More random stuff

 SQ Grand Mosque © Sue Pownall 2012

It's that time of year when I hit exhausted, which here in the Gulf is not helped by the heat - officially 48c as I type. It can't 'officially' go over 50 because work has to stop, this crazy temperature is NOT the reality. Feels like 41? No way more like feels like 51!!!!

Anyway it's been a strange few weeks. After the radio interview, which I shared in my last post, I was interviewed about my sketching for Y Magazine. The edition came out last Tuesday and below is the double page spread. The Pdf is here: http://www.y-oman.com/issues/224.pdf

With both the radio and the magazine interviews focusing on my sketching I thought I should do some, so on Sunday I went to Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. I was meeting a friend there who had never been. I arrived early in order to do the outside scene; sat in my car out of the heat of course. Top and below.

© Sue Pownall 2012

Whilst my friend wandered around, I found a spot to sit on the carpet and tried to capture some of the beauty of the mosque. However a quick sketch can hardly do it justice, so I must return with a whole morning to spare.

© Sue Pownall 2012

Finally, as my friend listened to a man talk about the mosque and Islam, I spent a couple of minutes trying to get an impression of the chandelier.

© Sue Pownall 2012

Drawing in an A5 sketchbook can only begin to capture it because:

The largest chandelier known in the world, weighs 8.5 tons. Made of Swarovski crystal, has gold plated metalwork, and hangs down for a length of 14 meters.  Source Ministry of Information & Swarovski Architecture.

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My interview at Merge Radio

Rula

Rula. Pen & Wash. 200 x200mm © Sue Pownall 2012

Cathy Read (check out her fab portfolio here) recently wrote about a change direction having been asked to do work as she used to do. After doing the work, she said "I’m even more certain the decision to change direction is right. Sometimes you need to stop, reassess and find a new route! And when you do, it’s good to have that change reinforced from time to time!"

A recent change for me was to start my Festival Faces series. I am enjoying drawing them and I'm impatient to do more, although the gallery wants more scenery, ruins etc first. I've just done a portrait commission, above, which I get asked to do periodically. Apart from my Festival Faces, which I have total freedom with I Hate - note capital H - portraiture. It's the need to produce something pretty, in normally different materials, although this one was in a "sketch" style. It pays for some materials, but takes time and energy. Will I do more portrait commissions? Probably as I only accept them about once a year BUT not at the expense of my other work.

Before anyone comments - I don't count my sketches as portraits as that's me trying to interpret a scene rather than capture someone's likeness and, like the Festival Faces, is not intended for the person I'm drawing.

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Silver & pearls

Silver & pearls. 170x200mm © Sue Pownall 2012

I was asked to draw some more Arabic jewellery and chose this necklace, which I was given when I lived in Oman before. Building on earlier work produced for QMA, I decided to follow the same style. With this the outline and 90% of the drawing was drawn with a 0.3 nib. My usual work, like the portraits and landscapes are drawn using a 0.1 and 0.05 with a 0.3 being used only for dark accents. Drawing first with an 0.3 gives me a very scary feeling. However, I battled past the nerves and this drawing was mainly finished on the day I started it, but it's had a 2 week wait to finish it due to some commissions, which obviously took precedence. This morning I was awoken at 5.30 and after refusing to be awake until 6am - eyes tightly screwed shut, whilst chanting I am not awake - I gave up and finished this over my first cuppa. Do you like it?

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Edit: To answer the question asked below by Mimi & John, this was drawn entirely using Rotring pens. I'm not a traditionalist and I'm very messy, so rarely use fountain or dip pens, although I occassionally use brushes. My pen of choice is a Staedtler Pigment liner.

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Jubilations

Queen Elizabeth II © Sue Pownall 2012

 I'm not a Royalist, but I could hardly ignore this auspicious day - 

the Diamond Jubilee of the Queens coronation on 2 June 1953.

The photo reference I used is © Camera Press/Cecil Beaton 

and availbale on www.thediamondjubilee.org

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Sorry I'm not feeling 100% and didn't bother to fix the scan: the skin tones are off as is the gold leaf.

Mini Artist-in-residence 2

Rajastan scarf © Sue Pownall 2012

mmmm so I turn up at Merge 104.8 for my 2nd morning sketching there, and Chris interviews me live on air. I'm sure I sounded like a complete idiot although a friend texted "SKETCH SUE! U ROCK MATE! :-D just heard yr intrview w chris on merge! " Later at an event I attended, I got "Oh that was YOU". Wasn't sure how to take that! :D 
Chris has promised me a mp3 file of it, so I may put it with a slideshow, depending how dippy I sound.

A guest in Al Wisal's studio © Sue Pownall

I was feeling tired and headachy, so I used a pencil in A5 sketchbook, but I'm not sure the 2 facts are connected especially as my default is pen. I warmed up with a couple of sketches of Chris. Then I sketched the guy being interviewed by Madiha in Al-Wisal's studio. I liked how his musar & face stood out through the maze of mike stands, hence the application of watercolour. For my penultimate sketch, it was again the flash of colour that attracted me to the sketch, in this case the beautiful Rajastani scarf. (top).

Reading the news. © Sue Pownall

The final sketch, below, was of Chris interviewing a guest and I think is the best likeness so far. I have a 3rd opportunity to sketch the station as I have been invited to their 1st birthday celebration, but it's next Thursday. I need to work out a few logistical hiccups, but I'm supposed to be going up a mountain then, so won't be able to attend the birthday bash.

Interviewing a guest © Sue Pownall

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Please can I remind everyone that all my images are copyrighted and if you want to use them for anything, on facebook, a blog, profile pic on... etc. you must have my written permission and link back to me. The link should either be my site www.suepownallartist.co.uk or facebook www.facebook.com/SuePownallArtist

Mini Artist-in-residence

Al Wisal studio, A4 sketchbook, © Sue Pownall 2012

I first met Chris Fisher, presenter & programme director at Merge radio, at the St Patrick Day celebrations where I was drawing dancers. Our paths crossed again earlier this month and Chris invited me into his studio to sketch: a mini artist-in-residence albeit only for a morning. I went in on Tuesday, whilst Chris was doing the morning show.

Through the studio window I could see the presenter of Al Wisal, an Arabic station, and her two guests. Even though this was to be my first sketch of the morning I decided to draw that. I hadn't realised how difficult it is to draw faces blocked by microphones as both this, and my next sketch show.

Chris & studio guest, A4 sketchbook, © Sue Pownall 2012

I added the colour to both sketches whilst in Chris' studio. Despite the first one not being a good likeness of Madiha, she took a picture with her ipad and posted it to facebook whilst I was still there.

After the show,  Chris made a cup of tea and I tried to capture his portrait, however he is very active as he speaks leaving me with only flashes of the position I started drawing.

Chris, A5 sketch in pencil © Sue Pownall 2012

I may be going back for a 2nd sketching session next week, so I really will be their artist in residence.

The proof I was sketching on site.

Nautical nonsense

Preparing to fish. Pen & ink. 360 x 220mm. © Sue Pownall 2012

This is the finished boat from my last post Not Working. I think it's come out okay. 

Bandar Al Khairan. Watercolour in A5 sketchbook © Sue Pownall 2012

Last Thursday, I went on a boat trip. Regular visitors know I do this once in a while always with camera and sketchbook in my bag. Here's last May's post Off to Sea and October 2010 DTFF & Dhow Trip. I'm not really good with being somewhere, doing nothing, for a long time...
I love going on boats, just not good with being ashore for a long time. 

Shaded view Watercolour in A5 sketchbook © Sue Pownall 2012

 Thursday was fun with fabulous food, company, lots of swimming, and playing in the sea. Towards the end I snuck off and did these 2 watercolour sketches.

Heading home from our private beach.© Sue Pownall 2012

On route back to Muscat. © Sue Pownall 2012

Not working.

I have been struggling despite the break I gave myself 2 weeks ago when I went camping. The picture below is the reason. I was asked, amongst other things to draw more boats similar to Low Tide at Plockton, so I chose a reference from several I had taken in the Muscat area and then...stopped. I don't like drawing curves! It's been tacked to the wall since I did the pencil outline. I did one line on Sunday, then have tried working on it this morning, it's got this far.

WIP © Sue Pownall 2012

In between, I have done some sketching (mainly my feet and a few people) and had a play with my acrylics. The under painting ended like this.

WIPs © Sue Pownall 2012

I'm not sure how/why, but the blue one on the left is now purple and currently looks like this (below). Obviously it will be another veil painting. The green one reminds me of summer meadows so may gain red poppies etc.

WIP © Sue Pownall 2012

Hopefully, my next post will be the completed boat picture.

Escape from responsibilities **Editted**

Hajar Mountain View, Watercolour & pen A5 sketchbook ©Sue Pownall

Last weekend, I took a break from drawing, studying, and worrying about the day job and took a weekend trip with the fabulous The Guide Oman. Their tagline is "A Tour Company that provides one-of-a-kind adventure and fun" and they certainly do - check them out at The Guide Oman.

Of course, whilst on a break I still sketched, took lots of photos, and did the painting above. The photo below, taken at a lunchstop in the mountains, shows me with sketchbook out. hmm addicted???

Lunchstop by © Rebecca Mayston

So warm paint dried on the brush

As you may have guessed from the top sketch, the trip was up into the mountains to escape the summer heat, which has now arrived in the city. It was especially beautiful as there's been a lot of rain recently so we got to see and play in the wadis (valleys/rivers). Below are some of my favourite photos from the trip.

Overflowing Falaj, Wadi Taiyyin ©Sue Pownall

Hajar Ash Sharqi ©Sue Pownall

Looking up ©Sue Pownall

Boo ©Sue Pownall

Wadi Taiyyin ©Sue Pownall

Maybe you can come and draw there with me next time?

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EDIT: Sandra commented on this post earlier "I wonder if you were to go sky-diving if you would still have your sketchbook out on the way down, lol!". The answer is ~ not on the way down, but these were drawn whilst waiting to go up and afterwards.

Pen & ink ©Sue Pownall 1987

Pencil ©Sue Pownall 1987

 The answer to the next question is -

 24 jumps, over a minute of freefall, and I worked as a rigger packing the shoots.