Helen Birch - drawdrawdraw
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drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Helen Birch - drawdrawdraw
@drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.3K following 360 posts
Drawn to drawing.
Art lecturer turned author
and online art tutor

Click on Media tab to see my stuff.

https://linktr.ee/helenbirch_drawdrawdraw
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drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Chihuahua drawings. See previous drawing to realise his destructive powers 🐕
#dogdrawing #sketchbook #chihuahua #pen
#artadventcalendar #artyear
Several black pen and felt tip studies of a chihuahua - head and shoulders, and in a standing pose.
December 3, 2025 at 9:35 AM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Dec 2 #artadventcalendar
Another 'forgotten' thing from a random sketchbook.
My dog's favourite toy last year. Monkey was past his best: mangled, stuffing leaking out. He got his portrait done before he went to soft toy heaven!
#drawing #colouredpencil #sketchbook #artyear #monkey #toy
A coloured pencil drawing of a purple monkey - a dog's toy, mauled, chewed, grubby. Sketchbook format tall and thin - study across 2 pages. Monkey cross legged. Pencils used placed next to soft toy and sketchbook.
December 2, 2025 at 10:10 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
#XtraXmas #PartridgePeartree
Pears and a collaged partridge. A demo piece from an online xmas art class I gave @artistinresidence.co
Today's class will be developing drawings for 'illustrated cookbooks'. Mince pies may make an appearance!
#collage #birdart #bird #partridge
At the top 3 pears in a row. Below it a collaged partridge - red beak and legs, grey yellow plumage. Arranged on vertical / portrait format white paper.
December 1, 2025 at 1:13 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Think I'm going to use the lovely, annual #artadventcalendar to dig 'forgotten' things out of random sketchbooks.
Today 'Caroline's Garden' - Summer 2023.
#drawing #inkpen #neocolour #sketchbook #artyear
A black ink drawing of a garden on landscape format tan paper. Two shed structures nestle amongst summer foliage - trees and bushes Lines fluctuate thick and thin - drawn with a Sailor Fude 55° pen. Passages of colour added with Caran D'Ache neocolour pastels - a pale blue sky, a white Birch tree trunk, lime green and pink, round bushes.
December 1, 2025 at 12:57 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Week 7/12 of my 'Botanical Inspiration' classes @artistinresidence.co
This week 'Lichen & Moss'. For demo drawings - acrylic, TWSBI Eco, & Paper Mate InkJoy pens.
A big thank you @beckmckim.bsky.social for her donated gel printed papers as base.
#drawing #artclass #botanical #sciart #lichen #pen
Horizontal format drawing of a branch covered in various lichens and moss. Initial drawing collaged on to a 2nd piece - to allow for extension of drawing in black line beyond acrylic pen colour. Off cut off pink/green gel printed paper - uneven edges, used vertically. On it, to the left, a drawing of an upright twig covered in lichen - some growing close to the wood, one extending out in long tendrils. Diagonal drawing study of a colourfully decorated, lichen covered twig. Mainly pale greens and blue with some mustard and bright yellow types.
November 27, 2025 at 5:20 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Acrylic pen in sketchbook & on #gel-printed paper (pine cone unfinished but showing process). Details with #TWSBI Eco pen.
Printed paper c/o @beckmckim.bsky.social - fabulous class, and lovely colours to work on top of. So much nicer than starting from a white page.
#drawing #artclass #acrylicpen
Holly sprig drawing on right - drawn on card stock. Plant specimen on the left. Open A5 sketchbook, clipped flat each side. Drawing of ivy across double page - bottom left corner to top right. Plant specimen shown above sketchbook. Pine cone on left, next to an unfinished drawing of the same - on pink/peach coloured, gel printed paper. Beginnings of cone mapped out in acrylic pen line.
November 25, 2025 at 6:07 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Yesterday's live demo' portraits @artistinresidence.co
Charcoal pencils & coloured pencils. Picture sources: @earthsworld.bsky.social and Museum / Sketchy app
#onlineartclass #drawing #portrait #charcoal #colouredpencil #sketchbook
Drawing of a white haired and bearded man looking towards us, head turned, his shoulders at an angle. Drawn on brown paper with charcoal pencil and white pencil crayon. An open sketchbook showing drawn portraits of two women. On the left a full faced woman, three quarters on, scowling slightly, gazing intently to the right. On the right a long haired woman posed straight on. Drawn with red and blue coloured pencils. Both have red/auburn hair.
November 22, 2025 at 5:28 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
This week I delivered this online class @artistinresidence.co #Birds of North America.
Smooth-Billed Ani - charcoal pencil
Red-Throated Loon - water soluble markers, fine pens
Bluebird - tempera sticks, 2B pencil
Blue-Footed Booby - Staedtler fineliners
#Avian #artYear #drawing #birdart #sciart
Four line drawings of birds - all portrait format - mixed media. Charcoal pencil top left, thick and thin felt tip top right, tempera sticks and 2B pencil bottom left, fineliners bottom right. Birds variously swimming, balancing, standing - first one - head and shoulders in profile.
November 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
New Balance trainers on pink.
Media - chunky acrylic marker background, Sailor Fude De Mannen 55° pen, white Posca
#acoloraday #PinkMon #artyear #sketchbook #acrylicpen #inkpen
Drawing on pink of a pair of New Balance trainers - foreshortened, toes facing us. Outline drawn with black line, broader areas - laces, heel surround; with white posca.
November 17, 2025 at 4:02 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
It’s 229 years since Catherine the Great's death and we still like to hear stories about her life.
eg www.channel4.com/programmes/t...
A flamboyant life and equally OTT costuming.
Stabilo woody pencils for my demo’ drawings @artistinresidence.co - so couldn’t get bogged down in details #drawing #art
A flat lay of open, creamy paper sketchbooks plus white paper. Mostly drawings of Catherine the Great, a couple of her husband. Colourful loose dictated by media choice -Stabilo Woody Pencil portraits, and a little gouache over colour photocopies
November 15, 2025 at 2:04 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
When your pal @fishinkblog.bsky.social does an online class @artistinresidence.co on one of your favourite artists - Mary Fedden. My interpretation of her work. 2B pencil and a little Neocolour II on gel print.
#drawing #pencil #onlineart #artclass #MaryFedden #artyear #stilllife
A 2B pencil drawing of a still life on a gel print, textured pink background On the left a striped vase with stylised sunflower and leaves. Behind it a tray with two eggs. To the right a budding hyacinth in a glass jar, roots visible. All sit on a chequered tablecloth.
November 14, 2025 at 11:07 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Just unearthed an old diary - from my first lecturing job. I used to find staff meetings a bit much so would sneakily draw my colleagues whilst trying to look like I was taking notes and paying 100% attention.
#marginalia #drawing #pendrawing #redpen #greenpen #portrait #doodle #bored
A drawing of a bearded man with curly hair - green pen on lined paper. I used to secretly call him Captain Ahab because of the style of his beard. A green pen drawing on lined paper, of a bearded, balding man. A doodled, red pen drawing, on lined paper of a man with a moustache, and high forehead, wearing glasses. A doodled, red pen drawing, on lined paper, of a rotund man - the head of the art school I worked in. He always wore fabulous ties.
November 13, 2025 at 5:08 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Post-it portraits.
#pen #portrait #post-it #pink #doodle
Three, pink post-it squares in a row, each with a simple black line drawing of a person. A man in the middle wearing a hat, women either side.
November 13, 2025 at 4:39 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Some of today's 'people wearing hats' drawings.
A weekly class run by @beckmckim.bsky.social
Media - Neocolour II + ink pen
#portrait #hats #drawing #artclass #neocolour #kraftpaper #inkpen
Drawing, on Kraft paper, of the head and shoulders of an older gentleman wearing a white, trilby style hat. He's three-quarters on looking towards our left. Line work loose, some areas of bright colour. Drawing, on Kraft paper, of a man wearing a decorated, black, low crown top hat. He's three-quarters on looking towards our left. Line work loose, some areas of bright colour. Head and shoulders ink pen drawing, of a woman wearing a top hat. She's facing us directly. Line work is olive green and loose & 'scratchy'.
November 11, 2025 at 4:08 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
View from the back of my holiday hotel. Watching a new car park being built - not beautiful…or quiet, but interesting.
#drawing #ink #watercolour #sketchbook #blue #carpark #building
Open sketchbook in foreground next to travel watercolour box. It’s held up in front of the scene the drawing on the right hand page depicts - a multi story garage being built in Spain. Concrete infrastructure on show, the top floors clad in blue netting.
November 6, 2025 at 8:10 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
View from a hotel window - Valencia, Spain.
#sketchbook #watercolour #ink #wash #drawing
Open sketchbook showing a view across rooftops, a telephone wire across the sky, clothes drying on a line, children’s paddling pool structure in foreground. Black pen drawing with hints of painted colour.
November 5, 2025 at 4:26 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Went to another art session this week. I enjoy attending others' classes. The theme: #Halloween (loosely). Dolls are a bit scary, right?
Materials - red W&N ink applied with bamboo stick, pens with olive green and black ink, gel plate / acrylic printed papers.
#drawing #artclass #dolls #ink
Three head and shoulder ink drawings of dolls. One pink and black line on white paper, another black ink on yellow/orange gel/acrylic print, lastly white pen on black paper/gel print. Costumed doll - head and shoulders next to open sketchbook with drawing of the same. A layer of pink ink with olive green ink over the top.
October 29, 2025 at 5:02 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Last night's demo' drawings @artistinresidence.co
Part 4 of a 12 week #Botanical Inspiration I'm delivering there.
white pen on black paper
sgraffito / white, black oil pastel
colour studies - tempera stick, black pen, 2B pencil
I deliver these classes weekly - every Tuesday, 7-8pm UK time #draw
Fungi specimens next to drawings in a variety of media: white gel pen on black paper; scratched through black on white oil pastel; red toadstool blocked out in tempera paint stick with black pen detail. Similar technique for underside, exposed gills of large flat field mushroom - one on black paper another on white.
October 29, 2025 at 2:15 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
I really enjoy attending others’ classes: '...portrait skills with Lela Harris... mixed-media workshop at Manchester Art Gallery..'

Drew from photos, finding shapes of tone building the #portrait up by conjoining the observed shapes.
I prefer the ‘unfinished’ one. Both drawn with #charcoal pencils.
A portrait - head and shoulders, direct gaze us, drawn with black and white charcoal on kraft paper. Unfinished. Better for it? Charcoal drawing on white paper. Man wearing spectacles and a scarf. Direct gaze, pursed lips, great head of hair.
October 24, 2025 at 11:13 AM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Week 3 of delivering a 12 week series of botanical classes @artistinresidence.co
This week’s online workshop: ‘deciduous / evergreen’.
Drawing from oak, pine and sycamore with various green inks using brush, bamboo pen and dip pen #drawing #onlineart #ink #botanical #arttutor
Botanical samples next to drawing studies made of them. Thick and thin line on landscape format sketchbooks. Needles on a pine tree twig, sycamore ‘helicopter’ and leaf, oak leaves in bright green.
October 23, 2025 at 11:37 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
The season is helping me decide what botanical art classes to deliver @artistinresidence.co
This week - squashes, pumpkins and gourds. Beautiful to draw - colour, texture & shape 💚🧡
#draw #arttutor #botanicalart #onlineartclass #pendrawing #observationaldrawing
A flat lay. At the top: 4 drawings of a variety of green, orange squash/gourd/pumpkin. One done with Sailor pen and black ink plus 2B pencil, another with layers of water based markers and acrylic pens. A cut into squash plus one of its segments similarly drawn. The ‘specimens’ are shown in a row below.
October 9, 2025 at 9:33 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
My sketchbook demos from a class delivered this week @artistinresidence.co - a review of 2 books by @koosjekoene.bsky.social and @sketchbookskool.bsky.social (Danny Gregory).
Fabulous books, crammed with ideas & lots of encouragement to draw. Fab.
#drawing #arttutor #onlineart #artclass #author
3 images of an open sketchbook. 1. colour blocks of tempera stick and acrylic markers with black line drawings on the top - ornamental birds and my foot!; 2. pink blocks of colour with white and pale blue line work - a cup of coffee, birds and trainers; 3. an apple in stages of being eaten - tempera stick and black pen Book cover - 'The Creative License' by Danny Gregory Book cover - 'Life is Better When You Draw (it)' - Koosje Koene
September 25, 2025 at 2:51 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
Conkers and fungi.
The Autumn equinox and the new season it welcomes is encouraging some seasonal drawing.
#autumn #drawing #conkers #fungi #sketchbook
3 x shiny, brown conkers - seeds of the horse chestnut tree - in their green spiky shells. Below them a drawing of the same, using acrylic pens and black pen, on a matt brown/black stained paper. An open sketchbook with several pencil and pen drawings, plus some tempera stick colour. The fungi specimens are shown next to the studies.
September 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
For this week's class @artistinresidence.co I delivered a session on Audubon's Birds of America - 'a contemporary take on historical ornithological studies'.
#arttutor #onlineart #artclass #Avian #artYear #drawing #bird #birdart #Posca #acrylicpen #tempera #paintstick #sciart
A drawing of an American flamingo in a sketchbook, - after Audubon's version, using pink tempera sticks, and black pens for feather details. A sketchbook drawing of a blue kingfisher, with mottled terracotta on white chest feathers. It has a pronounced 'mohican-like' set of head feathers. Water based marker pens were used to lay down light blue areas before pencil was added over the top. Media shown next to sketchbook. The head and shoulders of a magnificently beaked, swimming white pelican, drawn in a black, landscape format sketchbook. The acrylic pens used to draw it laid to the right.
September 18, 2025 at 12:07 PM
drawdrawdraw.bsky.social
A weekend stint at a 2hr life drawing session. Kaya such a lovely model. A joy to draw. These poses varied from 3 - 15 minutes.
Paper a mixture of A3 and A2.
Drawing media - willow charcoal, charcoal pencil and 6B pencil.
#lifedrawing #figuredrawing #drawing #charcoal #pencil
A landscape format montage of 5 life drawings. A variety of poses - line drawings in charcoal and soft pencil on white paper A montage of 3 life studies. Drawings done with charcoal and 6B pencil - model seated, leaning, upside down - legs upwards, body foreshortened.
September 17, 2025 at 8:45 AM