edin

A colour pencil drawing using Derwent Artists pencils on thick cartridge paper. I wanted to show the car speeding down the highway, and so tried to make the tress appear as though they are a blur - Many thanks for looking !

Here are some figure drawing images from last year that I think turned out well. These are all quickish poses, 20 mins max.

Today’s urban sketching effort. I tried to capture light coming through windows at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. Posca markers, brush pens and water soluble pencil on brown A4

Another batch of sketches from my time in the album recording session earlier this week. Noodler’s ink blue loaded in my fountain pen, then applying a bit of water with a water brush. I like the bleeding that occurs.

Improvising a thing or two centred around krakens and all things cephalopod flavoured :)

Whenever I think of tags and/or labels for people, be it things like ‘gammons’ or ‘snowflakes’ et al, narrowing it down to a single person who represents that group is always running a fool’s errand in my opinion.

Acrylic and pen on canvas

Some tiger shark love.

Needing to get out of the house, I walked down the street to the antique shops that are right around the corner from my house and did some urban sketching.

I just finished the Calandra Lark. Here are some facts about this beautiful bird... Appearance: It's a large lark, about 17.5-20 cm long, with a robust build, a heavy bill, and noticeable pale eyebrows . Its plumage is mainly greyish-brown streaked above and white below, with large black patches on the breast sides. Habitat: This species is found in open plains, steppes, pastures, and dry cereal cultivations. It's mainly resident in the west of its range but Russian populations migrate further south in winter. Diet: Their main food source is seeds, but they also consume insects when nesting. Behaviour: Calandra Larks are known to be gregarious outside the breeding season, often forming large flocks. Song: Their song is considered musical and slower than the Skylark's. It has been historically popular as a cagebird.

Acrylic painting of Victorian woman feeding peacocks.

Due to COVID-restrictions, Edinburgh urban sketchers have been sketching virtually in Catalonia using Google street view. Here’s one of my contributions. It’s somewhere in Amposta ... unfortunately, didn’t take note of the actual street :O Pencil, brush pens and posca on coloured A4.

mixed media on A4. Did this in the National Museum of Scotland

Title: Windows to the Soul Medium: Ink on sketch Book Paper Size: 10” X 14” Year: 01/09/2020 This Illustration is a pulmonary design/study for a future painting. Theme was born from a poem I wrote a couple years ago, by the same title. The main massage is that Christians are to be windows that Jesus Christs can shine His light of, Love, truth, mercy, salvation, hope, new life, in to a darkened world by the power of sin. The power of sin is what subjects all creation under destruction, suffer, death, decay. The Devil, and countless fallen angel use these tools to destroy the human race. Christians Have victory, through faith in Christ, from being a salves to sin, they have obtain adoption into God’s family, and removed from the coming damnation that is for the rebellious angels and the humans. Christian still are still temped to commit sin, and still make bad choices. Christian’s sin, hinder their effectiveness to be a witnesses for God’s kingdom, their short comings are like black drapes, that hang in a widow, that hinder the sunlight from brightening and warming a dark cold room. The massage communicated by symbolism The stair well leading down with the railing around it: The railing: The 3 petal flower is a Keltic symbol for the trinity of God. The railing around the stair well: Represents, God’s desire that none should perish but to repent. It also represents that people go to hell by their own choice, through their deliberate rebellious living against God. No ne accidently end up on the wrong side of the railroad tracks. The Stairs going down: Represents sinful humanity that is separated from a holy God. Without a spiritual intervention, we all have one destination that is the lake of fire, which is the finale judgement for sin. The open glass pane door: Represents God wants humanity to except his invitation to commune with Him, receive the new life He offers to provide for them. The stair case without railings: Represents the path to TheHeaven, which must me travailed by faith. The partly open drapes hanging in the Picture widow. Represent sin that try to prevent the light of truth to penetrate the darkness of deception. The railing with the fishes and crosses: This represent the Heavenly destination of Christian. It also stand for Christian being God’s Life guard. While living in the world, their mission is to take the salvation message into all the world. The second Floor open door, the entrance filled with light: This represents the entrance to Heaven. The globe sculpture represents a world needing to be repossessed, from the power of the curse of sin. By the hand of God, it will made new, absent of rebellious angel and humans. Absent from destruction, suffering, death, decay. Stephen J. Vattimo 1/10/2020

It’s been a little while since I did some Kirby fan art, so I thought I’d do something about that!

Had to find a title somewhere…

And now, the days get longer at last!

Eevee returns!

A handful of Brit flicks have been showing up on Disney+ lately, and one of them I watched recently had Luke Perry of all folks in it... the film in question is called ‘The Beat Beneath My Feet’ in case you’re curious. In all seriousness though, British films with American actors in them as a lead/central character will forever and always fascinate me, much like Luke Perry’s birth name did! Rest well good sir and thanks for everything.

“In Caribbean mythology, the lusca or luska is the term given to one of the most feared sea monsters in the region. A deadly creature that prowls the deep and feeds on the unsuspecting. A being or a pod of beings that scour the Gulf eating up all in its wake. The lusca is a chimera; a mismatch of animal parts. A conglomerate of some of the Caribbean’s most feared creatures. It is a cryptid that said to hunt and prowl the Gulf and areas near the Mexican shore. Luscas are one of the lesser known cryptids of the deep. They are also one of the most fascinating not only on account of its fearsome symmetry but of the mystery that surrounds them...”

This line from the Stephin Merritt episode of the 'She's A Talker' podcast (referring to Stephen Sondheim plot-lines) got my imagination ticking in overdrive

As we approach the end of winter, who knows where we’ll end up next? Still cautiously optimistic here... As long as there’s stuff to inspire us all, it can’t be all that bad?

An urban sketching thingie from October. Drawn in about an hour as a part of Edinburgh Urban Sketchers meetup. Conte on A4.

Markers on A3. All The Young Nudes.

We were having a thunder storm, so I figured I’d do a sketch waiting for my markers to get here. I ended up getting carried away and inking it right away. I put a few layers of fixatif on it, and I'm hoping that'll stop the paint/ink from bleeding too much when I apply the markers.

Watercolor jellyfish with negative painting and multiple washes to give depth. Ph Martins no bleeding white created a glow effect

Ridley Scott’s wisdom guiding me nicely this morning…

Sunny springtime in Edinburgh = curious narwhals.

Beltane season is almost upon us again… at last!