Hi from Manchester Airport. It’s 5am and I’m about to set off to Morocco on a weeks location drawing with some students. This will also be a great opportunity for me to create some material for the forthcoming tutorial on my website. While on the subject of tutorials, I’ve completed the YouTube video of the […]
I returned today to draw at Thornton Force, near Ingleton. It seems such a long time ago since I was last there working, producing a short film for a BBC Art programme. It brought back some good memories: I think this location is so beautiful, especially if you manage to go on a quiet day. […]
We started filming this week, and had two days of “fun” exploring, drawing and generally just being windswept and sandblasted by the strong coastal winds blowing through the dunes. The weather was bright and quite warm which allowed for some good shots in the ever-shifting landscape. Drawing was quite difficult however, because of the blustery […]
Sarah (from London) Hi Ian, I am an AS Fine Art student, and as part of my current project, I am looking at water and reflection… are there any locations you could recommend for me to draw? I am not sure if your budget or time scale will allow you to travel out of the […]
I am hoping this is the start of something good!! Whuzen, a town in northern Zhejiang, China is one of six ancient towns in Chiang-Nan water country, and an amazing inspiration! Watch this space.
I have yet again enjoyed my recent trip to Venice with Chenderit School. We could not have asked for better weather as the temperature soared to 18 degrees, quite something for northern Italy in March. The brilliant sunshine enabled everyone to maximise the time drawing at the side of the canals, and as such, the […]
Lao tsu believed that the way to happiness was for people to learn to “go with the flow.” Instead of trying to get things done the hard way, people should take the time to figure out the natural, or the easy way to do things, and then everything would get done more simply. This idea […]
In ancient Chinese philosophy the heaven was Yang (masculine) while the earth was Yin (feminine). Since numbers were considered a mystical part of the universe, the ancient Chinese regarded odd numbers as masculine and even numbers as feminine. Nine, as the largest single digit took on the meaning of “ultimate masculinity” and implied the loftiest […]
My second visit to the Summer Palace in the the winter season, and the sparse appearance of the trees adds to the dramatic quality of the historic site. The weathered temples are easily visible through the branches, but the organic lines of the tree limbs cutting across the view points makes the composition all the […]