.
Richard Bell, richard@willowisland.co.uk
This
Edding 1800 pen drawing from Charlie's Bar at the back of the Hall is
my lunchtime relaxation. I've been painting at the lakeside for a couple
of hours, laboriously blocking in the proportions of the panorama which
includes Walton Hall, its iron footbridge and ruined
Watergate; holding my pencil at arm's length to measure the proportions,
then washing in the background colours. 
I
find painting takes so much longer than drawing. I'm so used to the speed
and precision of pen and ink that I find a B pencil, which I used for
the initial drawing, gives an indistinct line on watercolour paper. This
frustrates me because once I've made the decision on precisely where I
want the line to go but the line itself still seems undecided. It's more
a modgy approximation - a stippling - that could go one way or the other.
Commissions