Copic People Sketches

Harry from life - 10 mins


Jake from life - 5 mins



Pausa coffee shop on location

Pausa coffee shop on location

Sketched from a Mitch Waite DVD, still frame

Sketched from a magazine - 5 mins


I have had a tonal set of 5 grey Copic Ciao markers for a couple of years now and never really used them. I recently started making thumbnail sketches with them and quickly realised their potential as a very handy location media. I have found that creating tonal thumbnails for prospective paintings with these pens allows me to see quite quickly if the painting will work, compositionally and tonally. Colour notes can be made in writing or left to my interpretation back in the studio.

Being a huge monochrome fan, I've become rather addicted to them.

They are so easy to stick in a handbag and 4 pens can be held in one hand comfortably while working with the 5th.
Finding a sketchbook that will take them, however, has been a bit of a problem...They bleed through to the back of the page, especially the black. So far, the best books I have tested are the Derwent Floral, which has paper rather like a Moleskine only a little thicker, and the Canson watercolour sketchbook .

Self Portrait

10 min study - Ink and watercolour in large Canson sketchbook

A quickie in ink on a prepared page in my large Canson sketchbook using a mirror.

Jake

My eldest Son, Jake, chilling out with his laptop.

Grandparents

A couple of quick ink sketches created during their visit, using Noodler's red/black ink on pre-prepared pages of my large Canson sketchbook.

A Few More Figure Studies

A few quick studies, two on prepared pages and one on plain, all in a large Canson watercolour sketchbook.

Prepared Surface Sketching

Harry and our whippet 'Scoby' - Lamy Safari filled with Noodlers 'Walnut' ink using a medium nib on watercolour and soft pastel.


Harry - Lamy Safari filled with red/black ink using an extra fine nib on watercolour


Harry and Jake - Lamy Safari filled with Noodlers 'Walnut' ink using a medium nib on gouache.

A few family sketches on prepared surfaces in my large Canson watercolour sketchbook.

I'd forgotten just how much prepared backgrounds add to a sketch and since I have had mixed media out on my desk recently for the 'Mixed Views' project I thought I'd dabble on a page....which soon turned into a few pages.
They look so much more interesting than just ink sketches and give instant 'meat' to a few minutes work.

Family

Jake-2 min study

A couple of quick family studies created yesterday using a Lamy Safari fountain pen and Noodlers Lexington Gray ink.


Tom-10 min study

Strike A Pose

A couple of five minute posed studies of Harry using Noodlers red/black ink in a Lamy Safari fountain pen diluted with a water brush.

My Boys

A couple of quickies in ink of the boys at leisure this evening.

Thing-A-Day - Day Nineteen

SP-15 mins-ink & watercolour ©Anita Davies

A couple of quick self portraits are my entry for todays 'Thing-A-Day', created from life looking into a small shaving mirror.


sp-15 mins-watercolour ©Anita Davies

Gestures Of Harry

My brave Wednesday art class students have joined me in my focus on people this year and we were lucky enough to have Harry model for us again this week.
I concentrated on gesture sketching using poses of between 1-3 minutes to build their hand to eye coordination, drawing what they see with their eyes on instinct, allowing no time for fussing about.
The class went exceptionally well and Harry was a star, as usual!
I have found that making sketches myself during these sessions gives me a good insight to their trials and errors, they also provide me with something solid to aid me during our half time discussions.

3x3 Jake

Three quick studies of my eldest on the sofa.

Thing-A-Day - Day Eleven

My eldest, Jake, on his laptop

11February09-J, originally uploaded by Anita Davies.

More From The Family Book

A few more of the quick studies I am trying to make daily in the large Canson 'Family' sketchbook I leave around the house as part of my focus on people this year.

Thing-A-Day - Day Ten

Self portrait, from life, using a 0.3 pigment liner.

Five Minute Family

5 minute studies from life, ink and watercolour


1 and 2 minutes SP studies using a mirror, ink


5 minute SP study using a mirror, ink

Experimental Harry

These first sketches of Harry were made using a water brush filled with black ink, diluted with a little water. I keep two of these in my handbag, one black and one nut brown, for adding quick tones to sketch but have never used them to sketch directly with. It was a little scary to start with, such bold lines but by the third study I was enjoying myself and the challenge.



Trying to capture a moving subject is always a challenge, so when I noticed Harry playing with his toys in the lounge I grabbed my sketchbook. I used the nut brown water brush to add some tone to the study above and watercolour for the one below.




Harry offered to model for my Wednesday art class this week where we ran through a series of very short poses. Seating a model in a sketch is always challenging, so we had a few poses with Harry sitting to practice, below are three instructional studies I made during our session.
All are made using Inktense pencils but the blue in the bottom sketches did not scan well, so I've turned them monochrome to make them more visable.

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Thing-A-Day - Day Six

A couple of quick feature studies from life in gouache, using a compact mirror and myself as a model.

Thing-A-Day - Day Four

04February09-SP
Originally uploaded by Anita Davies

Another self portrait, this time using a 'Bark' coloured Inktense pencil.
Spent approx. 25-30 mins on this one while watching TV with a shaving mirror resting on the arm of my sofa.
A little kinder this time, although my roll neck jumper isn't flattering my neck and chin area especially well.
I had intended wetting the ink up with a waterbrush after sketching but hunger set in and I started dinner instead.

Harry

Harry sketching before school. 10 minute study.



Harry all dressed up in his suit making some James Bond poses for me. Each pose lasted between 2-5 minutes and I added a little watercolour after.



Quick 5 minute study of Harry at my PC desk, I added the colour later that evening when he took the same pose.