Sister blog

I’ve been two timing you. There, I’ve admitted it, and you know what? I’m not even sorry. You’ll probably have noticed that the vast majority of my recent posts have featured pen and ink sketches. A few days ago I started to count how many urban sketches I’ve produced of Port Talbot, the town where I live, and I was surprised to find that it’s over 50. An idea for a challenge came into my head – to use these sketches and try to create 100 sketches in total showing different aspects of the town. I’ve created a new blog: - 100 Faces of Port Talbot – to show these, and to give me a chance to write about each of the sketches. There is a link to the new blog on my links section.

But don’t worry, I’m still going to keep posting here, the new blog is only for daily sketches of Port Talbot.

Latest Sketches

Last week was my first full week in school since March, so I don't think I can be blamed for the fact that I only made one sketch during the week, which was this one I made on Friday lunchtime looking through my classroom window.

Still, it was a beautiful day in old Port Talbot town today, and I set off early this morning, determined to document more of the town in sketch form. First up was the Afan shopping centre at about 9am. Then I decided to try out the new sepia ink pens I bought recently, and produced the bottom sketch of the newly remodelled Port Talbot Parkway Railway Station. Fair play, the building before was pretty nondescript, but you can't ignore the bugger now. Why modern architects have this grey brick fetish I don't know, but I'm sorry, from certain angles this is a prime contender for the title of ugliest building in Port Talbot. When I'd finished it I drove up the Afan Valley as far as Cymmer, and made the sketch below of a building which is sadly derelict.

Derelict Bryn Siriol Senior Citizens Cntre

Afan Shopping Centre

Afan Shopping centre

Latest Pics and video

Well, here we all are again. I've just completed yesterday my first week back at work, and I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself.

So this morning I made this ink sketch of the old railway bridge across the Afan in Velindre: -

Old bridge, Velindre, Port Talbot

Then I made this line and wash sketch - and you can watch me making it in the video below the picture: -

Nat West Bank, Station Road Port Talbot

Here's the video: -

More Port Talbot Sketches

Station Road view from the car park behind on market day. I love this view because of the mish mash of roofs.

Port Talbot Station Road

Latest sketches

I posted a week or so ago about my realisation that I ought to be sketching other things in Port Talbot than just the best buildings, and as a result in the last week I've tried to show the town as it is, warts and all. Here are the latest sketches in the series: -

This is the bridge to the Aberavon shopping centre, currently being renovated, hence the scaffolding.

Every Saturday there is an outdoor market in the main car park behind Station Road. To be honest it is on its last legs really, but still a fitting subject for a sketch, I thought: -

Last but not least, this shows the Civic Centre and the Princess Royal Theatre from Tescos car park, and shows just how popular Sunday shopping is in the town

15 minute challenge

Right - a bit of a comedy of errors this morning. I wanted to try out my new camera set up. Also, I wanted to act on a bit of advice - basically my videos are too long. So I thought that I'd set myself the challenge of making a sketch in 15 minutes or less. I selected a photo I took in Port Talbot, set up the camera, and what do you know, I managed it. Here's the picture: -

I competed it in 15 minutes flat. Joy of joys. However . . . I thought I'd switched the camera off and I hadn't, and it recorded 5 more minutes of absolute crap. SO that video was unusable. Or so I thought.

Take two. I picked a photo that I took in Prague: -

However this time I didn't finish the sketch in quite 15 minutes. If you'd like to see for yourself, here's the finished sketch: -

and here's the video. Watch it with the subtitles since the sound quality is awful.

Later on in the day, my daughter showed me how to cut my first video. So here it is: -

Ink and Wash Tutorial 2

Here's the finished church sketch: -

St. Joseph's Port Talbot - ink and wash

I think it's rather nice - compare it with the original line sketch: -

There is a tutorial - this on works best with the sound off, the subtitles on, and at 2x normal speed.