90s drawing

90s drawing of a sequoia bald eagle. I think we were on holiday in the lake district and called in at a bird sanctuary. It’s in a sketchbook that I just found while trying to declutter. We used to take the train up to Manchester and then cycle to Rochdale, then catch a train up to the south Lake District and then tour and cycle camp or stay at Youth Hostels. I must have been fit!

River River where do you flow….?

Words and music by John Warner.

One of the loveliest and unusual songs we sing at choir practice is River River.

These are words from memory but I think they are pretty accurate. I had to look up the writers name as we didn’t have it. I hope I’m not breaching copyright by writing out the lyrics? I will delete ths post if here is a problem?

River River where do you flow
With your water the colour of tea
Gold and red in your sandy bed
Do you flow to the wide green sea?
No said the river I flow inland
Sink down deep beneath the rock and the sand.
Under the Geeji  and the Mugar tree
Where the desert people can find me
Earth belongs to all, she belongs to no one, she belongs to herself
Earth belongs to all, she belongs to no one, she belongs to herself…..

I was answering someone’s question about how it goes because they recently joined the choir, and I see an image a bit like my drawing in my mind when I sing it.

Painting

What is your favorite hobby or pastime?

This was a painting I did a few years ago, it’s of the upper story of Cheddleton Station, in Staffordshire, England.

I still love painting, but my health is affecting what I can do at the moment, I really want to do more. And somehow the anxiety over it is making me struggle to start. Because I’m worried whether I will be able to do a good enough job. I know I’ve been doing a lot of digital art, but it doesn’t have the same quality to me as actually painting.

I’ve spent years being an artist and I don’t want to stop. I admit some of my work isn’t as good as I’d like, I paint fast and rely on my skill to pull things into shape. I’ve certainly put in the hours to get to a good standard. But I wish I could go back in time and make better decisions about my art.

I haven’t stopped, but I might not do as much as I used to, I’m just hoping the physiotherapy I’m due to start will help.

Sketchy blonde

When I get bored I doodle.

Usually faces either in profile or three quarter positions. But I’ve noticed they usually face left, and I thinks that because I’m right handed. I also draw cats and horses facing left too.

I think its because I’m right handed. I usually draw the edge of the face first, then the eyes and the mouth, and hair and the ear. If you draw across the page you can see what you have drawn without your hand getting in the way. I spoke to someone who is left handed and she draws faces facing right. I haven’t done any research but it would be interesting to find it hw prevalent this is….?

Pointellist portrait

Using the glitter tool and then a thin brush in the Artrage app on my phone I created a head of a woman. It’s interesting because the dots are random so placing of the features becomes more inexact so the face seems more natural (not like my usual style). This was inspired by pointellist paintings, the #bandofsketchers prompt was inspiration.

Still doing gratitudes.

After a break because I was injured and fed up I decided to start a new gratitude book. I wrote down what had happened so that I will remember how I was feeling. But I didn’t want to start right from the beginning. So today I’m actually on day 420.

Three gratitudes a day helps balance the bad things that are going on as well. I like adding a small sketch to each gratitude to make it more real to me and helps me remember what went on during the day. I’m glad this idea was suggested to me. It really helps x