Commissioned digital drawing I finished two or three weeks ago. These are the Sole Bay Swimmers – this is Lisa, foreground, and Debbie, background, who asked me to do this picture for her friend.
The Sole Bay Swimmers – digital drawing
I have recent drawings that I can’t show you yet, so here is a commission I did a few months back – this is Rachel Ray’s Dart 10K swim. The Finish! A nice change for once to be able to say I’ve done that swim, I don’t have to imagine what it’s like, I was there (though in fact not the same year, and I think we may not have had quite such a muddy finish…).
Digital drawing.
Rachel’s Dart 10K – The Finish!
Wednesday swimmers – pencil sketches
I like swimming on Wednesday at Vobster, though I hardly ever get to go. There is much mucking about in the water. Here is something I am working on from some photos I took on a Wesnesday recently. It started off with me liking something about the arrangement of the two figures in this one photo, though as an actual photo it’s not one of the best.
The sketch is actually three sketches, scanned and and arranged till I think they work together. Getting the underlying drawing right is absolutely the most important thing with most of what I do so there has been much thinking and faffing already. Don’t hold your breath with this one… I have other work I should be doing now….
Wednesday swimmers – photo
Painting in watercolour, with bubbles in palladium and aluminium leaf. Another painting from a photo in the incomparable waters of Vobster Quay.
Lisa – swimmer painting in watercolour by Nancy Farmer
This painting is for sale at the time of posting this, and there will be prints available shortly.
The Angel of Grasmere
This painting was from a photo I took of my friend Jackie in Grasmere in Cumbria, late last summer. Unlike the blue water of Vobster, where I’ve taken many many underwater photos, Grasmere has peaty brown-coloured water, but it was still quite clear, so that the sunlight that filtered through was golden, and the reflection of Jackie’s arms on the underside of the water spread out like two huge wings.
The painting is in watercolour on paper, with a lot of gold leaf on the ‘wings’. It’s about 29 x 12 inches and at the time of writing this it’s currently still available for sale.
I also have prints in my Etsy shop: http://www.waterdrawnart.etsy.com
It was not winter, but a cold reluctant spring and feisty April weather (I have been slow to draw this one). We splooshed about in a 6 degree Crummock Water whipped up to resemble the sea, all questions of ‘do we actually want to get in there’ vanishing with the chilly water’s embrace.
Later, changing in the drizzle from cozzies into only marginally drier clothes, a dog-walker arrived at the gravely beach. As the small dog leapt about in the water yipping with delight and silliness, it’s owner sighed and told us “she goes in, even in the winter”, as if there was no explaining the antics of some creatures.
“So do we”, we declared happily.
Swimming with Jackie in Crummock Water, Cumbria, April 2018
I finally found the time to cut up and fold the substantial stack of cards that have been sitting in a box (heavily guarded by cats) for at least a fortnight. I could get cards ready folded and cut, but not for a reasonable price on the nice textured card that I use. It would be boring plain satin card. So I do it the slow way…
As is generally the case, these were all pictures drawn about particular swims, and on the reverse there is a little story about that event. Several people I know will recognize themselves here and there.
Here’s the new selection, and I’ve also topped up some older favourites that had run out, all available to buy in my shop on etsy: www.waterdrawnart.etsy.com
new greetings cards by Nancy Farmer
