Tag Archives: rocks

Layers and Layers – Recording Observations 2

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I took a small sketchbook with me on our walk and draw day on the cliff lined shore near Monknash on the South Wales coast – and I found it much easier to work with traditional drawing media than with the iPad. However, I have not had much practice with the iPad in this way.

One of the reasons for bringing the iPad was to get a bit more experience and make a better assessment of it when using it with a traditional approach to drawing – i.e. the SketchBook Pro program I used was set to use a “pencil” at 50% opacity. It would have been easier if I’d had a stylus! I found the strata of the rocks quite a difficult subject but that may have been my lack of practice!

I first used the iPad for drawing when preparing for the Josef Herman Art Foundation Schools Award 2014 project. My first attempts were tentative, but practice obviously helps. Restricting myself (and the children) to using the “pencil” tool was intended to help us learn the basics and become familiar with working in this way. One thing I thought might be useful was the ability to record the process of drawing as an animation.

Below are two of my earliest drawings on the iPad. I hope the viewpoint of the first is clear and the second is of one of the Rosa Mundi flowers in our garden. The flower is the one that would make attempt using colour on the iPad!

iPad drawing of my foot

Rosa Mundi iPad drawing

Layers and Layers – Recording Observations 1

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When working on the recently posted StillWalks video, “Breakers Walk”, I was asked not to do a recce walk. The photos below, of the cliffs and rock layers of the South Wales coast, are perhaps some I might have taken had I done that recce.

I took these shots on the the recent “Walk and Draw” day described in the previous post in which I posed some questions including “what are the disadvantages of not recording observations?”

I am sure that if I had done that recce, the StillWalks video I produced would have been different – whether or not it would have been better is another question entirely. The disadvantage of not having done a recce was that there was more time required in post-production than there would have been. This was due to not having some of the photos I might have taken and, more importantly, not having as much sound recorded – more thorough field recording would have been helpful when laying this in with the image sequence.

Monknash cliffs

rock strata

rock strata

Layers and Layers – Rocky Strata

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The cliffs at Cwm Nash and further along the South Wales coast on the Bristol Channel display some great geological features. It is a popular place to enjoy the breakers as well as the rocks but you have to be cautious about the continually eroding cliffs.

The evidence for this is strewn along the foot of the precipice in various sizes, from small rocks which would still do you some damage, to huge chunks of cliff that must way several tons!

Cwm Nash Cliffs

Cwm Nash Cliffs

Glorious Light

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The source of yesterday’s pool of light on water – the sun, the clouds, the weather never ceases to amaze me!

Sun and Clouds

Sunlight in Scotland

The Sea and the Stone

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More sights and sound from Rhosilli Bay. There is no doubt in my mind that the Oystercatchers enjoy flying across the water of Rhosilli Bay, though I am sure that Chris Packham would tell me there is some specific and logical reason behind it – I am also sure that he is right!

However, I get great pleasure from thinking that they are enjoying themselves in their activity and so, despite all reason, I will continue to believe they are.

Oystercatchers

Rhosilli Cliffs

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Footsteps in the Sand

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Rhosilli Bay, at the end of the Gower Peninsula, is a great place to walk. The cliffs above the bay extend out to the Worm’s Head and can get busy on a weekend if the weather is good. The bay, however, like many of the large beaches on the South Wales coast, has the space to cope with a good number of visitors and not feel in the least crowded.

As with any beach, the patterns and textures in the sand change with different conditions and the shells, stones and rivulets underfoot create a range of sounds that all have the aural backdrop of the waves and the wind. The colourful rock of the cliffs (see yesterday’s post) reflect and amplify the sound of the sea but walking away from them allows the nuances of the crunch of tiny shells or the squish of soft wet sand to come through.

And above all that, the birds. Walking back up the cliff, even the smallest of birds can make themselves heard against the sound of the bay. You will need to watch the video at the end of this post to hear and see it all.

Coastal Walk Rhosilli-6

Coastal Walk Rhosilli-5

Rhosilli Rivulets

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Patterns in Rock

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Having included this week’s featured video on yesterday’s post, I thought I would post some of the images from it.

The full video can be seen on this post if anyone cares to look – it’s one for the Autumn.

Coastal Walk Rhosilli-1 Coastal Walk Rhosilli-2 Coastal Walk Rhosilli-3

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks, pay what you want and receive a download of this week’s featured StillWalks video. Sticking with the Gower, this weeks featured video is from Rhosilli by the Worm’s Head right at the end of the Gower Peninsula. Click the image below to watch the sample.

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