When classes are in session I don’t always have the time I would like to engage in long studio sessions, but I always try and keep things moving by doing small drawings, watercolor studies, or even just taking a few minutes during my figure drawing class time to make a few gesture drawings while the model is posing.
These drawings are some small studies I did in my parish church (Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton). The church in the evening has such a full silence, an inviting, enveloping darkness.
Our Lady Help of Christians IV, ink on matboard, 5″ x 4.5″ ©Michelle Arnold Paine
The scale is small, so I was able to finish several studies in just an hour or two, playing with varying degrees of contrast, different compositions and levels of detail.
Our Lady Help of Christians III, Ink on matboard, 6″ x 4″ ©Michelle Arnold Paine SOLD
Hi, I’m and art student and I’d like to research into your work. I’d like to know which media do you use for the church interior compositions and how do you use it? Also, what drove you to use this media?
Any help would be appreciated.
Many Thanks.
Hi! Thanks for your interest. The drawings on this page are done with a Gel Uniball pen on matboard. These drawings were actually completed in the church, so pen is a great medium – you can just stick it in your bag and take it anywhere. I didn’t use paper – these are on matboard used for framing and matting drawings. I was working in a frame store at the time and I just loved that these tiny little rectangles were objects you could hold in your hand and lean on a shelf – and archival — and free! I also had a bottle of water with me and a brush – the Uniball pens run a little with water and I think it is beautiful. I have lots more church interior drawings, paintings and etchings – if you click on Portfolio above you can find them. Happy to answer more questions for you – you can click on the “contact” page to email me, too!
That’s brilliant, thank you so much! This will help a lot. Do you think I could emulate one of your pieces, “Assisi”, in Biro and watered down ink? If so, how would you recommend going about creating the piece? Also, what was you inspiration to produce this piece? I am very fond of the sketchiness and loose drawings in your portfolio.
Try a couple of different biros to see which ones have ink that is water-soluble – I drew first and then went over the lines with a wet brush, rather than using ink and brush (though I do that for other drawings). When copying a drawing I often use the trick of turning the drawing I am copying upside-down and drawing it upside-down — that way I am concentrating only on re-creating the negative and positive shapes and the angles, rather than the object (“Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” is a helpful book that discusses this). Additionally, I work quickly all over the rectangle, not getting caught in any details until the very end. That is how it stays loose, but also how I am able to capture the subject accurately – by thinking of relationships throughout the canvas rather than just in one area. That’s about the best I can do for a quick drawing lesson in blog comments!