‘Does everything look better when it’s lit from behind?’ Mumbles about drawing, digital vs paper.

I had a go on procreate. I don’t know if I like it. They sort of look ok on the screen (does everything look better when it’s lit from behind?)  but I can’t tell what the colours will do if they were printed. Everything looks somehow impressive on a screen, and yet.. not.

Last October I did a drawing challenge, I drew every day, basing my drawings on my Nana’s advice, and now I’m compiling them into a book, but these digital drawings need to be re-drawn. They were made because it got too late to photograph a paper page. Of course I could have scanned a drawing, but I’ve only just thought of that.

My favourite drawings were in pen and ink (dip pen). It feels good to be slightly out of control. When I was a kid, I used to copy Ronald Searle’s drawings (he famously used pen and ink of course) and one of the lessons that really stuck with me from Art School, was that you can tell the energy of a line.

My challenge this month is to assemble a pencil case of messy materials, and then draw outdoors and on the hoof, to see if the materials work. I drew on the South Downs, one finger holding onto the paint palette, on hand holding a pot of water and my sketchbook and the other three fingers worked the brush. The result was like something a 5 year old could have done, but that wasn’t important. The sketchbooks where the drawings are from life, are an incredible record of a moment. Your brain remembers everything about what you looked at and felt – the outdoors light and weather.. they are lovely diaries.

Next up, I am keeping my sketchbook diary again. Although they feel really non-eventful to draw, time turns them into something else entirely.

Anyone else keep a sketchbook? I might do some top tips if that would be interesting. I have a few.