Universe

Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was Universe. So I did this doodle. Crystal shapes that represent ancient ideas of the crystal spheres, moons in different phases. A solar system, a sun, a tardis, a wormhole a saturn type planet… Also galaxies colliding and other space stuff.

Black fine liner pen and black felt pens. I had fun doing this.

Old digital drawing

A few years ago I drew this portrait of Hugh Laurie, (who played House in the medical drama of that name). This was a digital drawing done with a stylus on a tablet but with very simple tools on a site called Sketchfu. It consequently closed and people lost their drawings. Luckily I downloaded some of mine.

This particular drawing always gives me pleasure. It took me a while to master the tools and when I try and draw like this now it doesn’t flow as easily. It’s true what they say – practice makes perfect!

Dragon design

My final major project for college will probably be a story about a dragon and an adventure with it. I wrote a story about twenty years ago but when I asked friends what they thought I decided it was too wordy, more like a novel. Not funny enough. So it’s sat on my computer and each time I have upgraded my system I’ve copied the file so I’ve never lost it.

I won’t tell the story, but I thought of it as a tale to tell my friends baby daughter. I was going to get a book published that I could give to her when she was older. Sadly she is an adult now and I’ve lost track of her mum. Maybe that book will finally be finished. Anyway I’m experimenting with illustrations for it.

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Inktober 2018

Three years ago I was drawing pictures for Inktober. I did do drawings for the whole month. I must have visited my sister and drawn my impression of driving in the dark. That’s something I hate, people driving behind you with their headlights full on. (the two white dots on the drivers mirror) this was from my memory.

Since I’ve been doing an illustration course I have amassed a large collection of drawings and sketches. So many memories. Even during lockdown, I have recorded images. I’m not sure where to store them all!

Rainbows

Another abstract drawing today. I drew contours around the back of a sketchbook page where ink had bled through and left lots of dots. When I’d finally drawn round them all it looked like the swirls in a cabbage that has been cut in half. But it was a bit flat so I added dark areas where the lines were close together. Then I worked outwards from each dark area adding colours in a rainbow effect. I’ve only posted a thumbnail image as I’m up to over 97% used storage on WordPress.

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Feed the birds

As the autumn approaches the northern hemisphere the weather gets colder. Local bird populations are looking for food. Some of them need to stock up so they can migrate others so they can overwinter in the UK.

You can get bird foods from local shops and pet stores. Grain, peanuts, sunflower seeds, fat balls, together with a fresh supply of water is what they need. If you feed them bread make sure it has been soaked in water, otherwise it can swell up in their crops and cause harm to them.

See your local nature charities for more information about feeding specific birds.

Variations

Draw a repeating pattern (top left) of blue flowers (four petals joined into squares).

Add colours, use an app to mirror the pattern, use another one to distort the pattern of lines, or change hues. Erase some of the changes to get a variation in the pattern.

That’s what I do, start with something basic but slightly complex then change it either by hand or digitally. I’m hoping to use some of these patterns for my Final Major project at college.