Studio Shots

As well as the ACEOs I have been working on larger pieces and experimenting with using colour more in my work.  I am using mostly FW Artists Acrylic Ink or Liquitex Acrylic Ink with dip pen for these drawings and using coloured line.  The drawings I am working on mostly at the moment are urban scenes which include trees or some natural form.  I am also exploring an old favourite of mine, the use of words or letters in my artwork, usually in the form of grafitti, though I have an inclination also to include drawn versions of printed matter, posters etc.. The drawings in the photograph below are a simple landscape (bright and cheerful) and the tree beside Tipton Baths that I made a drawing of previously.  This time I am using coloured line, and thinking about how else I want to use colour so as not to swamp the drawing.

I am trying really hard to divide my precious time between my creative work, my work on ACEOs (and other Itsypics projects I would like to tackle) and everything else.  I am keeping a note of time I spend on each task, you can see it below, next to my precious old marble mouse which I've owned for about 15 years now and it's been invaluable to me.

 What I look at when my eyes drift away from the computer screen (like now).

I visited the Rembrandt exhibition at the National last year and it was packed to capacity.  Someone actually fainted when I was there and everyone had to wait until the man had recovered.  Rebel Visions was an exhibition of CRW Nevison's work of the First World War which I saw at the Barber Institute this January.  The Barber Institute has a wonderful collection of art, including a beautiful Gainsborough.  You can see many of the pictures in the Barber's collection on-line at the BBC Your Paintings website.