Artworking a life drawing

I recently posted one of my latest life drawings. It occurred to me some time ago (as I use Adobe Illustrator at work,) to add colour form and shape into the drawings and see what happened. Well, this is what happened:

I use a Wacom intuos tablet at work – they’re great tools, essentially they’re a mouse but also work like a pen, pencil or paintbrush.  As well as tracking across the screen  responding to pen pressure that can be used in many ways (like making the line you draw thicker the harder you press).   at home I have an old one – a graphire 4. It no longer works with my operating system osX El Capitan. so I have done this one using the track pad on my laptop – which has taken much, much longer.

Using Adobe illustrator also makes it easy (and quick) to adjust colours

Wacom products are great, but they’re expensive. Looking into it I have seen this on Amazon: Huion H610 Pro Graphics Drawing Pen Tablet, there are MUCH cheaper and have great reviews. If anyone of you guys out there has any experience of using one I’d love to hear from you. 

Detail: I left the sketchmarks in the 10 minute drawing in the background as it added a nice texture. 

Billy on the bus

I captured this photo of my friends son Billy on the bus, we were on our way to see the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens. While he was daydreaming out of the window of the newer Routemaster buses in London’s Regent Street. It was taken on my phone – but it was such a nice shot with his reflection in the window I had to make do with what I had.

For the record we thought Star Wars was great. I have seen some mixed reviews for it – particularly people criticising the movie for being a ‘remake’. I think this is a bit unfair. First of all its stripped back and is a simple story – much like Star Wars, the effects are great – it has heart and is beautifully produced. Secondly It delivered what Star Wars needs to deliver. Its a certain type of movie and it hits the mark, if you’ve seen any of the previous movies it meets expectations. Well thats my opinion and i’m sticking to it! (Billy liked it too – well, apart from the twist on the bridge – but no spoilers!)

Happy new year

Happy new year to everyone in WordPressLand. I wish all of you every happiness and success in 2016.

Despite the annual rainy season that has been particularly bad this year – I’m happy to be surrounded by good people – friends and family – i hope you all are too.

Life drawing

Most recent life-drawing set, all quick poses. Looking to get a more finished (polished) result – but i guess that takes time and practice!

Shooting into the sun

These were taken at my friends wedding, I have been interested in this technique lately, it creates an emotional warmth, and is really easy to do in the evening, or winter and spring months when the sun is out and hangs low in the sky. And while I’m not yet in a position to totally control the results its beginning to work.

Essentially, with the sun in front of you, spot meter your subjects face. If the sun is directly behind the subject, (as in the header image), you get that hazy result, and in the image below I placed the subject in the shadow of the tree, with the sun slightly to the right to give them more definition.

Needs some more work – but i’ll find a willing London victim and post some more here when I do.

 

Pictures from the town of Osoyoos, in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada.

Osoyoos Travel / Subway – Osoyoos after sundown

Dairy Queen – Osoyoos after sundown

Turquoise office – Osoyoos after sundown

Husky Garage – Osoyoos after sundown

British Summer – Margate

I’m a big fan of Kent, If you know my blog you’ve seen shots from Whitstable already. I also plan to go to Dungeness before Summers out – as it’s a beautiful – if a bit of a ghostly place. 

While there are some places I’ll probably never go due to tricky reputations, loads of of it is amazing. It’s hard to put a reason to why I like it. Its partly due to the fact that people are often approachable – and I find people don’t conform in quite the same way that Londoners do. It feels like people are themselves more here, less worried about how they appear. Classes mix better, there’s less snobbery, It feels freer, wilder and older, more traditional without necessarily being fuddy-duddy.

I’ve been to Margate a few times – and there’s even an old post of the seafront with a couple of friends walking by. But that was a rainy winters day. I was really pleased to see the seafront full of sun worshippers as our car turned the corner to face the beach. Theres a swimming pool right on the beach, I guess for younger and the less strong / more anxious swimmers, and I caught them there and on the beach itself (above) as the sun was descending. 

Welsh odyssey

Even though I haven’t been posting here enough lately it doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy or thinking about photography. Despite realising that Graphics is my career (and incidentally, being happy about that, my MA I has opened a new reasoning for project work which has further revealed and refreshed design work) I have made headway – especially with music – which you may have seen – and will see more of shortly.

A lot’s been going on, take a recent trip to Wales over the bank holiday. It’s funny how things work out – two photographers with a history of street/event work and portraiture trying landscape photography out. We were in new territory and one which meant I could dust off my old 17-40L lens – which is incredible, and hasn’t been used with any conviction since 2011.

We stayed in Dolgellau, southern Snowdonia, and drove around over the weekend. Despite seeing facebook posts of friends in the Snowdon area being rained upon with biblical vigour we enjoyed sunshine throughout. The Welsh countryside IS beautiful – more spectacular than I expected. We are inexperienced at this type of photography – I would claim just two good shots. I find photography like fishing. Sometimes it opens up to you offering a huge catch and sometimes you get stuck with an old boot.

The shot below was the one. The One. Best of the trip. Pleased to share it with you all.

Barbican

There’s things I return to again and again. I dont really know what it is that compels me to stand on a street and take these photos. But i do enjoy it. I find it’s meditative, gives me a sense of play – and its like spending quality time with yourself – which is always great and sometimes not as easy as you think!

I bought a new Fuji camera – different to my staple of Canon equipment – I like it, but i’m breaking it in. So I’m not the master of it yet.

So the Barbican is one of those places, going back to this being a sense of play (like a sketchbook). But i also know I take the same kind of shot again and again. And at the moment I’m asking myself “what is it i’m trying to say?”

Stefan Sagmeister “Things I have learned in my life so far”

From my old blog site: “Road to Wherever”.

Road to wherever

Review

Buy it

“Thinking life will be better in the future is stupid, I have to live now”. So Stefan tells us, despite the fact I think he’s right I couldn’t ever tell you how to categorise this book. In fact the maxims for living Stefan Sagmeister offers all seem to make sense, if not at first the story behind each may just change your mind.

Stefan Sagmeister is an Austrian Born typographer and graphic designer, operating from New York who often works on albums including those by David Byrne, The Rolling Stones and Lou Reed. His book, despite being well designed and unconventional in its appearance, is thoroughly accessible, as it’s essence lies in tested methods to improve his life. I would defy any reader not to identify with at least a few of them. As well as “Thinking life will be better in the future is stupid, I have…

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Charlies Garden

A pleasure to shoot some images of my good friend Charlie in her garden last month. This was an experiment to get different looks from both shooting and Post Production. A few are attached.

Charlies Garden I © Kevin Ricks 2014

Charlies Garden II © Kevin Ricks 2014

Charlies Garden III © Kevin Ricks 2014

Charlies garden IV © Kevin Ricks 2014

But i don’t know if they trimmed their flowers in full battle gear

These chaps have been at the show for 6 years since they started dealing to customers direct – but have operated as a wholesaler for over 50 years

Some shots for a paper of Chelsea Flower Show 2014. Lucky I got to go press day as it was glorious out, the rest of the week has produced some terrible weather.

ALBION VOICE at KOKO, Camden Town, London © 2014 Kevin Ricks / Koko / Mean Fiddler Group

A classmate from my MA contacted me about this music event held at Koko in Camden. I’d missed an opportunity to photograph her last year so jumped at the chance.

Bishi is a unique artist, a heady mix of music, art and fashion. I havent seen the like of her work before – it doesn’t carry as well on video as live by a long stretch.. As certainly not a writer – so here’s a review from last nights show from the London Evening Standard.

Bishi also appeared at last years meltdown festival. An arts festival held at Londons South Bank and curated in 2013 by Yoko Ono.

ALBION VOICE at KOKO, Camden Town, London © 2014 Kevin Ricks / Koko / Mean Fiddler Group

ALBION VOICE at KOKO, Camden Town, London © 2014 Kevin Ricks / Koko / Mean Fiddler Group

 

London morning, Clapham High Street

London, Saturday 29 March

The main picture was taken with my camera, but I have also been trying out my phone. London moments don’t always wait for me to go home and get the equipment I feel I need for a good photo. I dont know if you’ll see anymore from my phone, just because I don’t like the quality. The misty mornings have been amazing, too good to miss – Anyway, Examples follow: