digital sketch propeller close up

digital sketch propeller close up 

old propeller sketch using 'sketchbook for tablets'

This small rough digital sketch was done using 'Auto Sketchbook for tablets' on a Mircosoft surface pro in early September. It is a propeller of a fishing boat that is undergoing restoration, with a number of blue ropes bound around it.  It was a sunny afternoon when I did this and as usual I could not actually see what I was doing. Then the battery went so that was the end of the drawing, which I would finish off later at home. Just as the battery did go on the device however, the man restoring the boat saw me sketching it and was fascinated why I picked his boat, considering all of the luxurious boats and yachts surrounding it. I told him that his boat had lots of character. Apparently it would take about 6 years to restore this 1930s built wooden vessel. He then invited me on board to have a close look at the restoration work, at one stage crawling along on my belly to look at the engine, because all the decking from the boat had been removed.

Digital sketch of boat on poles at marina

Digital sketch of boat on poles at marina

Today I did a digital sketch from life of a small boat on props at a local marina in Southampton. I used 'Autodesk Sketchbook Pro' for this. It was the first time I had used the 'pro' version after upgrading from the free version a few days ago. The main feature, for me, is that you are now able to choose your document or canvas size. Before it was restricted to the size of your screen on your tablet or device. You also get some more materials and tools to play around with and of I will investigate further at some other time. The boat was loosely sketch in with a pencil and the intention was just go around tightening up the drawing for my allotted period drawing. Instead however I decided to add some rough colour in to the artwork. The day itself was during the start of Autumn so the temperature was getting milder now. It was also a grey and damp day with a few spots of rain falling on to the screen of my 'Microsoft Surface Pro'. The usual difficulty was there of not being able to see what I was doing, because of the shiny screen reflecting the sky above. Also the battery was not fully charged so I had a limited time to do something. It took about 30mins to do and it is ok for what it is. If I had been able to carry on I would have put in some suggestion of the other boats, mainly on the left hand side and more precise colour and detail. 

#boat #sketchbookpro #marina #southampton #art

 

Dock Rhino meets Gilbert the Zebra at Southampton

Dock Rhino meets Gilbert the Zebra at Southampton

Dock Rhino meets Gilbert the Zebra

Back in early 2015 Marwell Zoo in Hampshire announced a follow up campaign to their earlier successful project held in 2013, in collaboration with Southampton council. The project then was to paint a large, full size sculpture of a rhino which is then placed around the city of southampton with many other Rhinos, painted by local artists, to create a trail around the area. Details of the original scheme can be seen here.
The follow up campaign is for the protection of Zebras, and is called 'Marwell's Zany Zebras'. The plan is again for artists to paint full sized zebra models for display around the city during 2016. After the event, all of the large sculptures will be sold at auction to raise funds to conserve endangered Grevy’s zebras and other wildlife, and to support communities living in the arid rangelands of northern Kenya.
As part of the promotion my original 'Dock Rhino' form 2013, funded by ABP and DP WORLD, companies closely associated with the docks and shipping at Southampton, was moved to the entrance of the Ocean terminal to greet visitors and meet 'Gilbert' the zebra as part of the promotion for the new project. The photo shows the photoshot with the organisers at the location.
#southampton #art #wildlife #hampshire

Zombie Killer Rabbits

Zombie Killer Rabbits

Small digital sketch of some funny Zombie Killer Rabbits up to no good! The sketch was done in the windows desktop version of sketch book, which is different and better than the 'tablet' version. It was still the free version I was using and the final image size is small and fixed to your device's screen. If you want a custom canvas you need to upgrade the program for a fee. The picture was done on a Microsoft Surface Pro using a wacom stylus on the screen. The hardware is pressure sensitive but the software does not read that info, so you adjust  the brush opacity for the effect you want. It was a little bit of fun to do! 
#zombie #art #funny #rabbits

Zombie Killer Rabbits Sketch

digital sketch from life of little boat moored

digital sketch from life of little boat moored

A few days later after the previous post featuring a digital sketch from life, I decided to do another one. It was of a boat moored in one of the local marinas and I painted it during a very sunny morning. I did find it difficult however. It was not the subject or the drawing that was the problem. It was that it was too difficult to see the colours I was painting because the screen on the surface pro was just reflecting the ambient light around, even though the screen was set up at maximum brightness.  Basically I was just guessing colours and painting with them though what I thought I was selecting as a colour and what the computer was creating were often not the same. Even so the little sketch was not too bad. I did attempt another sketch during the afternoon which was still very sunny. I only got so far when the battery went on the device so that was the end of that. I may finish the sketch based on my memory at some stage.
#art #surfacepro #sailing #drawing #sketchbook

digital sketch from life done on Surface Pro

Fawley from Weston Shore Hampshire Digital Sketch

Fawley from Weston Shore Hampshire Digital Sketch

This is a small digital sketch painting done from life. It is also the first time I had a go at painting digitally on location and generally speaking it worked out quite well. The painting is no masterpiece but I think I will continue to explore this avenue! The location is in Hampshire looking at Southampton Water from Weston Shore/ Victoria park. In the distance on the other side of the water can be seen Fawley power station and oil terminal. Beyond that is the New Forest.

The software used was 'Sketchbook for Windows tablet' by Autodesk. I down loaded it the previous afternoon to play around with it, using my Microsoft Surface Pro device, that uses a Wacom enabled screen/ pen. One concern I had is not being able to see the screen as I worked, if the day was sunny. As it turned out I could see it reasonably well, on this very sunny Autumn day. I had installed 'Painter Essentials' a few months ago but found that is was over complicated for quick use and disappointingly the pen or tablet did not work well with it, often having to press or draw a number of time to get any response, and that does not suit the fast way I work. To make painter work well, when sitting at a desk does mean using an external keyboard for short cuts. That's ok when at home but not when out and about. The 'Sketchbook' software I have to say worked well. The pen was always responsive with the software without fail and controlling the software was simple so you can concentrate on the task at hand. 

#westonshore #hampshire #painting #art #digitalart

Fawley from Weston Shore Hampshire Digital painting