The Art of England - Drawings and Prints

Sunday, 30 September 2012

Waltham Abbey in Winter

This is Waltham Abbey Church, depicted towards dusk after a fresh fall of snow. This illustration was completed a number of years ago when I was 27 and featured locally on a set of christmas cards, part of a set of illustrations commissioned to depict Essex at Christmas.

It was drawn with an indian ink technical pen and hand coloured with markers (see the Essex pages of this website for other illustrations from Loughton, Abridge, Chigwell and Theydon Bois).

Waltham Abbey

Waltham Abbey, Essex.
Hand signed A4 Print of pen and marker sketch on Bockingford 190gsm watercolour paper £14.99
© Robert R Wisdom www.theartofengland.co.uk 2012

Friday, 28 September 2012

Westminster Abbey illustration

Westminster Abbey in London is the subject for my study. It was illustrated to celebrate the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Abbey on Friday 29 April 2011.

Pen and Ink is such a favourite medium of mine. I first encountered the technique at College in the 1980s when I was the student of Reg Grey and instantly was a fan. Dipping the nib in the ink bottle and it scratching onto the watercolour paper is primal and seems to suit the ancient nature of the study. The pen strokes thicken and narrow with pressure and it really seems the way you feel towards the subject flows through the tip of the nib.

In my illustration a dramatic clearing sky has given way to sunshine on the face of the stone making it radiate from the paper. It describes how the wedding figuratively brightened up a rather gloomy economic Britain of the time.

Drawing of Westminster Abbey

Hand signed A4 Print of pen and marker sketch on Bockingford 190gsm watercolour paper £14.99
Original 12" x 9" pen, ink and watercolour on 140lb watercolour paper £195
© Robert R Wisdom www.theartofengland.co.uk 2012

St Botolphs Priory Colchester illustration

Tucked away in a back street between the castle and the town rail station in Colchester, is an historic ruin that I had seen pictures of but never managed to figure out where it was exactly. My Son had to meet in St Botolph's Church for a special service with Air Cadets and veterans and the Church was beside the ancient priory which dates back to the 1100s.

I took the opportunity to sit and illustrate St Botolph's Priory on what was a rather overcast and windy morning. I was joined by a smartly dressed man collecting litter who was interested in my sketch. He told me a little about himself. Although homeless he liked to help out by voluntarily keeping the church and Priory grounds free of litter and encouraging youngsters to stay on the straight and narrow. Nice man and an example of goodness in the face of adversity.

He is my lasting memory of the illustration - it happens so many times if you spend an hour with a sketch pad.

St Botolphs Priory

Hand signed A4 Print of pen and marker sketch on Bockingford 190gsm watercolour paper £14.99
Original 12' x 9" pen and marker sketch on 140lb water colour paper £125
© Robert R Wisdom www.theartofengland.co.uk 2012

Heybridge Basin illustration

Heybridge Basin is tucked away down a tiny road and is a fine place to have a beer and watch skippers negotiate the lock. What does impress is these final lock gates, somehow holding the whole River Chelmer and it's boats upstream.

I took out my pens and sat next to the lock keeper's cottage and drew this illustration while my family went for a short stroll along the picturesque sea wall spotting boats and their crystal clear reflections on the water. In nearby Maldon another successful Regatta was held just the day before. The Essex coast is still a very lively part of England running for an estimated 350 miles. I will pen plenty more scenes along the edge of this county.

The lock gates and a heavy chain lead the eye to the scene's focal point - The Old Ship pub, with the Jolly Sailor just in view behind.

Heybridge Basin

Hand signed A4 Print of pen and marker sketch on Bockingford 190gsm watercolour paper £14.99
Original 12' x 9" pen and marker sketch on 140lb water colour paper £125
P&P only £2.75
© Robert R Wisdom www.theartofengland.co.uk 2012

Colchester Castle illustration

Drawing the castle in Colchester whilst perched on a couple of chairs in the rose beds, my 9 year old daughter and I are visited by an old lady keen to see our sketches.

She tells us of her own art and complements us both on our drawings and shows us a tin of what she has bought for lunch. It's nice to connect with the scene - the people and the sounds. This is why I think drawing a scene is more fulfilling than photography in many ways. As I finish my artwork I can hear my son's remembrance day drill with the air cadets finishing just behind me to mark an anniversary of the end of the Battle of Britain. This is England.

Each of my illustrations reminds me of the time I spent recording it more than a photo ever could. Colchester Castle never fails to delight - the squirrels ever present and friendly are a delight to watch and feed. We shall return.

Colchester Castle

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