I have enjoyed taking more time over my drawings and paintings recently. It’s a discipline I’ve not been able to harness properly for a long time, but having spent the last week or two actually carving out some defined time to concentrate on what I’m doing has made a difference. I now don’t feel quite as panicked at the thought of starting something bigger or more complicated than a scrappy sketch, and I have enjoyed thinking about the marks I’m making.
I had seen a video of someone doing a lovely sketchbook spread of a winter village and I felt inspired to draw from some of my Amsterdam photos. I am never sure whether to use a ruler for architecture or just eyeball it. I’ve recently been stewarding at Charleston’s new Gallery in the David Hockney exhibition, and he has some drawings of buildings and windows, and I think he does use a ruler. My problem is that using a ruler does indeed give me a straight line, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be in the correct place…
This drawing is from the exhibition (excuse the green biro and lined paper – it was all I had) and I’m not sure a ruler would have helped me a great deal, but the lines in David Hockney’s drawing looked ruled.
Anyway, I decided to draw the blocks of my buildings freehand, and thankfully the houses along the canals in Amsterdam are slumped and skewed in places so I figured it might look more authentic.
I started with a Blackwing Pearl (about 2B) pencil sketch that I then went over in dark grey fineliner. I realised as I put in the front doors that I had all the houses at different levels. Many of the properties have stoops and basements but are built next to regular doors and floors that walk straight out on to the street but I clearly got in a muddle. The paper in my Fabriano sketchbook is so lovely to use with pencil and pen that even though the outcome ended up a little fantastical, it was fun to do.
Perspective isn’t my strong suit either so for the next one I decided to do a front-on view from street level so I could largely avoid any roof issues. I drew lightly in 2H pencil first and then started with the gouache. I went back over with pencil to bring out the detail as my fine brushes have lost their points, and I didn’t want to use pen as I wanted a softer look, and besides, I prefer drawing in pencil.
As is evident, I simply don’t have the patience for incredibly detailed work. I am a primarily a process artist and I love materials, mark-making and random unforeseen effects or results, so the appeal of repetitive filling in and lining up quickly diminishes. I also missed off a few iconic Amsterdam-ish features like the winch housing they use for getting furniture in to the top rooms, but they were too fiddly to draw, even though the scale is quite big. Meanwhile, I love the washy sky which is a bit more dramatic than my reference photo–we went there in February 2020 (yes, just before the pandemic) so the weather was attractively gloomy. I did the background with really diluted gouache, and of course I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I’m pleased with how it turned out, and the fact I started it knowing it was going to take time to finish.
Are you a ruler person or a freehander when it comes to your artwork? And is that reflected in other areas of your life?
Love the Amsterdam pictures, demonstrating your artistic versatility. Immediately recognisable as Amsterdam. I’m definitely a ‘freehander’: rulers give straight lines but it’s very easy to rule them at slightly the wrong angle.
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Thanks Ma! 🙂
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