TIM BAKER

After a month away from Portraits At The Pub, it was a little scary – mostly because next to Trudie was the resident Lamb Skeleton (yes they have one) dressed in Halloween attire of a top hat and weirdly a heart cushion in their rib cage. I guess it’s the skeleton’s favourite time of year! Trudie was wearing her wedding dress, so it looked like some spooky wedding so the first drawing was a nod to Halloween, although it really doesn’t look like her. I drew this in Woody pencil and wash.

I also experimented with my new Speedball dip pen nibs – A series – I say new, these nibs have been in production since 1915! They are meant for poster designers and calligraphers, they have a reservoir on top – so means you can actually scribble and draw quickly with a dip pen. This is all kinds of wrong! So used to the slow and steady approach with dip pen, to actually not have to dip the pen for ages and just be able to draw in long lines is strange.

My favourites from the session are both using more traditionally sized pencils – the first was supposed to be one of my coloured pencil ‘paintings’ but actually I preferred it as a plain monochrome drawing. Created with the excellent Stabilo All black pencil which is like a watersoluble chinagraph, there is something Rembrandt like or Rubenesque about this pose and the drawing. For a quick 10-15 drawing, it’s good (and of course do I have to remind people of my complicated relationship to pencil?)

And I think the best was this watersoluble coloured pencil painting of Trudie, on the A4 mixed media paper. I found the pad at TK Maxx of all places, it’s quite thick paper – 260gsm and mostly doesn’t leak onto the other side although I have actually managed that. This technique is very hit and miss, but really works here with a fauvist/vorticist twist. The paper survived well despite the spray bottle abuse. I am tempted to start using those sheets made for acrylic, certainly 300gsm or better is best for this really heavy water work.