Talk.Drawing

@talk.drawing is an Instagram account dedicated to interviews with contemporary drawing artists. As a sister account to @drawingpapershow , it continues the conversation about drawing all  year round. Follow @talk.drawing to explore insightful interviews and exemplary works by contemporary drawing artists, beyond those affiliated with the Drawing (Paper) Show. Logo by Jon Barraclough @j0ni0la #talkdrawing #DrawingPaperShow #DoDA #drawingartists #drawings #contemporarydrawing

Part 2 of a @talk.drawing interview with Ram Samocha @ramsamocha @draw2perform . What medium/s do you choose to draw with and why? I primarily work with metalpoint, alongside other minimal and time-based drawing tools. I use it on mineral and stone paper, drawn to their durability, smooth resistance, and subtle responsiveness, where I have developed a unique 3D drawing technique. I also incorporate a drill into my process, extending mark-making into vibration, force, and unpredictability. Metalpoint draws me in for its precision and resistance - it demands patience, discipline, and sensitivity to surface. Marks cannot be erased, so each gesture carries weight and permanence, connecting to my interest in duration and the tension between control and unpredictability. More broadly, I choose mediums that slow the process and heighten awareness, keeping drawing present within the work.  Any advice for someone wanting to learn/start drawing or for drawing artists at the start of their career? Start by drawing regularly and without overthinking the outcome - consistency matters more than perfection. Allow yourself time to develop sensitivity to materials and process. Be patient, as drawing is a slow form of understanding. Stay open to experimentation and to questioning your own habits. For emerging artists, it’s important to trust your direction while remaining critical and curious, and to see drawing not just as a skill, but also as a way of thinking and engaging with the world. Is there anything else you would like to say, share or promote? I’d like to share my recent series, Metal Barks, where I explore a shift from more abstract imagery toward closer observation of nature, using metalpoint in a sculptural way that expands drawing into 3D. The works were presented in several exhibitions last year and will continue to be shown in upcoming exhibitions this year - stay tuned for more. Thank you for reading and to Ram for sharing his experiences and drawing practice. 1  Metal Plum Bark, with lichen, 2026 2  Metal Plum Bark, with lichen (detail), 2026 3  Metal Oak Bark (dry), 2026 4  Silver Birch Bark, 2025-26 5  Metal Pine Bark, 2026 6  Ram Samocha, London 2025

Part 1 of a @talk.drawing interview with Ram Samocha @ramsamocha   @draw2perform , an artist fromBrighton, UK. Tell us about yourself and your artist background? I am a multidisciplinary artist working between drawing and performance, exploring each as both physical act and conceptual language. Rooted in traditional draftsmanship, my practice has expanded into experimental processes that challenge mark-making and the presence of the body. I am interested in how time, repetition, and material resistance shape an image or action. Working with metalpoint slows the process, allowing a deeper engagement with surface, gesture, and duration. Across drawing and performance, my work reflects a dialogue between control and unpredictability, where each piece becomes a record of intention, presence, and discovery. In this interview, I focus on my metalpoint work. Why do you draw? I draw as a way of thinking and being present. It allows me to slow down, to observe more carefully, and to engage in a direct dialogue between my body, the material, and time. Drawing is not only about producing an image, but also about entering a state where repetition, focus, and subtle shifts become meaningful. It gives form to processes that are often invisible-attention, duration, and change. Within my broader practice, drawing also connects closely to performance, as both involve action, endurance, and the trace of a lived moment. Ultimately, I draw to explore what emerges when control meets uncertainty. Follow for part 2 (coming soon) and to read about other drawing artist practices and to see their work. 1  Metal Oak Bark, 2025 2  Metal Elm Bark 1, 2025 3  Metal Elm Bark 1 (detail), 2025 4  Metal Elm Bark 2, 2025 5  Metal Elm Bark 3, 2025 6  Metal Elm Bark 3 (detail), 2025 #talkdrawing #drawing #drawingartist #multidisciplinaryartist #performanceartist

Part 2 of a @talk.drawing interview with Alexandra Blum @alexandrablum3445 . What medium/s do you choose to draw with and why? Graphite is a wonderful medium, which I’ve used for several drawing projects, and love for its immediacy and versatility. It allows me to make small, fragmented marks, in order to look closely at the relative position of static forms, and to suddenly change to faster, less controlled marks in response to moving forms. This means the drawn marks become traces of the spaces I encounter and the life taking place within them. Over the past year, I’ve focused on using watercolour. It’s an exciting medium, allowing me to move between drawing and painting within a single image and to create equivalents of light and spatial rhythm. It’s fascinating using it to look closely at the interactions between trees and human-made structures on and around Shooters Hill, as they alter throughout the year. Any advice for someone wanting to learn/start drawing or for drawing artists at the start of their career? Draw a lot! Even drawing for 10 minutes a day increases observation and mark making skills. Don’t worry about whether the drawings are ‘good’, think of each drawing as an experiment in looking. Draw from direct observation, even if that’s not your main interest, as close looking builds invaluable skills. Follow your instinct, draw the things which most move you. Allow drawing to be an exhilarating, rejuvenating part of your life.  Is there anything else you would like to say, share or promote? I’d love to take part in an artist residency to examine the relationship between city, more-than-human life and the elements and I am keen to connect and share ideas with others in this respect. For invitations to exhibitions and drawing workshops please sign up to my mailing list via my bio. It’s wonderful to be part of Talk.drawing, thank you! Thank you for reading and to Alexandra for sharing her experiences and drawing practice. 1 Act  John Howard Davies 2 Tower 3 Aftermath_Photo Credit John Howard Davies 4 Home VI_Photo Credit John Howard Davies 5 Cul de Sac 6 High Water Arrival 7 Shooters Hill Summer 2025 8 Shooters Hill Autumn Transition

Part 1 of a @talk.drawing interview with Alexandra Blum @alexandrablum3445 , an artist from London, UK.  Tell us about yourself and your artist background? I live in London and love drawing the interaction between urban structures, more-than-human life and the elements. After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA in fine art in 1996, I undertook a MEXT research scholarship in Kyoto, Japan, which fuelled my interest in building visual journeys into my work. Favourite projects include documenting the precarious relationship between industrial and elemental forces on the banks of the Thames, the rapidly transforming landscape within the Dalston Square construction site whilst artist in residence and the impact of seasonal changes on Laycock Green and the Shooters Hill area. I have exhibited at Museum of the Home, Hackney Museum and London Transport Museum, amongst many other venues. Awards include the Hugh Casson Drawing Prize 2019. Why do you draw? I love looking. I draw to see more, to discover and record the interactions between part and whole, and between myself and the wider world. Drawing is a primary medium in my practice, rather than a preparatory process, it gives me an exhilarating and versatile means of witnessing and recording the spaces I encounter. Since 2025 colour has also become a vital component. I’m excited by its potential to convey luminosity and, consequently, the wonder felt when we slow down and look closely at the small, everyday - yet astonishing - phenomena which surround us: noticing the curving flight path of a single bird as it moves from shadow to light, within the teeming mass of the wider city, for example @talk.drawing is an Instagram account dedicated to sharing the work and practice of drawing artists. Follow for part 2 (coming soon) and to read about other drawing artist practices and to see their work. 1 Ledge 📸 John Howard Davies 2 Wagtail 📸 John Howard Davies 3 Factory 📸 John Howard Davies 4 Recurrence 5 Sleeping Tree 6 Winter on Laycock Green 7 Shooters Hill Winter 2025 8 Shooters Hill Winter 2026 #talkdrawing #drawings #contemporarydrawing #urbandrawing #drawingartist

An @talk.drawing interview with Nutsa Gogaladze @noutssya , an artist from Tbilisi, Georgia.  Tell us about yourself and your artist background? Art has always been part of me, though I took a pause in my earlier years. Since 2022, I’ve been developing it more seriously. I mainly work with soft pastels and have recently begun exploring oil and mixed media. My work focuses on self-reflection, short poetry, and music, with my musical background inspiring both my creative process and the titles of my pieces. Recently, I’ve become interested  in  Korean culture, especially after watching K-dramas from the 2000s. Their dressing style, manners, expressions, and romantic culture inspire my current works, I am obsessed!. My interest in mixed media started during a summer residency at the Elaine de Kooning House, where I had access to amazing exhibition archival books, art catalogues, and fashion magazines. Why do you draw? I like drawing because it lets me work quickly and capture ideas right away. What medium/s do you choose to draw with and why? I draw primarily with soft pastels, especially as I can play and experiment more with the texture of work, without making any sketches in advance and the result is always surprising for me. Additionally, I love pastels  as I draw with fingers(without any pencils or brushes) and it creates more emotional atmosphere and moving effect in my work. Any advice for someone wanting to learn/start drawing or for drawing artists at the start of their career? Experiment more with different mediums!  Thank you for reading and thank you to Nutsa for sharing her experiences and drawing practice. @talk.drawing is an Instagram account dedicated to sharing the work and practice of drawing artists. #talkdrawing #drawingartist #contemporarydrawing #ArtInspiration #SupportArtists CreativePractice

Part 2 of a @talk.drawing interview with Sharon Kelly @sharonkellyartist , an artist from London, UK  and  Belfast, N. Ireland.  What medium/s do you choose to draw with and why? I used to work mainly in charcoal, creating intensely detailed works from observation. I loved the time invested; the slow build up of layer on layer; the robustness and fragility of the medium and the residue. I rarely used colour and if so very sparsely. In more recent years colour has really leaked into the work. I began using ink, watercolour and gouache, attracted to the spontaneity and flow of the media. I also discovered oil pastel and used a sort of sgraffito process to scrape into the image like an excavation. More recently I have been working fluidly between 2 and 3 D processes and ideas around drawing have expanded. I use thread and stitching, even bandages and my own hair. My current work has entailed working with sewing pattern paper, threads, and cartographic imagery. Any advice for someone wanting to learn/start drawing or for drawing artists at the start of their career? Doodle, let your mind and hand wander and connect. Draw everything - both observational (Life drawing is wonderful) and from your interior world - you’ll find what excites you. Draw with unconventional materials - explore. Trust your instinct and be curious, committed and disciplined - just do it. Is there anything else you would like to say, share or promote? Thanks for inviting me to share these thoughts, I hope it finds resonance for others. Thank you for reading and thank you to Sharon for sharing her experiences and drawing practice. @talk.drawing is an Instagram account dedicated to sharing the work and practice of drawing artists. 1 Sciorta leathan 2 Blue Lips 3 Fuoriuscire 4 Split Circulation 5 Stitch Drawing 6 Taste the Pain 7 Red Torso 8 Red Woman  9 Artist Image #talkdrawing #ArtProcess #ArtInspiration  #sewing #contemporarydrawing

Part 1 of a @talk.drawing interview with Sharon Kelly @sharonkellyartist , an artist from London, UK  and  Belfast, N. Ireland.  Tell us about yourself and your artist background? I’m a visual artist based at this moment in time in London, but previous to this, for 43 years, based in Belfast and Co Armagh in the North of Ireland. My practice has been grounded in drawing since the late1980’s and incorporates painting, print, sculpture and video. The work has always been informed by personal experience, mediating  between memory and imagination. Inspirations come from many sources including sport, medicine and dressmaking. I never left school planning to be an artist - I found art following my instinct and art found me. The creative journey has also been the journey through life - negotiating life and what that means. Over the years I have collaborated, with others, sharing creative practice with teachers, children, athletes, boxers, writers and other artists. Why do you draw? Drawing is immediate and direct and connects the heart, hand and eye. Its also a form of contemplation and a way of tuning into one’s feelings, ideas and materials. Its a connector - enabling me to map ideas across different media and processes. Drawing  for me, charts the territory of both the interior world and the observable exterior world. Follow for part 2 (coming soon) and to read about other drawing artist practices and to see their work. 1 1966 Mirage 2 Bonnet 3 Borne 4 Cave 5 Doubt 6 Holding Shape II 7 Landscapes Of Loss 8 Memory dress I 9 Mother and Child 10 Resting Pressure  #talkdrawing #drawing #drawingartist #supportartists #dressmaking

Part 2 of a @talk.drawing interview with Ed Simkins @ed_simkins , an artist from London. What medium/s do you choose to draw with and why? Where to start! Charcoal, graphite, ink, pastel (soft and hard), colour pencil. Charcoal is just so simple and basic yet endlessly workable- just look at those Auerbach charcoal heads and the constant reworking and fixing and patching. Ink too is so pure and simple, so those dip pen drawings by Rembrandt and Van Gogh or Freuds etchings (we’ll call that  drawing for the sake of argument!) Then there’s Degas pastels… There’s just so many things to try out and I get bored too quickly if I don’t switch them around. Any advice for someone wanting to learn/start drawing or for drawing artists at the start of their career? For me it was going to galleries (esp the free ones), buying as many secondhand art books (not ‘how to instructions’ but artists monographs) and trying to figure out how they did it. You’ll learn more from looking at a book of Van Gogh ink drawings or Renaissance drawings or Degas pastels than you will just by drawing alone. Make drawing a normal part of your routine because its amazing how quickly you forget things! Is there anything else you would like to say, share or promote? Next time you draw something, think ‘how would (insert name of artist) approach this’. Put yourself in their shoes. Think like a forger! Forget colour when you’re starting out, it’s all about the mark making. Colour can follow later. Or ignore all that and just do it your way because that is all that really matters. Thank you for reading and thank you to Ed Simkins for sharing his experiences and drawing practice. @talk.drawing is an Instagram account dedicated to sharing the work and practice of drawing artists. #talkdrawing #ArtProcess #ArtInspiration  #pastel #charcoal

Part 1 of a @talk.drawing interview with Ed Simkins @ed_simkins , an artist from London.  Tell us about yourself and your artist background? I’m a graphic designer and live in London. Drawing has always been something I’ve done. I remember my Dad taking a sketch book with him on family holidays so I think that instilled a sense of ‘normality’ around drawing and art in general- it’s just something you did. I copied from comics (2000AD a particular influence) and remember gallery visits and 2 pictures in particular; Matisse’s 'Snail' and 'Ghost of a Flea' by William Blake. I remember an art teacher bringing in a book on American Hyper-realism and Chuck Close’s portraits were a big hit. I did a Foundation at Chelsea School of Art and then a Degree in Graphic Design. Since graduating 30 years ago I’ve worked in publishing in non-fiction illustrated books. I enter some open calls and was on Portrait Artist of the Year. Why do you draw? Good question! As I said above, it’s just always been a ‘normal’ thing to do. No great statement, no grand design, just an enjoyable way to pass the time. And I think I might be getting the hang of it. Actually, now I think about it I love learning how to use different materials and figuring out how artists achieve certain results. How is it Leonardo or Raphael can produce one result and a Degas pastel or an Auerbach charcoal portrait quite another and yet they all fall under the umbrella of drawing and are all equally great. And there are just so many materials to use and who can pass an art shop without buying something. I must have 20 empty sketchbooks laying around because a blank sketchbook promises so much.  Follow for part 2 (coming soon) and to read about other drawing artist practices and to see their work. #talkdrawing #drawing #drawingartist #portaitdrawing #graphicdesigner

Part 2 of a @talk.drawing interview with  Julia Midgley @midgleyjulia , an artist from Cheshire, UK. What medium/s do you choose to draw with and why? Pencil and watercolour / wash;   Indian Ink and dip pen;  Acrylic ink and dip pen;  Uniball fine line roller ball pens are my go to medium at first but they have been discontinued !! All of the above enable rapid speedy drawing, they feel right for the work that I do. Pencil is perfect for areas where ink or wash is not permitted eg in a medical setting.  Any advice for someone wanting to learn/start drawing or for drawing artists at the start of their career? Draw directly from life and develope a sketchbook practice, always carry a sketchbook or notebook. Life drawing is important to understand the human form and helps observational skills.  Don’t try to be too accurate or precise.  If a drawing feels as if its getting “stuck” use your non dominant hand.  To achieve best results draw subject matter what interests you. Be prepared to experiment, be adventurous and embrace accidents.  There are no rules, except to always carry a pen and sketchbook  Is there anything else you would like to say, share or promote? The first decision I make is to choose the best paper for the subject. This could be a cheap newsprint or an expensive hand made printmaking paper.  Then select the tint - off white, coloured, dark.... Before taking a sketchbook on location prepare some pages with random marks or washes. This breaks down the inhibiting white pages.   one of the most helpful pieces of advice I was ever given was to always note on the reverse of every drawing the catalogue no. / title, medium and date . Given that my residencies often produced 100 plus drawings this was essential. That advise came from Jon Barraclough and I remain grateful to this day. Thank you for reading and thank you to Julia for sharing her experiences and drawing practice. @talk.drawing is an Instagram account dedicated to sharing the work and practice of drawing artists. 1 Parade Study 2018 2 House Lords 2019 3 House Lords 001 2019 4  Before the March 2020 5 strangers on the Shore 2026 #talkdrawing #drawing #drawingartist

Part 1 of a @talk.drawing interview with Julia Midgley @midgleyjulia , an artist from Cheshire, UK.  Tell us about yourself and your artist background? At school I knew I wanted to be an artist. Drawing was, and still is, my preferred medium. After 5 years at Art School, Mid Cheshire and Manchester, (MMU) I moved to London working as an illustrator before realising that wasn’t really a good fit.  So started to exhibit in Galleries, who sold work and obtained commissions to draw in factories. That experience led to my practice in documentary drawing or reportage.  On returning to the North West that practice continued alongside a renewed interest in printmaking.  Drawing and etching compliment one another, the two “portfolios” have occupied my studio time ever since. To generate a regular income I taught in many art schools until taking a half time post at Liverpool School of Art & Design teaching documentary drawing from 1987 until 2013. Why do you draw? I was always drawing from early childhood. It seemed a natural thing to do and I was encouraged by family and teachers. Capturing movement in 2 dimensions appealed, making gestural marks and working at speed became instinctive.  Additionally I love paper in all its weights, tints, and surfaces. I love the feel of drawing a pen or pencil across the surface and seeing how line quality is affected. Drawing plays a huge role in “designing” images for printmaking particularly but also for larger personal works.  Drawing is also a visual language which communicates whatever is taking place in front of me when acting as a reportage artist Follow for part 2 (coming soon) and to read about other drawing artist practices and to see their work. 1 Friend or Foe 1982 2 Tender Farewell 1999 3 Adano56 2008 4 W.A.S.010 2012 5 W.A.S.099 2013  #talkdrawing #drawing #drawingartist #contemporarydrawing