Favourite chair

Posted on September 17, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Band of sketchers, Chair, Comfortable, Drawing, Favourite chair, Garden, Garden chairs, Geraniums, Late summer, Life, Pears, Sketch, Urban sketching2 Comments

Favourite chair in the garden, but gradually getting submerged into the garden….I’ve got a bit of concern because although these are really comfortable one has a slightly broken arm and the other one is a bit rusty in laces. I guess they will need oiling before the autumn rains set in.

This prompt was from the Band of sketchers group I’m in. I decided to add colour to the picture after drawing with black ink. It meant that I could add to the shadows and increase the contrast. I used some purple to intensify the shadow as my green permanent markers are drying up and I don’t have anything darker than a mid green/turquoise.

The shape of the chair is picked up with the angle of the branches beyond it. The branches curve up to where the pears hang down from the branches. They are still green but I added yellow and orange to make them show up better. The flowers at the bottom are mid purple Geraniums but again I didn’t have the right colour.

I’m pleased with the drawing. I might try something different soon though. I seem to be stuck in one style……

Cat washing

Posted on September 16, 2020 Posted in Cat, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Cat, Cute, Life, Love, Poem, Poetry, Sketching, Sweet, Washing2 Comments

Keeping himself clean

Soft and shiny fur

He likes to be seen

It makes him purr

Sharpening his claws too

That’s what you have to do.

When you are a black and white cat.

Not too thin, not too fat.

Just lovely, friendly, neat

with neatly washed feet x

Up supporting Penkhull

Posted on September 16, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #golittlechickengo, #penkhull, #StokeOnTrent, #WorldSeriesOfFlags, @theflaginstitute, Art, Design, Domesday book, England, Flag, Random, Scotland, Sleepless, Tired, Tiree, TwitterLeave a comment

I live in Stoke-on-Trent and the village at the top of our hill is called Penkhull. It was mentioned in the Domesday book and was a Royal Manor from 1086 to the time of Edward the Second. It is a village in a city and people like it so much that they had a competition to design a flag.

The flag has a golden Cockerel symbolising the weather vane on top of the church steeple. It stands on a blue ground which is for the blue of Spode, the old pottery firm in nearby Stoke-upon-Trent that manufactured ceramic products including the willow pattern pots that became synonymous with the factory.

The yellow oval and lines radiating out are for the road around the village green and the four roads each leading downhill from the village.

The green is to show that is a green place in the middle of a city. The whole design was approved by vexillologists (no I didn’t know that word before the competition) from a charity called the flag institute.

So why am I up? Penkhull is taking part in a competition being run by @theflaginstitute on Twitter. It is in the #WorldSeriesOfFlags and is up against the golden rays of barley from #tiree in Scotland. This is the final. I have not been able to sleep since I saw that Tiree had got ahead of us in the final they are on about 51.8% and we are on 48.2%? Something like that. Its very even between the two places.

Don’t know if I can get back to sleep…. The vote on Twitter ends at 11am. I think I’m in for a long night.

Structure

Posted on September 15, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Band of sketchers, Drawing, Fire escape, Fun, Industry, Life, Pottery, Sketch, Stairs, SuperstructureLeave a comment

View of the fire escape stairs across the road. We live opposite a pottery and of course it looks industrial. The superstructure allows people to come and go at various floors. The doors are always open in hot weather and sometimes people stand on the platforms during hot weather. They have gardens and trees around the grounds. At least they are trying to green the area.

Orme art group project.

Posted on September 15, 2020 Posted in Cat, Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, August challenge, Collaboration, Enjoyment, Fun, Henri rousseau, Life, Orme Art group, PaintingLeave a comment

Orme Art group collaboration on a Henri Rousseau painting done for August. We have all taken one or two squares and created this amalgamation of styles. Mine are the one with the head and the body of the guitar. It’s good to see everyones techniques and takes on the subject. How some bits don’t line up, but overall it has a wow factor. Hope you enjoy.

Roundabout

Posted on September 14, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Carousel, Chasing, Fairground, Fun, Galloping, Happy, Horses, Photo, Poem, Poetry, RoundaboutLeave a comment

Roundabout or Carousel

Galloping over ground

Chasing round in circles

Dancing up and down,

Riding high with friendly faces,

Horses in Derby races!

Round again and cantering fast

Now your on the home stretch

Past the winning post at last!

Sketch

Posted on September 14, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Artrage oils, Colours, Digital drawing, Drawing, Face, Female art, Sketch, Sketch app, SketchingLeave a comment

ArtRage oils sketch, edited in Sketch app. 2019. Digital drawing.

I like editing things in one application and then running it through one or two more. In a similar way to using different filters on Photoshop.

I have used lots of different apps over the years but I don’t always remember what I did in each of them which is why they look different each time. I want to find the best selection of drawing tools that I can. I hope they look OK.

Passed! Phew!

Posted on September 14, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, College, Illustration, Learning, Life, Nerves, Pass marks, Shaking4 Comments

I was so tense when I tried to find my marks for my college course that I was shaking like a leaf! I had tried to stay calm, but I’ve also been trying to do other things too. I’m sure my blood pressure is up!

I finally found I had passed but couldn’t see the marks. Now I’ve found them and it’s OK. But I need to find the feedback to see what I’ve got right and got wrong. This is the worst bit, I hope it’s constructive and that I will be able to improve my scores next time.

Eek!

Giraffes

Posted on September 13, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Africa, Art, Colour, Fun, Giraffe, Life, Memories, Miniatures, PaintingLeave a comment

I found these on my phone, small, colourful paintings in acrylic an tiny canvases. I think these were done a couple of years ago. I paint so many different things. I remember a lady from South Africa really liking these and getting one of them for her mother.

Today I get my results for my First term doing an MA. I hope I’ve done OK. You have to paint a lot of giraffes to get enough money to live on. So I’m trying to diversify! If I can get some illustration work that would be helpful. So fingers crossed and a deep breath. I will try and stay calm. X

Remembering the panto

Posted on September 13, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Flat man, Fun, Humour, Life, Memory, Painting, Panto, Pantomime, Penkhull, Scenery, Set design, Stoke-on-Trent, TheatreLeave a comment

In February we were in the local pantomime. It was Aladdin. I also painted the scenery including this cutout of a cast member who had gone through a mangle and had to come out flattened. You would think it was easy. But have you tried painting feet from the back as well as the front? I took photos of the front and back of the person but the feet looked odd? I should have placed them like Charlie Chaplin perhaps? I hope life starts to return to normal and we get to do another panto soon! Oh yes I do! Oh no you don’t!

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Art