Drawing the V&A Ardabil Carpet
The star exhibit of the V&A Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art is a colossal Persian carpet made in the early 16th century for a reception room of the shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din… Continue reading
Tag Archive: drawing
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Drawing the Arabesque, Tracing the Palmette: Sketching the British Museum and V&A Islamic Collections
This month I started something that has been in my mind to do for a while – organizing small group sessions in which people can understand and reflect upon objects in the Islamic… Continue reading
Siyah-Qalam – An Unusual Literary Commission
Here is a commission I undertook earlier this year for writer Shekhar Das. It is an illustration for a work on which he is currently engaged. This extraordinary vision comes from a chapter… Continue reading
Drawing Mamluk Arabesques at the V&A, London
I have spent many peaceful afternoons exploring treasures at the Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art at the V&A, partly in preparation for my Islamic Art History Courses at the City Lit, and partly… Continue reading
Dream Girls, with Indian and Persian roots.
Inspired by Rajput Master Bannu, I painted this lavish vision in the early 2000s. My style and spheres of interest have changed since that time, because being an artist is a journey. But… Continue reading
Painting Indian Style
Learning from Bannu in the 1990s provided me with a great deal of insight when looking at historical paintings in museum collections, both in terms of how they were painted, and the pigments… Continue reading
My Story: Learning Painting from a Rajput Master
Back in the 1990s, I had the privilege of being able to watch and learn from an hereditary master painter in Jaipur. The late Ved Pal Sharma, known as Bannu, was unique, in… Continue reading
Machines of the Mind: Leonardo da Vinci at the Science Museum, London
Leonardo Da Vinci: The Mechanics of Genius is a temporary touring exhibition currently showing at the Science Museum, London, open daily until 4 September 2016. It inspires multiple visits. There is so much… Continue reading
A review of Central Saint Martin’s Degree Show One 2014
It is the season of degree shows, and Central Saint Martin’s Show One, featuring students graduating from the Fine Art courses, is currently open to the public until the 27th May. Having graduated… Continue reading
Metalwork Sculpture by David Stewart
Known by many students and alumni from Central Saint Martin’s college of Art & Design, David Stewart is an inspirational senior technician, artist and teacher of large-scale metalwork. His current exhibition Melancholia at… Continue reading
Meditations on the Mandelbrot Set
I am posting this drawing, which I did a while ago, in response to John Baez’s recent post “Rolling Circles” on his Azimuth blog: http://johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/rolling-circles-and-balls-part-1/ I really enjoyed reading the discussion, the diagrams,… Continue reading
Getting started with Silverpoint Drawing
This silverpoint drawing is by Leonardo da Vinci, in the British Museum collection. It is called ‘Bust of a warrior in profile’ , dated 1475-80, © The Trustees of the British Museum. It… Continue reading
Still Life Drawing
We have now developed a vibrant community of interesting and talented individuals around the weekly drawing classes at the studio, composed mainly of professionals from creative industries or academia. Regular attendance is never… Continue reading
Shopping for a Basic Tool Kit for Drawing
With my Master Classes in Fine Drawing underway at the studio, I thought it would be useful post a list of basic materials that we use, and the best suppliers local to Bloomsbury.… Continue reading