RUBY WEDDING CARD Next month it is our ruby wedding anniversary (40 years). I found a photo online and made this coloured pencil drawing of two cut rubies, which I am making into a card for my hubby. I always find photographing coloured pencil drawings difficult. They always look so much better in…
ISLAMIC ART ALBUM - TEZHIP WITH INTERLOCKING CIRCLES A few weeks ago I drew another Tezhip design for my Islamic Art Album and got as far as transferring the tracing to the page. I then went over to begin work on the second signature of the album which contains geometric designs, for a…
ISLAMIC ART ALBUM - SECOND GEOMETRIC PATTERN This is pattern B1 from Samira Mian's collection of 6-fold patterns. For further information about this, please see my earlier post. This is the layout for Pattern B1. As before, the basic pattern repeat (on the small piece of tracing paper on the left) looks pretty…
ISLAMIC ART ALBUM - BEGINNING SOME GEOMETRIC PATTERNS I have not yet completed the first signature of this album, which contains designs in the Arabesque style, but needed a change of mood for a while. I therefore began the second signature, which will contain geometric designs. For some time I have been following…
ISLAMIC ART ALBUM - FOURTH AND FIFTH PAGES - CENTREFOLD SHAMSA For the centrefold of the first signature of this album, I decided to do a full page spread. As with the shamsa on the first page, I drew a half shamsa, because a full circle would be too small to be able…
ISLAMIC ART ALBUM - THIRD PAGE - TEZHIP 2 Another Tezhip to face the page with the first one. ("Tezhip" is the Turkish word for illuminated art - artwork with gold). As before, I used my gold gouache paint, and Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolours for this. I followed the same tracing method as…
ISLAMIC ART ALBUM - SECOND PAGE - TEZHIP 1 "Tezhip" is the Turkish word for illuminated art - artwork with gold. Today I drew a lozenge-shape illuminated with gold and incorporating biomorphics (small flowers and leaves). I drew it on the reverse of the first page, and distressed the edges with inks as…
ISLAMIC ART ALBUM - FIRST PAGE - GREEN SHAMSA I began this small project primarily to demonstrate my new "Divide and Rule" drawing instruments, which I bought for the purpose of drawing concentric circles, radiating and parallel lines for my art projects. They are proving very easy to use. The Circle Tool and…
DIVIDE AND RULE - ISLAMIC ART No - that isn't a political statement - it's an art project using some exciting new drawing equipment! Divide and Rule Some time ago I came across a YouTube short, showing an exciting collection of specialist drawing materials. I was intrigued, and visited the site, "Divide and…
2025 - END OF YEAR REVIEW It's been a relatively quiet year, all told. Not a great deal to report on our normal activities. Most of my activity this year has been art-related. Studio changes I got some great new shelving units for the studio and reorganised things to make life a lot…
