Sunday Update - 18/01/26

It’s been yet another week of studies and figure sketches, but I’ve made some very tentative steps towards my hopes for the month.

If nothing else I’m feeling more confident with watercolour. Everything I do is still littered with poor colour choices and an overheavy brush, but that’s half the fun of practical learning. Every little action feels like another lesson learnt as a relative beginner - a beginner to watercolour that is (I do have thousands of hours drawing with a brush and surely some of that skill translates to painting). Anyway, I don’t often feel the same leaps in learning when it comes to drawing and seems more akin to keeping the skill afloat, so it’s nice to practice something new and get that buzz again.

I’ve found it’s helping with my visual understanding of anatomy too. Having only really focused on the outlines of things for years it’s helping flesh out the gaps in my understanding of colour, form and shade (if only a little). Maybe I mentioned it before, but I’m once again feeling the pull to use my own references more. Croquis Cafe is a fantastic resource, but it still remains impersonal to me. I’ll likely keep using it to study, but I have started folding in more self-portraits this week, which will continue to be a trend from now on. 

Also, I’m finally going to start thumbnailing some ideas for larger/finished work starting next tomorrow. I haven’t written nearly as much as I’d hoped, but what little writing I have done will be the basis of generating ideas for this more structured/creative work. Being a self-proclaimed sketchbook artist, terms and practices like “thumbnailing" and "finished” are all a little new to me, hence why I’m hesitant to start, but I’ve a good fifteen (or so) days practice under my belt so now’s the time to do something less observational and more playful. Which also includes returning to no reference drawing, which I haven’t done properly in months.

I’ve also pinned down the few pieces of music I’d like to record for this month’s mini album. I’m liking the idea of using as little production as possible. Meaning no click, samples or artificial drums, which is all very limiting but closer to how I used to record ideas back on my 4 track cassette recorder. Needless to say it’ll be very rough around the edges, but fits the theme of creating something more human which I seem to be aligning myself with this month. I’m sure in time I’ll return to overtly digital music, but stripped-back and spacy guitar is just speaking to me more these days. 

Right, I’m waffling on again, so I’ll leave it there. Thanks for your time and hope you have a great day (and upcoming week).

All the best, 

Alex