Sketching with a difference

White on Black

 

This last month I have been trying a new technique: I bought a black sketchbook and a white gel pen. This was because I had some travel photos of Paris taken at night that I wanted to try copying.

 

One of the first was this, Sacre Coeur Church at the top of the hill at Montmartre:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The black sketchbook was from "Best 4 Less", and the white gel pen from Warehouse Stationery.]

 

So I tried it on the New Plymouth Town Clock from a photo of the tower after sunset, taken by Rob Tucker and published in his book: Images of a Nation: Taranaki in 2005. Not altogether successful; I need to look for some other medium. This one was done with the white gel pen and watercolour pencils.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our U3A Sketching Group had another session at the Puke Ariki exhibition of photos by Alby Carter. They are worth several visits: striking portraits of interesting people, and fascinating backgrounds.

 

Some of the backgrounds are exceptionally complex, as sketching exercises, and I was more interested in the human figures.

 

So I chose this one, with a straightforward setting, an interesting man, and a dog for good measure:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally another one done on a wet day from an old travel photo: taken near the Arc de Triomphe on the footpath beside the Champs Elysees: