Sketching in Oxford

On Saturday, one of my daughters and I went to Oxford (England). We packed our sketchbooks and managed to do a few sketches during the day.

As usual, I have used different ink pen brushes that I like for quick execution, a range of black PITT artist pens (Faber-Castell), and my Sennelier travel watercolour box for the wash on one of the sketches. These are direct execution, without any preliminary drawing.

Inky Fingers Comics - Sepia Ink pen brush (Pentel)

Inky Fingers Comics is an independent specialized bookshop located 38 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1HZ. They stock the usual American comics (Marvels or DC) and Japanese manga books, but also some original graphic novels,‘indie’ and self-published books. And you can buy a coffee, seat and browse the "Library" box... Great atmosphere and warm welcome from the owner. Recommended shop if you like comics and go to Oxford.

Eating at Wagamama - Green ink pen brush (Pentel) and ink pen

I started with the ink brush and, at the end, used a black ink pen to give more definition to the main subject (that is until the bowl of Ramen arrived at our table).

After lunch and raiding a few bookshops, we went to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History to do more sketches. They have one of a rare specimen of a Dodo (another one is in London).

Statue of the Prince Consort - Ink pen and watercolour wash

Iguanodon Bernissartensis - Blue Ink pen brush (Pentel)

Liverpool: The Beatles and a Dazzle ship

In Liverpool (England), The Beatles are everywhere. The city is rightly proud to be the home town of such a famous band.

 

The Beatles – Bronze by Andy Edwards (2015) 

An engraved stone in front of the group’s statue reads:

“The Beatles

last played in Liverpool at the Empire Theatre on 

December 5th 1965

… but they never really left.

They are synonymous with this city 

A tribute on behalf of fans worldwide.

Funded by the Cavern Club.” 

Near the docks was also a multicoloured boat painted by the artist Carlos Cruz-Diez and placed on Liverpool Waterfront.

Dazzle Ship by Carlos Cruz-Diez (The title of the piece is “Induction Chromatique à Double Fréquence pour l’Edmund Gardner Ship / Liverpool. Paris, 2014”) 

The notice near the boat had some very interesting pieces of information on the origin of dazzle painting:

Dazzle painting was a sort of camouflage for ships that was used from 1917. The contrasting violent colours, curves and broken shapes would not hide the ship but create an optical distortion. This illusion made it more difficult for German submarines to calculate the course of the ship.

The ‘dazzle’ style was heavily influenced by Cubism and its multiple viewpoints. The marine painter Norman Wilkinson invented Dazzle painting and more than 2,000 ships were painted that way.

Related resources

• The Beatles Story (in Liverpool) 
• Carlos Cruz-Diez official website  
• How did an artist help Britain fight the war at sea?