January 5, 2026January 5, 2026 by Leonie Andrews

Starting to draw in January

As Yoda once said “do or do not”. So some days I do and some days I do not!

One thing I do want to do this year is work on reducing the ridiculous amount of art materials sitting unused in my back room, in cupboards and all sorts of other places around the house. Now I have materials I prefer to use, the rest just sit there.

Drawing with colour pencils, trying to change the direction of my marks each time I put the pencil on the page. Also, trying not to be too ‘precious’ with my drawings.

I’m trying some tactics to use things like markers, in particular. I have seen several artists use them to make this ‘window pane’ background to sketch over.

Marker pen window pane background, ready to use

I did a similar preparation using other hot pink markers (forgot to take a reference photo) and this is what it looks like as a base with a finished drawing over the top.

Marker background colour pencil over the top. Still life from our table top.

The fact that I’m using this lovely sketchbook from Leuchtturm 1917 helps. It was part of the ‘goody bag’ I received when I taught at the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Poznan last year. This isn’t the type of paper I would usually work with, but it’s very good for all these dry media.

One of my favourite ‘goody bag’ items from Symposium 2025.

October 27, 2025October 27, 2025 by Leonie Andrews

New starts

[This post was originally written on 15 September, but for some reason I forgot to post it. Oops.]

I recently went to the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Poznan, where I did a workshop with French artist Olivia Markus. She was teaching, amongst other things, an interesting approach to colouring sketches. The point of which, in part, was to reinforce a sense of depth of field in your sketch.

I think the simplified colour choices deliver exciting results. Of course, they also challenge your use of tonal contrast. So far, I’ve mainly used them for scenes with people in them. The limited colour selection imposes a unity, which is often missing from my regular sketches.

Now, I’m taking the next steps of testing out what I learned and then trying to integrate the process into my practice.

I use watercolour as my main medium, so that does yield different results to the inks that Marcus uses. To be fair, I really haven’t tried the process with ink yet.

Demonstration in support of Palestine, London

I’m also experimenting with which colour combinations work most effectively together.

I find the stark black pen a bit strong, and it tends to overwhelm the watercolour’s subtle tones. Lately, I have been using less black, instead choosing to use a more intense pigment.

Friday, queues at the coffee shop, first version

The final version with black and white marker bring added.

I’m still ‘not there’ yet in terms of the outcomes, but as today’s sketch show, there is some progress.

October 27, 2025November 3, 2025 by Leonie Andrews

A bit of a diversion

Every weekend we have a Zoom call with some fellow artists in the UK. We meet for an hour to make art and chat. We started this during COVID, so its great that we continue to meet, both online, and now twice in person.

There’s no program, other than what we feel like doing. Before we start there’s always a discussion about what we will do tonight (our time).

I went back to some collage yesterday. I found a large envelope that I decided to turn into a small ‘maze’ book. Having cut the basic shape I started applying very random collage and marks.

In the end it did take more than our one hour to complete, but by thar stage I was so engaged in the process that I kept going until I was done.

For the first time in quite a few months I felt the stirrings of excitement, the potential to make new work. I can see several ways to proceed. While it is a ‘work’ in itself I see the possibility of using it as a springboard to new pieces, where they draw on the colours and marks in the book. There’s also the potential to work directly back into the book itself.

Who knows where this will lead.

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023 by Leonie Andrews

February already! Yikes

I have had so many things to post this year, that I never quite got around to posting. So I will do a quick scan through the photo gallery and see what I can find.

Mainly I have been preoccupied with an embroidered piece for a group show in July. We had to get our draft writing and photos in very early as there is a book to be published to accompany the show. Very exciting indeed. So sorry no finished shots until the exhibition is open. However I did make a short video of me stitching on this piece.

March 19, 2022March 19, 2022 by Leonie Andrews

How to print textures

When is a texture a pattern and vice versa? In my latest gelli printing video I play around with printing textures onto cloth. I spent a lot of time mucking around with a piece of ratty old hessian I found in our garden shed, which only goes to show that it doesn’t take a lot to amuse an artist.