photography

Shoot it, Sketch it: Hello?

| Anna Cull
Random texture #2 – mixed media, 175 x 235 mm, 2013.
Random texture #2 – mixed media, 175 x 235 mm, 2013.
Random texture #2, original photo, 2011.
Random texture #2, original photo, 2011.

Here is a second random texture for Shoot it, Sketch it. The inspiration was my photo of a manual telephone exchange/switchboard we discovered at a machinery museum a couple of years ago. It was an odd museum too — a collection of old farm machinery and equipment that seemed abandoned and forgotten. There was no one around and yet it was unlocked and ‘open’. Donations welcome.

I’ve shown the final painting (above) as well as various stages (below).

Random texture #2a
Random texture #2a – the acrylic background
Random texture #2b
Random texture #2b – more paint, more details
Random texture #2c
Random texture #2c – more colour, more contrast

Also participating in Shoot it, Sketch it are Clouds of Colour, The Little Leaf, Lunch Sketch and Poppytump.

Shoot it, Sketch it: Room with a view

| Anna Cull
Room with a view – ink, watercolour and digital, 265 x 195 mm, 2013.
Room with a view – ink, watercolour and digital, 265 x 195 mm, 2013.
My new workbench and the view of our beautiful plum tree.
My new workbench and the view of our beautiful plum tree.

I’m so thrilled to have a workbench I can stand at to draw and paint — it is SO MUCH BETTER than sitting at a desk all day. It is perfect for me and I love it. Goodbye horrid old computer desk that didn’t even have enough room for an A3 sheet of paper. Hello beautiful (and, let’s face it, unashamedly sexy) oak workbench with cupboards and drawers and lots of space. What a great way to start the new year.

The sketch was done with a dip pen and ink. I’m afraid some abuse of the pen was necessary to get those scratchy textures — but it has survived to dip another day. The watercolour ‘tree’ was painted on a separate piece of paper and added in Photoshop.

– before –
before
– after –
after

~ new year ~ new work space ~ new outlook ~ and a new WordPress header : )

Also participating in Shoot it, Sketch it are Clouds of Colour, The Little Leaf, Lunch Sketch and Poppytump. Why don’t you join us?

Shoot it, Sketch it: Double rainbow

| Anna Cull
Double rainbow triptych – Christchurch, 2012.
Double rainbow triptych – Christchurch, 2012.

One evening last October I noticed a strange light coming in through the window. When I went outside to investigate, I was met with this beautiful sight: a double rainbow over the neighbouring rooftops. These are my three favourite shots.

I drew the houses and trees with an Indian ink brush pen and the rainbows and sky were painted with my trusty Neocolor II watercolour pastels to give the rainbows a naïve, childlike quality. I really like the way they’ve picked up the corrugated texture of the watercolour paper.

Double rainbow #1 – ink and watercolour, 2012.
Double rainbow #1 – ink and watercolour, 2012.
Double rainbow #2 – ink and watercolour, 2012.
Double rainbow #2 – ink and watercolour, 2012.
Double rainbow #3 – ink and watercolour, 2012.
Double rainbow #3 – ink and watercolour, 2012.

Others who have been participating in Shoot it, Sketch it are Clouds of Colour, The Little Leaf, Lunch Sketch and Poppytump.

See you in the new year : )

Shoot it, Sketch it: Random texture

| Anna Cull
Random texture #1 – acrylic and collage on card, 180 x 260 mm, 2012.
Random texture #1 – acrylic and collage on card, 180 x 260 mm, 2012.
Random texture #1, original photo, 2011.
Random texture #1, original photo, 2011.

Have I mentioned how much I’m enjoying the Shoot it, Sketch it challenge? I’ve now painted four of the photographs I took in Nelson/Golden Bay last Christmas. All were taken with art projects in mind but have been in the ‘I will get around to these one day’ pile. It is very satisfying to have the bird of paradise, leaf study, toy museum and this random texture marked off the list.

Also participating in Shoot it, Sketch it are Clouds of Colour, The Little Leaf, Lunch Sketch and Poppytump.

Shoot it, Sketch it: Leaf study

| Anna Cull
Leaf study – ink, watercolour and digital, 175 x 210 mm, 2012.
Leaf study – ink, watercolour and digital, 175 x 210 mm, 2012.

This week’s sketch was a bit of an experiment. I wanted to see how watercolour behaved when applied to art board. Now I know. The biggest surprise was just how much water I could wash over the surface without it buckling.

All it needed was a little poem to finish it off (so I wrote one).

Leaf study in Golden Bay, 2011.

Follow the links to see what Clouds of Colour, The Little Leaf, Lunch Sketch and Poppytump have been doing for Shoot it, Sketch it.

Shoot it, Sketch it: Paradise

| Anna Cull
Paradise in Golden Bay – acrylic on board, 250 x 320 mm, 2012
Bird of Paradise, 2011

I had a lot of fun painting this week’s Shoot it, Sketch it. It’s one that I’ve been meaning to do for almost a year (ever since I took the photo last Christmas). My only real problem was deciding when it was finished. Even now, I’m still not entirely sure that it is — but there comes a point when you simply have to walk away and start the next project…

This is what the painting looked like at various stages. I kept telling myself: just a little darker here, a bit lighter there… How CAN you tell when something is finished?

Follow the links to see other Shoot it, Sketch it offerings from Clouds of Colour, The Little Leaf, Lunch Sketch and Poppytump.