When my daughter left primary school recently, the school presented us with a folder containing all her school reports and a series of self-portraits that she had drawn each year. It was such a lovely leaving gift.
It is interesting to see them all side-by-side showing the developmental stages of her drawing skills - the first one features the all important belly-button that all children seem to include in their early pictures! and the last one the introduction of shading. It is also interesting to see when she chose NOT to draw the glasses that she has worn since the age of 6...
Sunday, 28 October 2007
Thursday, 25 October 2007
Cactus
There is something very interesting about this particular garden centre, it is a family owned business, and one of the original founders is a lady of 101 and she still comes in to work every day! Well they say doing what we love keeps us young - she must be the proof...
Tulips
Watercolour in a Moleskine Watercolour Notebook
Saturday, 20 October 2007
Mask-and-Scarf
A VERY tricky subject, a black sequin mask on a striped grey devore velvet scarf...
Pitt Pen on watercolour paper
Monday, 15 October 2007
Seascape
Week 2 of my drawing and watercolour class - this week, seascapes, using masking fluid and spatter techniques, working from a photo.
I'm really pleased with how this one has turned out, but must try harder to get my horizon line straight! I think what really made the painting was adding the little sailboats on the horizon - they weren't in the photo.
I'm really pleased with how this one has turned out, but must try harder to get my horizon line straight! I think what really made the painting was adding the little sailboats on the horizon - they weren't in the photo.
Saturday, 13 October 2007
Widbrook
A quick sketch, done while sitting in the car - had to stop when another car parked in front of my view!
First attempt at not using pencil first!
Pitt artist pen, Moleskine sketchbook
First attempt at not using pencil first!
Pitt artist pen, Moleskine sketchbook
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Sky 2
Another sky study this time I applied a Watercolour wash then removed some paint with a tissue to get the cloud effect, then back in with a darker colour when the paint was slightly wet to create the dark clouds. Landscape put in when sky had dried.
Sky 1
First class of my drawing and watercolour course - missed the first two weeks, so am playing catch-up. Learning basic watercolour washes and skies - then adding a simple landscape
Musical Italy Inchies
Sample of inches for 'Art for Cures' Musical Italy swap in the colours of lime green, pale blue and orange
Friday, 21 September 2007
The Terracotta Army arrives!
Attended a fun workshop with the children where we made our own Terracotta Warriors! Great fun, haven't played with clay for years, but hard to get the detail working on this scale...
Pitt Artist pen and watercolour pencils in Moleskine sketchbook.
Pitt Artist pen and watercolour pencils in Moleskine sketchbook.
1st attempts at needle felting
These were my first attempts at dry needle felting. They were completed in Denmark last summer when we were on holiday. My daughter and I were taught while we were there by a family friend.
The little character on the right was created as an example when my daughter had a 'felting party' for her 11th birthday. She invited 5 friends over and they had a great time - lots of broken needles, several minor stab wounds requiring plasters, but fortunately no serious injuries
The little character on the right was created as an example when my daughter had a 'felting party' for her 11th birthday. She invited 5 friends over and they had a great time - lots of broken needles, several minor stab wounds requiring plasters, but fortunately no serious injuries
Saturday, 1 September 2007
Cornwall - Eden Project WeeMan
Another amazing sculpture at the Eden Project - THE WEEE MAN (stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) - view the large size to read all about him.
We had a lot of fun trying to make out all the different things he was made of - the teeth were rather intriguing, then we realised they were computer mice! Do a Flickr search on WEEE to see lot's more photos of him.
Certainly got us thinking about what we will buy (and discard) in the future...
We had a lot of fun trying to make out all the different things he was made of - the teeth were rather intriguing, then we realised they were computer mice! Do a Flickr search on WEEE to see lot's more photos of him.
Certainly got us thinking about what we will buy (and discard) in the future...
Cornwall - Making dens at the Eden Project
A great family activity - making Dens. We thought we had a great design until a strong gust of wind blew...
Cornwall - The Eden Project
We visited the Eden Project - a fantastic day out. It is a conservation project created out of old China Clay pits. It now houses geodesic biodomes which replicate temperate and sub-tropical climates.
The drawing is of an amazing sculpture near the main entrance, it is made with driftwood.
The drawing is of an amazing sculpture near the main entrance, it is made with driftwood.
Cornwall Map
Map of South East Cornwall where we spent a week's holiday this August. I traced the map and transferred it into my Moleskine sketchbook, then annotated the map to show the places we had visited.
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
Time
Collage on irridescent acrylics with white gel pen in Moleskine sketchbook. The poem reads -
TIME
You can’t buy time, nor can you sell it
You can lose it, but you can’t gain it back
We all live on borrowed time, trying to steal more of it
We talk of saving time, but all we do is fill it
Some people have time on their hands,
others have no time at all
when in fact, we all have the same time—
we have all the time there is
Some people wouldn’t give you the time of day
others take the time
We say it’s time to get up, and time to go, and time to work
as if time controls our lives
We don’t say, it’s time to love
or time to do nothing
We waste time, doing what does not need to be done
and what we have no pleasure in doing
We let others control our time
We don’t take the time, to think how we use
this minute, this hour, this day, this year
which make up this life
Copyright © 1994 by Natasha Josefowitz
TIME
You can’t buy time, nor can you sell it
You can lose it, but you can’t gain it back
We all live on borrowed time, trying to steal more of it
We talk of saving time, but all we do is fill it
Some people have time on their hands,
others have no time at all
when in fact, we all have the same time—
we have all the time there is
Some people wouldn’t give you the time of day
others take the time
We say it’s time to get up, and time to go, and time to work
as if time controls our lives
We don’t say, it’s time to love
or time to do nothing
We waste time, doing what does not need to be done
and what we have no pleasure in doing
We let others control our time
We don’t take the time, to think how we use
this minute, this hour, this day, this year
which make up this life
Copyright © 1994 by Natasha Josefowitz
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Monday, 18 June 2007
Every Exit
I loved this Tom Stoppard quote.
The person was drawn from a photo found on Flickr.
Wish I knew how to adjust the colour on my scans - in reality this is a punchy lime green and a vivid pink!
Pastels in Moleskine sketchbook.
The person was drawn from a photo found on Flickr.
Wish I knew how to adjust the colour on my scans - in reality this is a punchy lime green and a vivid pink!
Pastels in Moleskine sketchbook.
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
Potential
This collage was a 'thank you and leaving gift' for a wonderful lady with whom I worked with in a local Business Women's committee.
The tag actually has a little 'home' underneath the name, and it has a personal message on the reverse. The name buttons were made out of Fimo and stamped with a rubber stamp then painted with a Gold leaf pen.
The tag actually has a little 'home' underneath the name, and it has a personal message on the reverse. The name buttons were made out of Fimo and stamped with a rubber stamp then painted with a Gold leaf pen.
Monday, 4 June 2007
Mobile Mania
This is my first attempt to do shading with crosshatching - how do you guys make it look so easy?!
As I am new to the EDM group I am just dipping in here and there with whatever takes my fancy. I did this in the car while waiting for my daughter at her riding lesson.
Moleskine sketchbook, Pitt artists pen
As I am new to the EDM group I am just dipping in here and there with whatever takes my fancy. I did this in the car while waiting for my daughter at her riding lesson.
Moleskine sketchbook, Pitt artists pen
Art Journey
This is the opening spread in my new Moleskine Sketchbook (large size) -
Collage and soft pastels
Collage and soft pastels
Red Pepper
This was meant to be part of my drawing practice, but when it was finished I couldn't resist adding the luscious red watercolour.
Moleskine sketchbook and watercolours
Moleskine sketchbook and watercolours
Monday, 28 May 2007
Ebony
The new addition to our family unit - we adopted her from the Cats and Dogs home a couple of weeks ago. We think she is about 10 months old and possibly a cross between a Staffie and a Whippet, with a bit of Labrador thrown in! She is very affectionate, playful and alert, and can run like the wind, but is a little nervous when out on the lead.
I had never particularly been a dog person - we used to have a lovely cat, but I must say I am enjoying her company and she gets me out of the house more which can't be bad
I had never particularly been a dog person - we used to have a lovely cat, but I must say I am enjoying her company and she gets me out of the house more which can't be bad
Saturday, 26 May 2007
Irises
I used two techniques here. I drew the Flag Iris on the right first. It was drawn with watercolour pencils then painted over with a waterbrush, but I think I overworked it. It's always so hard when to know to stop!
The one on the left I painted with a light watercolour wash then shaved on some pigment from the watercolour pencils. This technique would have worked better on proper watercolour paper as the moleskine sketchbook does not seem to like getting too wet - it will take a certain amount of water but then tends to seep through to the back of the page. I like the looser look of this one though - what do you think?
Watercolour and watercolour pencils in Moleskine Sketchbook
The one on the left I painted with a light watercolour wash then shaved on some pigment from the watercolour pencils. This technique would have worked better on proper watercolour paper as the moleskine sketchbook does not seem to like getting too wet - it will take a certain amount of water but then tends to seep through to the back of the page. I like the looser look of this one though - what do you think?
Watercolour and watercolour pencils in Moleskine Sketchbook
Friday, 25 May 2007
My New best friend
This was a lot harder to draw than I imagined - especially those little rounded buttons on the blue panel!
Moleskine sketchbook, pen and watercolour pencils
Moleskine sketchbook, pen and watercolour pencils
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
Garden surprises
We moved into a new house in January, the garden had been very neglected due to the previous owners ill health. So it has been a nice surprise to see a few flowers poke through the soil. So far we have had a patch of bluebells and these Lily of the Valley which have always been a favourite with their delicious scent and tiny white bells.
Not too pleased with the leaf on the left - it looks far too 'flat', still early days in my watercolour journey, much still to learn...
Moleskine sketchbook and watercolours
Not too pleased with the leaf on the left - it looks far too 'flat', still early days in my watercolour journey, much still to learn...
Moleskine sketchbook and watercolours
Monday, 21 May 2007
Sunday, 20 May 2007
Scents of France
Watercolour on watercolour paper
Real women
I just think it is sad that so many women cannot accept themselves as they are - they strive so hard for 'perfection' which is often not as attractive as that which nature intended...
Clouds
This was inspired by a poem by A.K. Marshfield -
"Clouds puffed up like roosters
A swirl of jet smoke in the azure blue
Green liquid lapping
Just beaching and nothing on mind's horizon
My feet walk away with my mind
another life calls to me..."
Acrylics on watercolour paper with gel pen
"Clouds puffed up like roosters
A swirl of jet smoke in the azure blue
Green liquid lapping
Just beaching and nothing on mind's horizon
My feet walk away with my mind
another life calls to me..."
Acrylics on watercolour paper with gel pen
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