
Strange creatures. Playing with mono prints and post it notes, making abstract shapes and animals x, then using black marker pens.
Rather tired tonight after only getting a couple of hours sleep. Then I went for a walk! Shattered.
New paintings and regular art updates.

Strange creatures. Playing with mono prints and post it notes, making abstract shapes and animals x, then using black marker pens.
Rather tired tonight after only getting a couple of hours sleep. Then I went for a walk! Shattered.

Yesterday’s walk was past trees coming into blossom on the Cauldon arm of the canal. The white bridge over it is in the background. I decided to make a collage if it, post it notes cut up for the blossom and leaves. I used some black monoprint for the tree bark. Then I added black ink and graphite. This was for the #bandofsketchers prompt regeneration. I’m afraid the blossom looks more like butterflies.. But I tried!

Mark who was part of this evenings Clay Chorus group. He played two brilliant songs. I used a bit of monoprint to add shadows to the side of his face. I only used a bit as he was moving and playing his guitar as I was trying to sketch him.
I wish I had his skill and had carried on learning an instrument, it’s great to be able to play things, but my trumpet is staying firmly locked away!

An old drawing done in 2019. When life was comfortable, the cats were snug. I hadn’t started doing my illustration course and I was drawing for pleasure.
I’d done another challenge, a hundred days drawing challenge, I think this was done on the third day because I’ve highlighted the date in red. I don’t know which of the cats this was. It isn’t our outside cat, because he was still living outside then (now all I have to do is whistle by the back door and he comes).
Anyway this just popped up in my memories, so I thought I would share it. A happy black and white cat, asleep, with no worries.

Well I decided to do a collage for #bandofsketchers prompt virtual travel. This is using bits of monoprint, bits from magazines, green post it notes and black ink pens. The view is where I want to be, Bovisand Bay, near Plymouth, South Devon.
I wanted you to feel the warm sunlight and the tide as it sweeps in and out of the bay. If I could be anywhere now it would be there!

I just checked my step counter and it came up with this for March. But I do have short legs so it’s not as impressive as you might think. Plus this is steps not miles! Anyway I’ve surprised myself. I think I’ve done 55 days since starting the 100 day walking challenge with my friends. I think I’m slowly getting fitter. My average walk is around three miles. I’m tired and aching, but I will keep going barring injury or illness. Still over 250,000 steps is not bad going for someone who was basically sedentary before that. Yes I was doing a few walks a week , but I think doing this has helped enormously. X
Today’s sketches…


Today’s sketch portraits, I used cut up mono prints that I had made for the print workshop earlier in the week. I glued bits down then added black calligraphy pen and fine liner, then graphite from a graphite stick. I had to unstick one bit of paper and redo it because it was wrong and overlapped bits of the drawing. …

he moved!
So I couldn’t get the right shapes on his fur, I had to try and remember. I also decided to simplify the pattern on the mat.

On the corner of my bookcase in the bedroom sits my breathing mask for sleep aponea. Tried to draw it..#bandofsketchers prompt ‘edge,’
I have something called sleep aponea. When you sleep, your throat relaxes and can close up. I didn’t know, I just knew I was very tired, to the extent I started to fall asleep at work. I found out sleep aponea can cause weight gain, diabetes, heart problems and other issues. I didn’t even know I snored as my hubby is deaf.
Wearing a mask is not always comfortable. If it comes loose it feels like a tale force wind blowing in your face.

What to do with bits if left over paper when you’ve taken out pages from your sketchbook? I cut out the page egdesby snipping where the paper has squares cuyt out for the ring binding. I took some orange post it notes then glued the offcuts on top so it looks like windows… Crumpled up some green post it notes for the grass and bushy bank the flats sit on. Then I used my ink roller (that is meant to blot out your address when you throw letters away) to roll over the background, leaving a vertical line for a lamppost. Finally I added an orange oblong of post it note for the street light. I added felt pen for trees and the lamppost and drew in the squares to add shadow to the windows…