Wider Concept

Some field sketch work I did in the Christmas holidays at the end of my field. Maybe about 20 minutes per side of the fence. Looking towards Taunton focusing on the disused railway bridge. Looking back towards Wiveliscombe across the field. Excuse the puppy footprint.  I can see improvement in my sketching skills already since starting the course. Need to focus more on sketch hierarchy and adding depth and texture.

Initial sketch is of the cascading ponds at Gloucester services with perennials, marginal grasses, and small shrubs. Tried out a number of techniques in photoshop to generate the various textures and lighting effects.  

  One of the first things I see in the morning is the silhouette of this oak tree out of my cropped by my bedroom window. I love how twisted and witchy the branches look against the sky. As I see it every day, I thought it would make some good sketching practice. I lasted 20 minutes in the winter cold. I should cherish this view while I can as there is a housing estate being built on the other side of the road so my skyline will sadly change. To make it more interesting I applied a watercolour background to practice producing a fade and filled in the branchwork with a silver metallic marker pen.

  The Design Projects task for the holidays: - Pick a view - Do a 2 minute sketch of that view not using pencils - Repeat but change the drawing equipment - Try and use some unconventional drawing materials. So I live in the countryside and so am blessed with views so I picked the view from my driveway to my field. See photo below. I especially love the old railway bridge you can see in the distance framed my by apple trees. First 2 sketches. 2 minutes each. An old red scratchy uni-ball pen and a green chalk board pen. The pen definitely not my finest sketch but it was rushed and avoided smudging the ink. Chalk pens are terrible  on paper. But not a terrible interpretation for 2 minutes. 3rd and 4th sketches. Brown felt tip pen in 2 minutes and gold and silver marker pens. About 2 minutes per colour. Glistens in the light. A4 charcoal sketch next. I quite enjoy this media as I’m definitely a smudger! For the 6th 7th and 8th I looked for unusual ways to make a mark. Drawing 6 w...

  After a nightmare month of family drama and catching the dreaded COVID-19, I return to post. Rolling into 2022 optimistic that I will strongly further develop as a Landscape Designer. I hope you will enjoy seeing my progress throughout the coming year. Let’s kick it off with a photo of a Ficus Microcarpa bonsai. Appropriate as it feels like I’ve been house-bound all holiday and have been chatting to my houseplants more than other people.