Drawing from Line to Life

My new Studio – week 5

Mike Sibley — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:10:08 +0000

Today I finally began to remove the roof timbers and evicted the swallows - tyrant that I am! There are plenty of nearby trees and access to the inside of the barn for roosts, and roosting was all they were recently using their old nest site for. With the roof and end panels removed from the old hay store, that just left the rotten uprights to haul out to complete the job...

My new Studio!

Mike Sibley — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:53:31 +0000

As so many people keep asking how my new studio is progressing, I'm going to keep a diary of events here. I've been working in the house for the past 30 professional years and I outgrew the space a couple of years ago. It's time to move out! I'll finally have the studio space to begin making instructional DVDs - a project that I've been enthusiastic about for the last two or three years. The 34' x 20' studio complex will consist of a studio, office and DVD editing suite....

Fixatives for pencil drawings

Mike Sibley — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:05:58 +0000

I am by no means an expert on this matter but I do always use a fixative on my drawing on completion. In my case I use Winsor & Newton's "Fixative for Pastel, Charcoal and Pencil". A good fixative not only fixes the loose graphite to the paper to prevent smudging, it also contains a UV filter to help to prevent yellowing (or aging) of the paper by sunlight.

Mounted or Unmounted paper?

Mike Sibley — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:22:33 +0000

I don't ever mount my drawing paper mainly because I detest any "bounce" in the paper as I'm drawing. A smooth and hard surface beneath my Mellotex means that the mark I make is the mark as I intended it - not one that sinks into a soft surface that interferes with my control. If your paper is lightweight, change to a heavier weight...

Having Prints Made?

Mike Sibley — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:46:26 +0000

If you're giclée printing, suggest that they desaturate the image or print using only blacks and greys. You don't want the use of colours to create the greys, because you stand the risk of metamerism, which is an overall colour-cast that varies under different lights. If you will be offset-litho printing...

Drawing Paper Repairs

Mike Sibley — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:18:09 +0000

I have done the unthinkable on one of my favourite artpieces...Is there a way to cover damaged final drawing paper?
I have one solution that you might try if the surface is only suffering from raised fibres - I've used it myself with some success in localised areas. Take a fingernail emery board, stroke it lightly along the area, following the grain of the paper, to realign the fibres...

What paper do you use? Mellotex!

Mike Sibley — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:56:24 +0000

An artist wrote to me yesterday asking "What paper do you use". Well, I've been using Mellotex (formerly Ivorex) for almost all of my thirty professional years. Mellotex can stand an enormous amount of punishment and hardly ever suffers from raised fibres. It's smooth enough to take graduated tone with 6H and has just enough tooth to accept 6B (which I hardly ever use - I prefer 2B as my softest grade). The surface is virtually texture-free...

Human Portraiture

Mike Sibley — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:16:53 +0000

There is a small Yahoo! group of artists that I belong to, run by Diane Wright called "Drawing Line to Life". Diane started the group to study my book of the same title and, over the last few months, she has started to review the book again. We have reached Chapter 8 - where I demonstrate drawing my granddaughter Charlotte - and she has decided to expand the topic to encompass human portraiture, which we'll discuss over the next eight weeks.

Drawing Boards – advice and tips

Mike Sibley — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:08:11 +0000

When I first began I was in the same situation that you - working on the dining room table at that time! From there I progressed to building my own drawing boards and have used Melamine-faced chipboard satisfactorily. My current draughtsman's drawing board is simply made of that too. MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) on its own would be fine. However, for best results...

Drawing Workshop co-organisers wanted

Mike Sibley — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:22:30 +0000

Following a successful workshop tour of the USA this year it’s time to begin planning for next year. Nothing beats local knowledge, so I’m always grateful to receive assistance from my local co-organisers and in return I offer a free workshop. USA & CANADA 2010 I’m planning to visit the US twice in 2010 – in May/June [...]