April 2024 Sketchbook

Despite what feels like a pretty unproductive month in the terms of time spent drawing, I have still managed almost 10 hours in my sketchbook. The above video is a timelapse created from the iPad app Procreate.

Decided to mark my Dad’s passing in 2011 with a portrait of him as a young man.

I tend to work within lines but the beauty of a sketchbook is that I can explore different ways of working. For this illustration I tried to just work with blocks of colour as much of possible, layering different colours to bring textural elements.

Similar to the illustration previous, I worked with just a digital brush with colour only but added linework at end to paint a t-shirt I saw hanging in Curve coffee store in Margate whilst I waited for my coffee.

Too long not practicing so remember grabbing an old Poster Design book by illustrator Tom Eckersley and did a quick study of one of his amazing illustrations.

Ideas for sketches come from the most unexpected places - this was from a photograph I took of a head mannequin in the local RSPCA charity shop. Rare to see people wearing headscarves anymore but maybe this one will kickstart a resurgence.

This was inspired by a photograph from A Modern Way of Living book I am reading by Matt Gibberd. Love Crittall windows and that’s what drew me to drawing this one.

Trying to use tone to determine space in this illustration from Pinterest sourced courtyard garden photograph.