Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Pirate ships and painting


Yesterday Liz asked what I used to make the paintings.
Ever since I can remember I have done roughs in a Daler, black, hardbound sketchbook, so I have now a great pile of these which are almost like diaries when I go back through them. I do have another very posh leather bound sketchbook which I tend to use when I am doing sketches for paintings. I have had this for about four years now. I have a Steadler propelling pencil with b leads.
I paint on Arches Hot Pressed paper, 300gms. The smooth surface suits the detail I work in. I always stretch my paper and at the moment have about ten drawing boards. For one book I would like to stretch paper for the whole book and work on all of the pieces together.
I paint with Windsor and Newton Artist Quality watercolour paints, tubes. I love the purity of the colour, the texture of the paint, and after so many years I know what to expect from them. I use porcelain palettes and only wash them at the end of each painting. Sometimes they get gritty with dried paint, but I like the texture this adds. Two pots of water, one to wash the brush and one to mix with the paint, and I have a fondness for beautiful pottery so love to use something beautiful for holding the water.
I listen to the radio (BBC radio 4), or music, though sometimes I have to listen to nothing. Today my ears were filled with Dick Gaughan and The Alabama 3.



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes.. all very intersting, but what paper do you use for making boats and planes?

Anonymous said...

Thankyou for this Jackie :) It's so inspiring to hear how other artists work. I love your water bowl, what a good idea to use something so beautiful.

Jackie Morris said...

Have been using paper from the printer, but also pieces of beautiful paper with petals in, and am going to paint and also colour paper with wax and maybe find some gold paper. Try writing wishes or dreams on the paper, or letters or poems and then sending them out to sea or off down a stream.