the journal
What we've been making
Notes from the studio: finished pieces, work in progress, and what each batch is learning. Written by Alka Chauhan.
Resin day: pour, tilt, wait
Resin is the one class where the gloves come out first. The colours are mixed in cups, then poured onto the plate and moved around by tilting it and nudging…
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Two flowers in clay
Clay days are messy in a good way. The sunflower has long, curling petals with lines pressed into each one, and a dark, deeply textured centre. It looks like…
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Where beginners start: lines, then light
Most people who walk in say "I can't even draw a straight line." That's fine. Here we start with a ruler. Two-point perspective is just a horizon line, two…
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At the children's table: sunsets, apples and a leaf bird
The children's table is the loudest, most colourful corner of the studio. Oil pastel sunsets: an orange and red sky inside a circle, with palm trees and hills…
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Charcoal, slowly
Charcoal is patient work. You build it up layer by layer and you can't rush the dark parts. Ganesha starts with faint guide lines and the crown, with every…
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Framed and ready
There's a special feeling when a drawing goes into a frame. Suddenly it isn't practice any more. The warrior in charcoal: sword out, beard and turban cloth…
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Colour, big and bright
After so much black and white, a bit of colour. Koi in a lotus pond: two orange and white fish turning in deep blue water, with lily pads and two pink lotus…
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Hanuman ji, in acrylic
A painting of my own this time: Hanuman ji, acrylic on canvas. He is calm here. Eyes closed, head bowed a little, lost in prayer. The strength is still there…
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