10 lessons learned from trying to keep a daily sketchbook… and failing

I love the idea of keeping a daily sketchbook. I used to draw every day when I was younger and really enjoyed it. I also saw great improvements from sketchbook to sketchbook. It spurred me on and made me realise how important regular, persistent practice is. I’ve tried to pick the habit back up in the past […]

Why I draw

Alan got me a mug for Christmas that says “I might look like I’m listening to you, but in my head I’m drawing”. I giggled loudly when I opened the box- it is so true. I am always thinking about drawing. I neglected my sketchbooks and pencils quite a bit last year for a number of reasons, […]

Using value scales to improve your drawing skills

When I started working on my realistic drawing skills earlier this year, all my drawings were a little “off”. After reading The Big Book of Realistic Drawing Secrets, I started using value scales to help me see the value changes in my reference photos a bit better, and it helped a lot. It seems a lot […]

The Big Book of Realistic Drawing Secrets (review)

I love drawing and I am, for the most part, self-taught. Early this year I decided to improve my drawing skills and started practising different facial features each month. I also decided to do a full portrait each month for comparison. I did really well for a few months, then got totally side-tracked by life. […]

A peek into my sketchbook: drawing noses

  A peek into my sketchbook: drawing noses Some weeks the kindest thing you can do for yourself and your family is the slow right down and just do the bare essentials. That was last week for me. With both kids home because of half term, sore throats galore, and my dad’s anniversary playing major […]

Time to get real!

Drawing was my first love. When I rediscovered art a few years ago I fell into grungy mixed media. It was the perfect way for me, a recovering perfectionist, to get back into art. Because grungy, by its very nature, is messy. There is no right or wrong. Back then, drawing would have quickly sucked […]

Sketching childhood: sippy cup

He scowled up at me when I handed him the drink, stamped his foot and said, “No more sippy cups mamma! Kirby’s a big boy now!”. We had just started potty training him, and he had decided to take his new big boy status all the way. No more nappies. No more Eeyore and muslin […]

Sketching childhood: musical elephant

When Kirby was younger, this rocking musical elephant saved our sanity on more than one occasion. No matter how fidgety or upset Kirby was, the elephant managed to calm him down within seconds. These days, he sits mostly untouched on the toy shelf in Kirby’s room, but unlike some of the other toys the kids […]

Sketching childhood: tea for two

“Tea for two” pencil drawing in Aoife’s sketching childhood book When I sit down to draw, I almost always grab Kirby’s sketchbook. Since he’s at home with me all day, his toys are usually right in front of me, inspiring me to draw them, or, if I’m having a bad day, making me curse as […]

Sketching childhood: Percy the train

The other day, I noticed Kirby was settling down for a snooze on the sofa, so I  took out my sketchbook and pencils and set up at the dining table. I outlined his Percy train and began working on making him come to life. Then I made the mistake of leaving the room to make a […]