Have I told you how much my new workbench has changed things? I am sure that I have, but I will say it again, my new workbench has changed everything. There’s probably a stand-alone story I could write about that particular room, and the crazymaker person who… yes… I’ll spend some time writing that story, and post it here on another day.
Anyway, I love my new workbench, and the way it has changed my room into something resembling a studio.
Changing the subject entirely – HELLO! to my new subscribers. Welcome, hello, fit like? and all the glitter and balloons (cyber ones obviously, because they don’t end up in the sea). Also, giving a wave to everyone else, because you all matter.
Back to my workbench… I shimmied in there this morning and was re-delighted by the new supplies that I had unpacked yesterday. As is often the case, I had no plan about what was going to happen in there, so I decided the best way to start was to test out the new things.
There was a large piece of brown parcel paper on the landing that was either going in the recycling, or going in the studio (I’ve started calling it the studio since the arrival of the magical workbench). I think it was the wrapping for the extra drawing boards I ordered, cannae mind.
I left the parcel tape on, and split the paper in two, and clipped a piece roughly onto one of the A2 boards and started to play. Here’s the list of my new bits and pieces:
- ArtGraf Drawing Putty
- ArtGraf Soft Stick Watersoluble Graphite
- Art Spectrum Soft Pastel Caput Mortuum (pure)
- Rohrer & Klingner Traditional Ink Caput Mortuum
- Pyrrole Red Acrylic (Amsterdam Expert)
- Royal Talens : Art Creation : Watersoluble Oil Pastels
- Sennelier Abstract Acrylic : Carmine Red
And here’s what I did with the scrappy brown paper.
The watersoluble oil pastels are interesting. I have a box of oil pastels that I rarely use, and so it’s perhaps a bit silly buying a new set, but then the way these blended with the water was immediately lush to me. I can see these being incorporated into my favourites very soon.
That was a fun way to warm up, before I went into my sketchbook to do some studies with my caput mortuum sketch paint and shitty brushes. I picked up the book from yesterday, and chose another skull to paint.
I invented the chin because the reference photo cut the chin off for some reason. Also – Point of Order! the book only has a male skull for this reference section, and this sent me into an internal wee rant about patriarchy and bias.
That said, human skulls aren’t really a thing you would want folk writing books to have lots of to hand, so maybe it’s a good thing he only has one.
I did another study from the book to complete the sketchbook spread, and this time instead of just sticking to my sketch paint mix, I brought in some colours. The reference pose was a really odd angle, and I really enjoyed trying to translate it.
I’m still collecting screams, it seems, although I’m not in that kind of mood today, quite the opposite.
Hope you are all well,
Til the morn,
Suzanne
160/200
Thrummie Bizzum 
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