New paintings and regular art updates.
When you don’t sleep well it’s easy to be drawn into watching TV. The last few nights have been horrendous. I’ve not got to sleep until 5 or 6am. Then sometimes there is a programme I really want to watch. Tonight there are four hour long episodes of Monarch of the Glen. It was a series I watched twenty years ago and I haven’t seen repeats of it. The pleasure of watching it outweighs the sleep I am missing. But maybe one day I will get back to sleeping well.
The problem with drawing cats from life is that they move! They get into interesting positions and shapes then a second later a different leg is up in the air or they have turned round, head up, down, twisted. Eyes open, eyes closed. The trick is to outline the drawing first, filling in the black area afterwards. This was a five minute sketch. Late night, the cat is settling down for a sleep. I do try and draw from memory but it doesn’t always work, especially with cats!
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt is watching. I’ve been watching my hubby watching TV. The last few days have seen a lot of watched TV, we could have done some walking but we’ve mainly kept ourselves to ourselves, just a bit of contact with the outside world….. Black ink fine line pen and green metallic pen.
#bandofsketchers prompt today is box.. I drew a couple of boxes. The slatted one at the back is one I keep art equipment in, the other one with the Christmas decorations on top contained the Teddy bear and other presents from my sister. I didn’t realise it had this nice lid until I took the things out of the box. Metallic felt pens and black ink fine line pen.
I was keeping my hand in drawing even though it was Christmas day. Funny what you find to draw. I was doing the cooking so I could have drawn the food, but I was not doing the main meal till later on Christmas day night (If that makes sense).
It meant I could either draw or watch TV. But you can only watch so much TV. If it wasn’t so cold and wet and windy I might have been going out for a walk. But there’s always tomorrow. My hands are always restless and ready to draw, sometimes are better than others but you can’t beat drawing and sketching.
So what to draw? I was given this owl keyring as an extra Christmas present, I might just use it as a decoration though, its got coloured stones glued to a gold coloured body and I think they would soon detach if I carried it around. I have a mobile hanging in a window and I might try and attach it onto that? Next question is should I colour it in? I quite like the simplicity of black and white, so for now thats how its staying. I might work on it in photoshop. Not decided yet. anyway I’m posting this at 5.30am after yet another sleepless night. Aches and pains and whirling thoughts. I know I should not be looking at screens, but its either this or watching TV news…
One of my first digital drawings. I think I used a paintshop program. The angel was drawn in bright colours. With blue and purple wings. She places a star in the shape of a snowflake on top of a Christmas tree. I think when I created this I was just learning to draw with a mouse and gaining control of it. It was challenging but fun.
Seasons greetings to all my friends. X
I know that not everyone celebrates Christmas or even the new year at this time of year. Different religious traditions, different calendars and different beliefs or non beliefs mean that we all think and act differently.
But I hope that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t wish goodwill and peace to everyone. Life isn’t always easy, and I realise I have been lucky for most of my life. The luck of being born in a first world country, having a good education, being able and allowed to work, even freedom of speech. I wish we all had better times and lives. I profoundly hope that humans get their act together and work to save the planet and its animal, plant and human populations. Living through a pandemic sharpens your thoughts.
So I really do wish you as much joy and happiness as possible in your life.
Drawing of a Christmas tree bauble for Thursdays #bandofsketchers prompt Festivities. I used various metallic and black ink pens. I haven’t got a Christmas tree up because the cats climb them when I put decorations up! My festive display is Christmas cards off friends. X
Oh to be able to go out in warm sunshine. To be able to sit on the ground (I can’t get up if I try and get down). This is a sketch I must have done a few years ago. The picnic blanket colours are probably made up to show up against the grass? The hands are a bit odd, but it is quite a speedy coloured pencil sketch so I guess that’s the cause. I think I was drawing on oil paint paper? It’s got quite a strong texture. You can see how the pencil has got gaps in it where there are dimples in the surface.
Nice memory, can I go back in time please?
This large papier mache hat was made for out pantomime a few years ago, it was about a meter wide. Painted to look like an old Spode pottery design. With roman or grecian patterns round the cup. I wish we could be certain that the pantomime we are rehearsing at the moment. This is a photo I found on my phone because I’m trying to clear off some of them to make more space, but I’m keeping this one.
Mallaband-Brown