One I missed

I've been going through all the sketches I've done since starting this project (mainly so I have them all in one place again - they got a bit scattered when I used them as reference for the spread I'm doing for the programme), and found a few that I overlooked.  This one, as you may be able to figure is from the first week; the readthoughs...

My favourite pictures from today

Generally speaking not my best day drawing wise today - but hopefully got a couple of things out of it worth the showing!

This first one is of Paul Brendan as Oswald, during a brief pause in rehearsing the scene in  which he gets called a cullionly barber-monger and suchlike.  Not necessarily the best likeness, but I think it captures the spirit of the moment (a line fluffing or possible sword dropping if I recall...), and it's a nice reminder for me of my probably my favourite scene in the play thus far.....I've seen it a good few times now but it always makes me laugh.

The next is Dudley Sutton, but not such a funny moment - this is from the scene where the Fool give's Lear a dressing down..

And finally my favourite of the day.  I found this on the ground as I was leaving the rehearsal rooms...we had another artist sitting in today, and I believe this is his work.  Nice work young man!

When you're tired from a day's swordfighting, poisoning and double dealing...

..why not relax with some pictures of cartoon dogs.  This little chap was from a grammar book I did for Cambridge University Press last year.

A little taster....

Hello again!  Here's a little peak at something I'm working on for the Lear programme - it's just an experiment, and in terms of actually looking like who it's meant to be it's not entirely successful, but there's something I quite like about it.  So there.

....FIGHT!

These are some of the waviest lines I've drawn yet, drawn during Edgar (Chris Staines) and Edmund (Jack Whitam)'s first fight rehearsal last Friday.  John Sandeman was doing the fight training,which was no mean feat being as he had his foot in plaster.  Now I'm not an officionado of fight choreography, but the fights looked cool to me, and I think they will look amazing in the round.

Needless to say I really want to have a go.

Note the use of wooden samurai sword as second crutch

A bit of colour...

Now this throws Friday's scribbles right out of chronological order, but I owe those of you who are following my escapades a bit of relief from endless black and white, so here's some stuff I did around lunchtime!

Yep, I dusted my pastel set off for the first time in about 10 years - the results weren't too bad (hopefully), although working with big lumps of chalk can be a bit approximate - it's very hard to get the noses right!  Here we have Julia Hills as Goneril, Piers Wehner as Curan, and Chris Bianchi as Cornwall.  Next week one of my big missions is to do more colour work (that and to win this radio competition that has been bugging me all week)- we'll see how it goes!

A large part of the rest of Friday revolved around Edgar (son of Gloucester) and Edmund (bastard son of Gloucester).  Which one of the brothers is better, Edmund or Edgar..?  There's only one way to settle it....

John and Dud

I looked out the window and you know who it was...

Wow, what a busy day that was!  To be honest I've got so much work to sift through from today (not all of it good..) that I think Ill spark out if I try to post it all tonight.  In the meantime here's one of my favourite pictures from the day to tide you over.  John Shrapnel and Dudley Sutton.....quite a double act.

Downtime

Wavey line time!

As I mentioned, we're definitely up and about now, and I have to work quickly if I'm to capture anything.  

It's hard admitting to yourself that you're very rarely going to get the nose right under these circumstances, but for every botched nostril I feel I've learnt something else.

The picture above makes me chuckle, and is a good example of what can happen when you're cramming as many pictures on to a page as you can.  I started off drawing Simon Armstrong reclining whilst a scene was being talked through, then next thing I was drawing John Shrapnel raging against it all as Lear.  The juxtaposition kind of makes it look like he's not quite getting his point across!

But I also like it as it (accidentally) sums up the rehearsals for me thus far - there's lots of waiting, lots of discussion, then all of a sudden there's a storm in the room and then it's a tea break. Fantastic!

The perils of this sketching lark...

I'm now into my second week, and proper annoyed as I've missed what promised to be a good day's sketching due to circumstances beyond my control (the dreaded man cold - much better now thanks).

Back in the world of sketching, I am still loving it, but I am now faced with some huge obstacles.

Firstly, the actors will not stand still!   As soon as I think I've got the nose right they're off ...and no-one wants a page full of noses (except those that are waiting on the long promised World of Noses).   Come on guys, I know you're just doing your job, but a little consideration! :)

Secondly, having said I'll blog the images, I've realised that drawing them all in an A2 sketchpad wasn't the smartest thing I could do.  At this late hour neither scanning or photographing them is going too well, but here're a few images to show I haven't been twiddling my thumbs!

The below is my favourite picture so far:  it is Dudley Sutton (Lear's Fool) checking his lines, with Simon Armstrong (Kent) discussing the scene with Andrew Hilton, the director (off page right!)

Lear Snaps!

Lord knows I'm not that good a photographer, and I know I'm keeping you waiting for my 'What I did last Year' bit (I am aren't I?.....guys?), and more importantly the beast that now has to be 'World of Noses' (sorry Keith), but I have to let you know what I'm up to at the moment, as I'm really excited about it...

  The deservedly acclaimed theatre company Shakespeare At The Tobacco Factory in Bristol are currently rehearsing for their upcoming production of King Lear, and they've very kindly allowed me to sit on on their rehearsals and draw them.  Whilst on one hand I asked to do this as a drawing exercise, I am really hoping that I can do something worth giving back, and that maybe I can exhibit some of it.

The pictures here are from my first two days sketching (done last week) - at the current rate I may well reach the dreamed of pinnacle of my artistic career, which is to fill an A2 sketchbook in a week!  They said it would never happen..

All this sketching is also feeding into a bit of work I'm doing for their programme... more when it (hopefully!) gets the all clear - I'll post any good sketches in the meantime..