107) "Mortal Coil" Sculpture

Yes, my first post of 2018. The thing is, I knew that if I was going to continue sketching around Port Talbot, I was going to start repeating myself. However I am so unreasonably pleased with this sketch that I decided that I just had to post this one.

Now, one of the very first sketches that I posted - I think it may even have been the second, was a watercolour sketch of "Mortal Coil" a sculpture by Sebastien Boyesen which is in the centre of the town by the post office. This is the sketch: -

Let's call a spade a spade, it really isn't great, is it. To be fair, I actually made this one two years ago in 2016, and it was my first attempt at line and wash. Also I hadn't yet found a sketching pen I really liked yet, and this was sketched with a Tesco biro, and a child's cheap watercolour set on very cheap paper.

Well, I've groped my way forward with watercolour since, and although I'm by no means the finished article yet, not even close to being, I think that I have made some progress in two years. Today I had another go at "Mortal Coil" and this is what I came up with: -

Now, this was made on better quality paper, with a better sketching pen, and a set of Daler Rowney watercolours. so it should be better anyway. Yet I think it's a better composition, better sketched and better painted. That's my opinion, anyway.

3) Man Of Steel and new Railway Station - Pencil Sketch

This panoramic sketch shows Sebastien Boyesen's statue "Man of Steel" as well as the newly rebuilt Railway Station. I returned to HB pencil for this sketch. As with "Mortal Coil" this is another tribute to steel, and the men of the town who work it. I do like Sebastien Boyesen's public works of art in Port Talbot, and there's also a brilliant one in Newport too - however Man of Steel does remind me a bit of Expressionist official Russian Art from the Soviet era. I wish I could say that I like the new station. If I did say that, then my nose would start growing, as I'm afraid I don't like it at all. Apart from the fact that it just looks completely out of place, there's the acres of grey bricks which dull the soul.

2) "Mortal Coil" Statue - Town Centre

This statue is called "Mortal Coil" and it stands in the town centre, between the main post office and the River Afan. This is one of the first sketches that I made in ink, although in this case it's biro, which I've since discovered is actually far from my favourite medium for sketching. This is also one of the first sketches to which I applied a watercolour wash. I've done this from time to time, as you'll see, but I've never really been entirely satisfied with the results - I personally think I just don't have the colour sense to do this sort of thing very well. 

It was sculpted by Sebastien Boyesen, who also sculpted Man of Steel, at the other end of Station Road. It pays tribute to the metalworkers who have been so important to the town.