Back to black...

In a week that is ridiculously busy (in a good way :-) I only had this afternoon to complete this week's exercise on my drawing course.  Thankfully, after the warm up exercises, there only is one drawing for this week.

After lunch, with the house to myself, I shut myself in the studio and got stuck in.  Charcoal is this month's art medium and I've been looking forward to this as it is 39 years since I last held a piece of willow charcoal in my hand.  I can't believe it!  Why do we stop doing something that we love?  I suppose life gets in the way.

I watched the video tutorial last night and was a bit concerned as the sound of Phil the tutor's paper stump blending the charcoal on the paper was giving me the heebie-jeebies, a bit like fingernails on a blackboard, and I was worried it would drive me nuts when I came to do the drawing myself, but I needn't have worried.  The joy of putting charcoal to paper more than made up for the noise.  In fact I was so engrossed, I didn't even notice it today.

If you have never made marks on a smooth piece of paper with a willow charcoal stick, you haven't lived!  Honestly, it is sublime.  As I worked, so many memories of standing at an easel, charcoal in hand in art class at school came flooding back.  In a blink I was right back beside people I haven't seen or thought of in years, wondering where they are now and hoping life has been kind.

Charcoal is a challenge for the tidy artist.  It's messy and bold and forces one to work loosely and freely, moving it around the paper always paying attention to tonal values.  One minute everything seems to be a shade of grey then with some subtle shading, then some not so subtle shading, then some bold dark marks, the subject of the drawing emerges from the paper. Great fun! :-)

I was interrupted briefly by Tommy the roofer who wanted me to go and inspect the old roof tiles he's put aside for me.  He was concerned they would be too large and heavy for my purpose, but no they are perfect.  

He did look rather bemused when he asked what I was going to do with them and I said paint on them.  I'm not sure quite what he visualised but I went on to explain that I already had some orders from people who want me to paint their house name on on a tile with some added decoration, and they will attach it to their gate / wall / shed / wherever they fancy.  That seemed to satisfy him. 

Time seemed to run away with me and by the time dinner was over and my Tesco order was complete, it was too late to make the meringue for my pavlova for tomorrow's dessert, so I will have to be up extra early to get that done!  I've ordered Tesco Finest meringues as back up!  

Now have four (possibly five) days in a row of friends and family visiting.  Before the pandemic this would have panicked me slightly, the planning, the organising, the logistics, now I relish it completely.  I will never again take for granted the ability to get together with family and friends. 

Bring it on!  :-))) 

PS Process in extras