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Finding Inspiration in the Trees
Drawing trees has been a love of mine since my mum first showed me how to represent their dividing branches. There’s something in the ever decreasing, repeating pattern of their boughs that comforts me as I draw. Add to that,…
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Getting Ready for December
It gets pretty crazy at this time of year and with a studio open day coming up, things are even more hectic than normal. This week’s blog post takes a sneak peek at the studio as Grenaby prepares for Christmas.…
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A Walk Around Tholt-y-Will Glen
There’s nothing better than heading to a woodland in the autumn. The warm hues and crunch of leaves underfoot are a joy for the senses. The glen at Tholt-y-Will is a particularly good destination at this time of year, as…
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Colours of Nature: Luminance Pencil Swatches
Of all the art supplies that fill my heart with joy, Luminance pencils must be right up there with the most uplifting. I wanted to dislike them, mainly because they’re so expensive, but using Payne’s Grey and Silver Grey over…
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Vintage Book Review: Janet Marsh’s Nature Diary
I was delighted recently when a friend of mine surprised me with a present she had found in a second-hand bookshop. It was a nature diary, published in 1979, entitled ‘Janet Marsh’s Nature Diary’. In this blog post, I’ll share…
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The Value of Being Brave and New Additions to the Map
Inktober is the perfect excuse to explore ink as an artist’s material and develop your skills with this wonderful medium. This week, I’ll be sharing the drawings for the final two IOMNJ ink-drawing prompts, celebrating the value of being brave…
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Ravens and the Isle of Man
With Hop tu Naa just around the corner and the spookiness of Halloween soon to be celebrated in many parts of the world, join me in taking a look at how the raven has gained a reputation as being supernatural…
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Sketching the Manx Hills: View from Cairn Gerjoil
From the rolling slopes of Snaefell to the dramatic cliffs of Bradda Head, the Manx hills offer a diverse range of natural forms that are a constant inspiration to artists and photographers. Focusing on the ‘hills’ ink drawing prompt this…
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The Isle of Man Nature Journal’s take on Inktober
Inktober, created by artist Jake Parker in 2009, is an annual October challenge motivating artists worldwide to create daily ink drawings. Drawing in ink is so much fun but it can be difficult to keep up with daily sketches and…
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How to Transform a Photograph into a Stunning Drawing
Artistic expression comes in many forms, but one of the foundations of many types of artwork is drawing. Using a photograph as a reference for your drawing can be a powerful tool to create stunning and lifelike artwork and is…