Sketching In The Shadows (Of Violet)

We are well into March. Yesterday was International Women’s Day. My cousin, a kind and clever man, sends a greeting into the family whatsapp group to mark the day, saying something about the amazing women in our wider family. I have thoughts on naming a day to shout out half the world’s population, and usually keep them to myself, but since my cousins all know me by now and are unlikely to change their opinion either way, I go for it.

“When there’s an International Men’s Day, we’ll have arrived,” I say. My cousin shoots back a “fair play” and I am relieved, as I don’t like confrontation of any sort, except with my husband, much to the regret of the latter. In fact, later on I tell him about this exchange with my cousin, and he says “men have the other 364 days” and ooooh boy, does he regret that. Confrontation to the maxx!

(Now, if my cousin had been talking about the women in the family who quietly cared for those around them, without salary or public accolades, I would have raised a glass, but he wasn’t. Or maybe he was. I don’t know.)

Having quietly cared for those around me for decades – thank you, thank you! – it is now time for me to do other things. And so I am torn between bubbling over with joy and wondering when the train is going to slow down a little. Sketching keeps me grounded throughout it all.

Saturday 8th March

I have done chicken for dinner. The pieces have marinaded all day in a mix I made up as I went along. Then I cook it in my brand new air fryer – my birthday gift from my husband Marcel – and it’s turned out so delicious that I decide to sketch the ingredients for it. To be honest, I was looking for a chance to sketch ingredients: my student Stephanie, a brilliant artist, did it the other day in her sketchbook, and I was inspired to do likewise. Can I just say, isn’t it lovely that students and teachers inspire each other? A virtuous cycle, indeed! The same applies for the postcards that have been sent around the world in my brand new Postcard Club, that we started in February…I am humbled – and I don’t use that word lightly, or often – by the creativity and artistic skill I am seeing in these little rectangles of happiness. I will check with my students about sharing them her in my blog…they are too beautiful to keep to a small group.

If you’d like to join our worldwide sketching family via my Sketch Club, you can do so at any time. It renews on the 1st of each month but you can join pro-rata on any day. We have class tomorrow Monday at 6.00pm GMT, and every Monday at the same time, so join today and you’ll be in class for tomorrow! Join here: https://roisincure.com/product/sketchclub/

Marcel is washing the dishes after dinner, as he does every night (I cook, he cleans). I think that rather than doing my usual New York Times puzzles on the sofa – a highlight of my day – I will keep him company and sketch while he washes up.

Everything in this little scene is from Lidl, because Marcel doesn’t go anywhere else (he buys the groceries, i cook them). I am sketching under artificial lights, and the shadows are deep and strong. The colour I have used is Shadow Violet by Roman Szmal.

A few days earlier, I am chatting with Roman. He wants to know if I am happy with the colour choices he is sending to my group of participants in Barcelona next week (it’s BCN SketchFest and I have been honoured with an invitation to teach a workshop there).

So I feel I had better try it out for myself before I start my workshop, because I usually work in Payne’s Grey for shadows, although I have been enjoying Shadow Grey very much lately.

And as far as keeping Marcel company while he washes up goes, I am so lost in the sketch that I barely remember if he even stuck around, or wandered off to put on the telly. I have a feeling it was the latter. The only thing I remember is that he whips away the empty yogurt pot at one stage, to throw it out, prompting…well, confrontation.

Sunday 9th March

Buoyed by the success of the dinner sketch, I decide to do another Shadow Violet-only light & shadow sketch. It’s such a beautiful morning, though, that I can’t bear to tear myself away, and go somewhere more dramatic. Here in my lawn, right outside my studio, swans fly noisily overhead. Ewes bleat in their deep, unfeminine voices when the farmer arrives with the sheep nuts. Birds sing melodically. I can hear that soothing sound of traffic far in the distance, carried on the haze of the morning sun. I’ve just hung the laundry, and I know that sketching the washing on the line is always very enjoyable. But I look at the items on the line, and I pause. A line of knickers? Two tatty sports bras? Shared in public? Really? Then I remember International Women’s Day and I say to myself, Yes! Women have boobs! They wear knickers! These things don’t retain their initial glory after a while! And off I set.

Unfortunately, the sun isn’t cooperating, and it’s pointing the wrong way to capture the brilliant whites I have been looking forward to. I remind myself that I am supposed to be able to cope with such inconveniences, and face whatever I am presented with cheerfully. I remind myself to trust the process. I have SketchPockets to sell, so I set up my tripod, point it in the general direction of my sketchbook and start to draw. I have yet to start editing the rushes, but it’ll all be on my YouTube channel soon, should you wish to see me struggle to trust the process. You might even hear the deep bleat of a ewe…

I use three colours for the main bit: Shadow Violet, Aquarius Green and Autumn Green, all by Roman Szmal. Then I throw on a light wash of Ultramarine Finest / Phthalo Blue (Green Shade) for the sky.

Friday 14th March

Next week, in Barcelona, I will be presenting a talk on the Friday evening titled Always Ready. It’s a collection of sketches I made of moments when I did not especially plan to sketch, but because I always have my SketchPocket with me, sketches happened. Like this sketch of my daughter Honor by the pool in Menorca, her pink sunglasses casting a glow on her face:

…and, less æsthetically but no less spontaneously, the tiny red fish that was removed from the gut of a squid my brother was preparing for our supper one evening…

Utterly revolting but also beautiful and moving all at once. There are many other sketches in the talk – I must present 20 slides in six minutes – but I will wait until after the show to share them with you. You’ve probably seen most of them anyway, if you’re a long-time fan of mine. (Side note: I really, really appreciate all of you who have followed me through all my ups and downs over the years, and especially those of you, long-time follower or not, who take the trouble to leave me a comment here on my website. Thank you.)

Before I head off to edit my movie of that bit of undergarment-sketching, I would love to ask you a favour: if you’ve bought a SketchPocket from me, filled or unfilled, can you write a few words about it, and send them to me via email? I’m at the usual address – sketchwithroisin@gmail.com. It’s very important to me at this time, especially now that the first flush of Christmas mayhem is behind us. All the bags had sold out by early January, but that’s not to say the new batch will go just as fast. So I would really value your help in getting the word out there!

Buy yours here – this one is black and filled, but you’ll find the other options there too: https://roisincure.com/product/sketchpocket-black/

I know you know this, but sketching means two things to me: avoiding feeling unpleasant emotions until you have processed them in your own time (because you can’t sketch and fret simultaneously) and having a beautiful memory of something you’d like to hang onto. And, of course, the fun of being creative.

In the meantime…Happy Sunday!