Reflected Glass
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Anyone For A Glass Of Wine?
I came up with the idea for this drawing when I was unloading the dishwasher and I put a glass on the shiny black hob, prior to putting it away. I noticed the reflection it produced and thought it might make a nice drawing.
To re-create the surface, I put a piece of black card under a sheet of glass and put black card around the glasses. I thought carefully about the composition to make it as interesting as possible.
I drew this on jet black paper using a white pastel pencil. It looks simple, but I must say I found the ellipses very challenging! Unfortunately the light is bouncing off of the black paper in the photograph so it doesn't look as black as it really is. It was very enjoyable to do.
***Note from Kerry:
Wow! Sandra! This is incredible! One of these days, I'll be buying your artwork! Thanks so much for sharing your drawings with us.
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Charcoal...
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Charcoal Shapes
I had great fun doing this. By the time I had finished I was black all over!
The point of this drawing was not to create anything in particular, but just to create 3D shapes using only shadows, and without actually drawing any outlines. Its a great way of learning that not everything has an obvious edge.
I didn't think I'd enjoy charcoal, but somehow being covered from head to toe in dirty black marks took me right back to childhood!
Note from Admin:
Wow, you have been busy! This is one exercise that I have yet to try - drawing with no outlines. This is good. It's good that art is taking you back to your childhood, it gives you that extra zest for life.
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Vegetables In Charcoal
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Vegetables In Charcoal
My favourite medium - Willow charcoal! If anyone hasn't tried it, you should! It's wonderful. It is so easy to fill a space with a rich dark tone, and to create lovely shadows. It isn't easy to keep the white parts white, but unwanted smudges are easily erased.
This is my latest. It's a 20 minute sketch of what was lying at the bottom of my fridge.
***Note from Kerry:
Hi Sandra, I do have some Willow Charcoal that my sister kindly gave to me. I haven't had the opportunity to fiddle with it yet. I must pack it when I next go on holidays. Your drawing is great!
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My first still life...
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Drawing Still Life
I began drawing just a few weeks ago and this was my first ever attempt at a still life.
It's interesting to look back at my first one because it is a good way of being able to see how much I have improved over time with practice.
It's not a very interesting picture and I think I should have been far bolder with the shading, but I was quite happy for a first try.
I have also put some drawings in that I have completed since for you to look at. I would welcome your comments, good or bad because it can only help me to improve.
***Note from Kerry:
Sandra, I actually like the way the you have shaded this. Yes, you can get bolder as you progress, but don't you think this looks great as is? I wouldn't touch it.
It's good for you to compare drawings from today to the ones you did when you first started. It gives you the boost you need to continue on and there's nothing wrong with feeling proud of yourself. For the short time you have been drawing, I think that you are doing exceptionally well.
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Directional shading
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
A Simple Pepper
Having absorbed some recent constructive criticism on two of the other drawings I sent in - the 'Charcoal' and 'My first still life' - It inspired me to try the technique of 'directional' shading.
Shading is not something I have considered myself particularly good at, so the comments Joe, and Anonymous made inspired me to work harder on that.
This is my first try at this so I chose a simple pepper to begin with, and I was really pleased with the result.
I found it quite hard, but it really helped me face my fear of shading! I can see it is far from perfect and I do need to practice, but it is another step towards improvement.
So, thank you for helping me realise ways for me to improve!
**Note from Kerry:
Hi Sandra! You have shown a lot of patience with this drawing. Truly, this is the only way to improve and I think you are doing a wonderful job. Especially since you have only been drawing for a short time.
It takes a lot of courage to put your drawings up for the world to see and I admire you for heeding the critiques offered to you. Keep going!
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On The Window Sill
by Sandra Busby
(UK - England)
Tulips On The Window Sill
One of the things I tend to avoid is backgrounds - something I really need to tackle! So, I really threw myself in at the deep end with this drawing. This is my kitchen window-sill, some of the things on it along with the view beyond.
I wanted the Tulips to be the main subject of the drawing, so I was careful not to put in too much detail anywhere else - in the photograph in the frame for example. This seemed to work well, because the mind seems to fill in the blanks for you.
I made the view beyond much paler than everything else, which made it recede, and I left out a couple of things from the view as I felt it might be too busy if I included everything.
I drew this picture with coloured pencils and it took a long time to do, but I like it and it has made me a little less frightened of including backgrounds now!
***Note from Kerry:
Hi Sandra! Besides black and white drawings, my next favorite is pastel colors. This is truly beautiful.
Your lesson is one that we all need to take notice of. We should never be scared to experiment. It helps to push our boundaries and we discover that we can do it, after all.
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Island Dive School
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Island Dive School
Where we go on our holidays there is a dive school at the end of a jetty.
I drew this lovely building whilst sitting at the waters edge with a cold beer - waiting for my son to emerge from beneath the sea!
It was drawn in an A5 sketch book with 2b pencil. I enjoyed drawing the details and reflections in the windows.
***Note from Kerry:
This is beautiful work, Sandra. You have produced a very nice drawing. It's great to hear from you again.
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Reading Between The Lines
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Reading Between The Lines
This is an attempt at a still life using ordinary graphite pencils. Rather that draw something like a bowl of fruit I decided that I wanted to draw something that told a story.
However, apparently it's about a girl who can't draw tissues - not quite what I had in mind! But there is something else not right about it that I can't put my finger on, which is why I have put it in my gallery - can anyone tell me where I have gone wrong? There is just something about it that I really don't like. Maybe it's the shading? I do like the glasses, and the shadow of them, and the pen, but I'm not convinced about the rest.
***Note from Kerry:
I don't know Sandra, all I know is .. I love it!! It does make a much more interesting still life than the normal fruit and such. I always enjoy your story, too, thank you.
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Reflections
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Reflections Drawing
I drew this, once again, for learning purposes only. I was a little bored by the time I got to the vase, and didn't get around to finishing it! However, I learned a lot by drawing it.
I stood the vase, pear, tangerines and pot on top of a mirror tile and began by drawing the reflections. It was very confusing at times!
What it did was make me really 'look' at the subject. I learned that reflections are not mirror images, but are actually quite distorted! Even the tones differ slightly. This is something I would not have realised before.
I drew this before I began trying out 'directional' shading, and I think if I had have used that technique in this exercise, it would have been much better. But that's what this is all about - learning - and with each new thing I try, I learn something new.
**Note from Kerry:
Sandra, you continue to amaze me. This is so good!
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More Cooking With Wine
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
More Cooking With Wine!
For those of you who liked my last little 8" x 8" pencil drawing of the bottle and pan - here is a my huge A2 version in charcoal. This is such an exciting and forgiving medium to use.
I prefer the Willow stick variety which is so smooth and silky to use. I think my bottle is still slightly out, but perhaps an improvement on the last attempt.
You might notice that this is a different bottle. I polished off the last! Of course I welcome any constructive criticism, but I'd like to also thank you for all of the encouraging comments I have had!
***Note from Kerry:
Hi Sandra, it's an amazing drawing. It's hard to tell that it's charcoal, it's very tidy.
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Cooking with wine.
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Cooking With Wine
It's been a while since I have added anything to the site because I have been painting more than I have been drawing.
Never the less, since I last put something on the site I have been practicing a lot and looking at this compared to my first drawings I can see how much the practice has paid off.
Metal and glass have always been something I would love to be able to draw, but they look so complicated and I've been reluctant to try until now. Anyway - yesterday, whilst my Husband was cooking the Sunday Roast, I took the plunge and had a go. I paid careful attention to the tones within each subject and also drew exactly what I saw and nothing was assumed. It's not perfect but I am very happy with how it turned out, and I am looking forward to drawing something similar again when I have more time.
***Note from Kerry:
Wow, Sandra!!! I can't tell you how proud I am of you with the progress you have made since you started. You are a star!
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Reflections
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Reflections
This is my latest full on drawing - I've been trying to concentrate on sketching recently but I still love spending time on producing larger finished drawings too.
I used Willow Charcoal for this one. It's difficult to keep it neat but in other ways it's very forgiving because it lifts easily.
I was concentrating so hard on just shapes and tones that it was a while before I realised I had drawn myself too!
It was hard to take this photo without the drawing paper bending when I let go, so some of the lines look a little off as a result!
***Note from Kerry:
Gosh Sandra, it is an amazing drawing especially since it's done with charcoal. Your detail is fantastic!
A drawing always loses quality whether it be scanned or photographed so don't worry about that.
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Plate of fruit
by Sandra Busby
(UK - England)
Yummy!
For this picture I used coloured pencils. It took many gentle layers of different colours to achieve the result which took some patience!
I love bright and colourful pictures because they always make me feel cheerful!
***Note from Kerry:
Hi Sandra, the colors are lovely and very true to life. The bananas look so real - if you notice one missing, it means I took it!
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What's for dinner
by Sandra Busby
(UK - England)
What's for dinner?
For this drawing I chose a variety of differently textured vegetables, arranged them on a chopping board and drew them using three pens; a brush pen, a fine pen and an extra fine pen, all in black.
The whole drawing is made up of lines of various thickness. To make the composition a little more interesting, I filled the entire page (A3). I am particularly pleased with the Spring Onions, and the garlic cloves.
***Note from Kerry:
Well Sandra, you are certainly a patient artist. That's a good trait to have! Your drawing is perfect, it really appeals to me.
The way you managed the shading without a pencil, and by using various thickness, is very brave. It shows off your talent.
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Seashells
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Sea Shells
I put together some shells, a piece of driftwood, two natural sponges and a pebble, in an attempt to capture different textures.
I used mainly graphitint pencils for this, but there are also some coloured pencils and some chalk thrown in for good measure!
The shapes were quite challenging, and using different marks for each texture was a lot of fun! I didn't think for a moment that I would be able to do this, but I was really chuffed when I finished.
I have learned to try to draw things that I don't believe I can, and I find that sometimes I surprise myself! Everyone should try it!
***Note from Kerry:
Yes Sandra, it's the surprise element that I love the most, when I'm drawing. I think this drawing is excellent. Isn't it amazing how much you have improved? It is truly beautiful.
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A Tea-Towel
by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex, England)
Drawing Of A Tea Towel
It may seem odd sending in a drawing of a Tea-Towel, but there is a method to my madness! The kind of drawings I have been doing are learning exercises rather than works of art, because I am just a beginner.
I decided to try indicating folds of material by using the pattern on the cloth to indicate the form. I actually drew in the pattern of the Tea-Towel before anything else.
Using this technique, it almost forms the folds before even drawing them. I really enjoyed doing this. I started with a very simple pattern, but next time I will move on to something a little more daring!
**Note from Kerry:
Wow, this is good.
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