October 14, 2024October 14, 2024 by Leonie Andrews

Eva Hesse, sculptor?

drawing, inks
Eve Hesse, inktober2024, pen and ink, pen and wash
7 Comments

The next artist on my list of subjects I an drawing for the Inktober 2024 challenge, is Eva Hesse (1936-1970). Definitely one of those “if only …” artists.

Hesse explored so many new materials and ideas in the very short life she had. I was introduced to her work when I studied art as a mature age student and while her sculptures continue to engage me, I have also become a massive fan of her drawings. If you want to see what she could do I highly suggest you look for a copy of the book Eva Hesse Oberlin, which catalogues her work held by Oberlin College. Given this book weighs just shy of 3 kgs (2.971kgs to be precise), you may have to prepare in more ways than one to tackle her body of work.

Eva Hesse, 1963,
from a photograph by Barbara Brown.

I noticed quite a different approach in the photos of Hesse, compared to those of Lee Kranser. I can’t decide if it was to do with the age she was living in, or the age of the sitter. I also felt drawn to adding some warmer tones to these drawings.

Eva Hesse c.1959,
from a photograph by Stephen Korbet

October 5, 2024October 5, 2024 by Leonie Andrews

Help wanted …

drawing, inks, pen and ink
inktober2024, pen and ink, portrait, self-portrait
4 Comments

Is it possible to be ‘too respectful’ to a photograph. I’m throwing this one open to the collective brains trust!

At the end of my 5th day of Inktober I am already questioning my approach to the photos I’m using as a source material.

I’ll show you today’s drawings/sketches to demonstrate what I mean.

My first sketch today, sticking pretty close to the original photo.

Having reached an end point with that first sketch, the outcome of which I wasn’t completely excited about, I decided to draw a way looser sketch of myself.

After the self-portrait I decided to go back to my previous subject and try to loosen it up. The second version now bears less of a resemblance to the original photo. However, I probably rushed this a bit too much. I would still like to see some resemblance to the source material, but I am feeling that this is probably more ‘authentic to my style’ than the first version.

Am I just copping out with a return to my preferred style? Can you suggest ways of approaching the sketches without becoming consumed by producing ‘respctful’ likenesses?

The second sketch from the photo. I probably rushed it a bit.

Your thoughts on this matter,whatever they are, would be appreciated.

October 3, 2024October 3, 2024 by Leonie Andrews

Day by day, sort of

drawing, inks, pen and ink
Arnold Newman, ink and wash, inktober2024, inkwash, Irving Penn, Lee Krasner, pen and ink
8 Comments

I’ll spare you the daily photo dump of Inktober drawings. I mentioned previously that I’m drawing from photographs of artists. For each artist I have found several photos, where possible over different times of their lives – although some lives were not long at all.

First up is Lee Krasner. These photos are from the book Lee Krasner, Living Colour, Ed. Eleanor Nairne, Thames and Hudson, 2019. It’s a catalogue for the exhibition of the same name. Krasner has such a bold look, with her striking dark hair, that I found it easy to see how that might be translated into a graphic pen and ink drawing.

Day 1, I drew from an early photo of Krasner , so bold a pose and her eyes blocked out by sunglasses.

A young Lee Krasner c. 1938, Photographer unknown.

I ended up doing 4 drawings of Krasner, because I’m playing a lot with different approaches.

Day 2, I used two different approaches. The first was all line work with blue and sepia ink. The second with a range of inks all applied by brush. As someone who loves watercolour the 2nd approach is the one feel most comfortable with.

Day 2, two approaches from the same source photo taken in 1949 by Arnold Newman

For Day 3, I decided to combine line and wash, given how Irving Penn has photographed Kranser’s face surrounded by the upturned collar of her coat. I wanted to capture the dramatic sweep of the collar but to also suggest it’s textured lining.

Lee Krasner, 1972, photographer Irving Penn.

October 1, 2024October 1, 2024 by Leonie Andrews

My first Inktober

drawing, inks, Uncategorized
ink sketch, ink wash, inktober2024, pen and ink, sketching, sketching people
5 Comments

There’s no doubt that the shame of the shear amount of rarely used pens and ink that I own is a contributing factor to my first ever participation in Inktober. It’s one of those myriad art “challenges ” that breed in the dank corners of social media, however this one has become one of the better known month long events.

The sad result of too many trips where buying art supplies became our souvenirs.

Simply take whatever form of ink you like, Biro, pen and ink, brush pen, whatever and draw every day for the month of October. The rules are satisfyingly loose enough for people to pretty much do what they want, and of course, you post the results of your daily efforts on whichever of the social media platforms you favour.

Fountain pens and brush pens filled with different inks

There is a list of daily prompts you can follow, or you can do your own thing. I’m opting for the latter. My plan is to draw portraits of artists from old photographs. I hope this will give me sufficient leeway to focus as much on my technique as it does on the subject matter.

Now I have a month to rectify, or at least revive some skills in that area.

To be honest, I really need to! In the run-up to the challenge, I have struggled to get a reasonable result because I largely have stopped using my fountain pens for regular art making.

I’d love to hear if any of you are doing Inktober too.

June 29, 2022 by Leonie Andrews

Walks, Cafes etc

We have been doing a lot of walking since the pandemic started, originally prompted by restricted exercise periods for months at a time. Now walking is a regular activity and each week we try and do a slightly longer walk. We often break this up with a coffee, in our Thermos, or at one of the pop-up coffee carts that seem to be proliferating along popular walking tracks around the city.