Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Farm Kitchen

Here's a sketchbook study of the kitchen at my friend's farm, drawn in graphite pencil with gray wash. They told me over coffee that they're expecting their first lambs of the season in two weeks.
Posted by James Gurney at Tuesday, March 19, 2013
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10 comments:

zishen said...

I really love how you simplify your shapes, Mr Gurney!

March 19, 2013 at 8:23 AM
Steve said...

I hope this means we can expect sketches of lambs in about 15 days.

And I, too, learn from how you simplify shapes. My love of detail too often leads me astray...

March 19, 2013 at 10:12 AM
Zeitwolf said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
March 19, 2013 at 11:59 AM
Zeitwolf said...

I'm impressed by the straight lines. Mine are always wobbly, even more when my sketchbook doesn't lie on the table, but in my lap...

oh, and do you make a sketch, then paint in the washes and go over it with pencil again?

March 19, 2013 at 12:04 PM
James Gurney said...

Zeitwolf, the lines are freehanded, and for the perspective, I laid down some light perspective guidelines at the outset to establish the slopes of the shelves and the stove. And yes, in this case I used regular graphite pencil and did the pencil work first and added the washes after.

Steve, this is not the main farm we go to but another one about an hour away (where we did the fleece skirting). We hope to get up there to see and sketch the lambs. They are So Cute!

Thanks, Zishen. It's all geometry. I love to sketch in kitchens, and this one was a gracious old historic one that has hosted many warm gatherings of friends and families. That's what I wanted to capture--the smell of the potatoes in the frying pan.

March 19, 2013 at 12:18 PM
Jim Hartlage said...

Another great drawing/painting. Are the different values created with repeated layering of the washes or with different concentrations of the value?

March 19, 2013 at 1:44 PM
James Gurney said...

Jim, I think I used two washes: one really light one at left and another a bit darker. I watered down one premixed gray for the light tone. As I recall I packed a little plastic analog film cannister with a wash tone--that was before I discovered brush pens.

March 19, 2013 at 2:22 PM
Melissa Shelly said...

Hi Jim,
I'm just curious of your process. You are using regular graphite, correct? Not water soluble graphite? So you are putting your washes in with those brush pens? Do you actually use ink or just water? Would you mind explaining a bit further? If you sold a book or DVD on your sketching methods I would be the first in line.

March 19, 2013 at 8:27 PM
James Gurney said...

Thanks, Melissa. This one was used a couple of regular graphite pencils and some premixed diluted watercolor in a little canister applied with a watercolor brush. This was how I sometimes worked before I started using the watercolor pencils and brush pens. It would be fun to do some videos. I want to work on releasing some videos, but have to finish a couple of other projects first.

March 19, 2013 at 9:13 PM
Roberto said...

I think I can almost smell the onions w dem 'taters, and if I'm not mistakin'... I swar Ah kin smell bacon!-RQ

March 22, 2013 at 3:27 AM

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