Art prompt: Back to beginnings

Coloured pencil and ink go well together, especially in sepia. I decided to test them out in a sketchbook by sketching some artefacts - things that got me started in archaeology and human prehistory that still inspire me. The UNESCO World Heritage site of Catalhoyuk was a game changer for me when I first read … Continue reading Art prompt: Back to beginnings

Untold stories

Sometimes I need to paint something that doesn't require much investment of time or effort. I do this to avoid the habit of fussing with a painting, if I want to practice techniques or I'm working out a scene for a specific project. A good way I've found is to do postcard sized paintings of … Continue reading Untold stories

Feeding the magpies and an art prompt

In Australia, if we want to avoid being swooped by mobs of magpies in breeding season, we make friends with them. One way to do this is to feed them. While I don't think they actually see us as friends, they do remember humans who are kind to them. As such no one in my … Continue reading Feeding the magpies and an art prompt

Art prompt: herbs

For today's art prompt I chose basil and garlic. They both lend themselves nicely to stippling in pen and ink, a favourite technique and medium, plus I wanted to try something new (new to me anyway) and felt two illustrations would be better than one. Stippling is time consuming and requires a lot of patience, … Continue reading Art prompt: herbs

Sketchbook habits: prompts

When I start a sketchbook I make a contract with myself and I try to stick to these three Cs: creativity - creativity begets creativity. Sketchbook often;commitment - keep doing it often. Even if it's not as pretty as you'd like, don't give up;carry on - Fill the sketchbook, stow it away somewhere safe and … Continue reading Sketchbook habits: prompts