Hi there, I’m back with the HOT SHOTS and this time I have the first part of a series that looks into my sketchbooks and gives you an idea of what I’m thinking about and why I choose to sketch certain people I meet on public transport.

Towards the end of the post I’ll also send you some links to some recent stuff I have been involved in.

But for now lets start on HOT SHOT 22- Using your sketchbook as a journal. Read the rest of this entry

After another break I’m happy to get these two great HOT SHOTS to inspire your sketching!! Before I get going I’ll just love to say my exhibition of paintings and drawings of York is currently on at The Kentmere House Gallery, York. I also have an article in The Artist Magazine (December Issue) titled, “Sketching a Passion”- in the article I explain how I transform my sketches from black and white to colour. Do get a copy if you can, it’s a good read…..I’ll be sharing some of the tips in it later on this blog.

If you missed my last post which was way back in August, please click HERE

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This is another great hot-shot! Here I’ll be sharing a little bit about the concept of letting who you are show through your sketches. Every artist has something special about them, something that makes them unique.

This part of us should be showing through in our sketches! My last post was about Squinting and seeing shapes, click HERE if missed this post.

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This is a double hot shot and I have decided to combine them both because they are related!

It’s all about having your eyes partially closed in order to see the main shapes in whatever you plan to sketch and then using this to quickly get down some basic marks to get going while sketching this is very helpful when approaching complicated subjects.

But before we continue If you missed my last Hot Shot, number 11, on actually sketching what you see and not what you know about what you see. Click HERE

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Now! I am ready to go with HOT SHOT Number 9! I hope you’ve been putting the blind contour into practice? Just keep it going and flowing. Use up loads of sheets. Remember it’s the mileage covered in your sketch journey that matters. You really want to just keep it going, if you stop, just forgive yourself and start again!

There’s no better way to get better at anything than to just DO IT! Doing it correctly is what this blog is about, so be ready to give everything you pick up a go! Don’t seek for immediate results, just keep it going, nothing worthwhile ever came overnight!

If you missed HOT SHOT 7 & 8 just click HERE to see what the Blind contour was all about and keep it going. In this HOT SHOT we are going to be looking at practicing sketching of the outline with angles. When I say angles I mean the change in direction of the outline in terms of tilts and angles.

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We are now into the demos! This is where I’ll be showing and explaining in depth a few of the things that have made my sketching life much easier. In this particular post, I’ll be dealing with the OUTLINE and something I discovered from a 1985 American Artist Magazine, called-“The Blind Contour”. The Blind Contour actually improved my eye-hand co-ordination more than any other technique!

But before we get going on HOT SHOT 7 & 8, please click HERE if you missed HOT SHOT 6.

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Today we we are going to talk about HOT SHOT 3, if you missed HOT SHOT 1, 2 click here to read it.

HOT SHOT 3

What you sketch with, is very important- in fact, this would be one of the main things that will determine whether you’ll keep sketching or not through the years, because what you use to sketch becomes an extension of your sketching hand.

You need to practice with every kind of material you can lay your hands on. Pencil, charcoal, charcoal pencil, ball point pens, felt tips, micro nib pens. Coloured pencils, brush pens etc. Read the rest of this entry