Don Letts portrait

Posted on November 11, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Black and white sketch, Challenge, Don Letts portrait, Drawing, Fast drawing, Free view, Fun, Half hour sketch, Portrait, Sky Portrait artist of the year, StudyLeave a comment

I don’t watch Sky TV because I can’t afford it, but the Sky Arts channel has appeared on my Free view TV. So…..

The fifth episode of the seventh series has three people posing: Don Letts, Katie Piper and Rob Rinder. I thought I would watch, then decided to draw. I mooched about on the Web and found a photo of Don Letts to work from. I was struggling to watch the TV because I really got into doing the drawing so I missed most of the programme. If I had to say what’s the worst bit of the drawing? The forehead is too wide and high. I tried adding to the hat but that didn’t really work. Plus the hands are a bit clumpy…. I may watch and draw next week too….

Baby raspberries

Posted on November 11, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Gardening, Green, November fruit, Photo, Picture, Plants, Raspberries, Stamen, WeatherLeave a comment

I went out to take photos of our hanging baskets and took a photo of these at the same time. I was lucky to see them because they are a bit further into the garden.

I was surprised because they didn’t flower earlier in the year. I’m sure they won’t ripen, but I’ll give them 10/10 for trying!

I never know which bits of a flower are stamens bur whatever the little bits of fluffy stuff are, but you can clearly see where the ones that have been pollenated have started to turn into green fruit.

I’m pleased the photo turned out so clear, it was windy and hard to get the phone camera to focus.

Poppies for remembrance

Posted on November 11, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Annuals, Gardening, Life, Perrenial, Plants, Poppy, Remembrance, Varieties, WarLeave a comment

Poppies germinate in disturbed soil so when the First World War came to an end they sprang up in ‘Flanders fields’. This then became the iconic symbol for armastice day and is used as a way of collecting donations. Paper flowers are sold in shops and by volunteers to raise money for the Royal British Legion charity.

Poppies come in a variety of forms, among which are the common poppy, probably the ones that grew in the fields after the war. Welsh poppies, oranges and yellows. Californian poppies (I’m not sure they are the same plant as I think they are called Escholsia? not Papaver). Oriental poppies, which are grown in some places to make opiates. Himalayan blue poppy (mecanopsis) one of which I managed to grow last year. Then also different garden varieties, perrenials and annuals.

My favourite annual poppy is Shirley. Lots of variety of colours from pale pinks and whites to deep reds and with different shading, also the perrenial Patty’s Plum although it’s colour tends to fade. I also love painting them….

Meanwhile in hubby’s world..

Posted on November 11, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Country Town, Engine shed, Life, LMS, London Midland and Scottish train line, Model trains, Night View, OO gauge, Photo, Station, Steam engine, TrainLeave a comment

Double ‘O’ gauge Station with a green LMS ginty engine, 060. Model, night time view.

It’s just on a small piece of board but it’s got two platforms and an engine shed waiting for trains to enter for repairs and maintenance. Behind the platform stand beer barrels waiting to be loaded. This would be a small country town station, perhaps in Devon, although LMS trains would usually be found all over the country and were used for shunting local freight, acting as pilot engines that ran in front of main engines to assist them on steep sections of track. They were also engines for passenger trains. With the 060 wheel set up (no leading wheels, six main wheels and no trailing wheels) they could get round twisting tracks easier.

The board is too small to have moving engines, but it’s an idea of how a station would have been set up in the past.

Abstract

Posted on November 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Abstract, Acrylic on canvas, Art, Dorset, Glitter, Maiden castle, Non representational, Painting, SparkleLeave a comment

Acrylic on canvas, abstract, hillfort maze.

I don’t know what I called it originally but it reminds me of the maze like paths up to the top of Maiden Castle in Dorset. It’s not actually representative I liked the idea of adding glitter and colour to give it spirit.

When the sun Shines it sparkles.

Varnish

Posted on November 10, 2020November 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic cler varnish, Art, Blogging, Bottle, Glass, Junk, Pens, Poem, Poetry, Vanish, VarnishLeave a comment

Varnish and stuff

An old bulb

Some pens

A ttube of salon?

Detritus in a glass

Collected then forgotten

Why don’t I throw you away

Why can’t I let go?

So you mean so much.

Should I keep you

Or let you vanish?

Cat plus cat

Posted on November 10, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Cat, Colours, Double cats, Fun, Life, Painting photo, Photo, Ring holderLeave a comment

Look on any shelf in my house and you will find either a cat ornament or a cat picture or painting. Here is a little cat ring holder, sent from a friend in America, and a birthday card someone sent me. I liked it so much I framed it. Sorry I don’t know the artists name. The little toy car is a spectrum persuit vehicle? From the captain scarlet and the mysterons TV series of the 1960s. The background is my bookcase with a few novels. I liked the colour combinations. I enjoy taking photos of everyday objects…

Wax resist

Posted on November 10, 2020 Posted in Cat, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Cat painting, Flowers, Garden, Resist, Sketch, Watercolour, Wax, Wax crayonLeave a comment

This was a quick painting I did years ago. Experimenting with a wax drawing then watercolour over the top. The picture has a reflection on it because it is in a cli frame under glass. I think I added the cat later on a piece of paper that I cut out and stuck down. It’s lasted quite well as it was done in 1990!

Pomegranate

Posted on November 10, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Colour, Drawing, Life, Permanent markers, Pomegranate, Seeds, Shape, Sketching, Sweet, TastyLeave a comment

Todays #bandofsketchers prompt was sweet so I drew this pomegranate before hubby ate it. I only had about twenty minutes to half an hour as I was going out for a walk straight afterwards. Trying to represent the seeds was hard. I had thought of cutting it into quarters but halved was easier and I managed to get a nice curved feel to the outside of it. And it was sweet.

Black fineliner and permanent markers.

When will you be finished?

Posted on November 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Amalgamated, Art, Green man, Ideas, Maori?, Painting, Picture4 Comments

You think a painting is finished then look at it two years later and realise it needs work. This picture is called new green man but it doesn’t really feel right. Then I suddenly thought about it and decided I might try and mix it in with a picture of a maori pulling a haka face. But is this a cultural appropriation? Am I allowed to use this idea. Merging different ideas. I will have to think about it. Whatever I do this will be changed.

Mallaband-Brown

Author: artbychristinemallabandbrown