About
I build websites, play trombone, and as of this summer… I draw. 🙂
I started back in July in the heat wave doing quick sketches instead of taking snaps in an effort to use my phone less.Â
My original drawings were quick sketches, just a record of the moment like a phone snap, they took about 5 mins. As summer has progressed I’ve got the bug, my original Stabilo pencil set (with most missing) are now down to about 1 cm long.
During this time a style has developed of its own making. Now they can take considerably longer. With the time-lapses 30 secs is an hour and some are 1 and a half mins long (I’ll do the maths for you, that’s 3 hours!).Â
I’ve been getting so much good feedback I’m encouraged to continue. I’ve been offered commissions and have done some for clients, but mostly I just draw what I do, what I see and what I like. It’s great and I love it.
What I, and others seem to enjoy is the combination of warm colour palette with friendly happy environments. The characters are mostly engaging with the camera, but of course there isn’t one, you the viewer take the place.
The colour palette I got lucky with largely down to the mottly selection of pencils I started out with. I’ve got more pencils now (this isn’t an expensive game) but I like to use my faves and the combinations I can make with them.
I use quite a bit of artistic licence, who’s to stop me? I like to try to capture a spirit of a place rather than create an exact representation. For that I could get my phone out.
The whole journey has only been less than 2 months. I got to the point where I felt I should consolidate to see where I was at. I scanned every drawing and have printed a few out and thought it would be nice to show them on-line somewhere, primarily so my mum can see them, hence this site.
The domain Coolcotswolds I already had and and it seemed suitable so I put a WordPress on it and here we are.
Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the pictures. Contact me if you did. Or if you have anything it particular you’d like me to draw. Commissions, agents and publishers welcome.
Went shopping today and got an A6 pad, a new set of pencils and a sharpener… ready to roll!
Cheers
Dave
All of the pictures on this site are available as prints. Proceeds go towards helping me fund this project and continue to expand the galleries (DIY crowd-funding). Proceeds on Selected Somerset prints donated to Weston Hospicecare. If you don’t see a Buy button please contact me and let me know which one you’d like
A bit about phones..
Of course my phone is still a valuable work communication tool and a phone, but further to that has just become ubiquitous and this was an experiment to see if I can use it less.
Then i saw that BBC documentary about the express intention of social media platforms to keep you addicted and thought ‘not if I’m not using you you won’t’.
These drawings replace one of my regular phone uses, the camera, I still have a way to go to replace my other 30 apps.Â
In essence it’s working. Day job comes first, but leisure time and spare moments now focused on creating instead of soaked up by the socials. Join me. Not literally, in spirit.Â
