I was struck by how many toy adverts are on the TV now coming up for Christmas. There were a lot of crying baby dolls and I decided to draw this in response (for my own amusement). I guess I’m a closet cartoonist! I don’t mean to offend anyone, so apologies in advance x
I’m tired and not feeling much like doing anything, scratchy sore throat and a bit blocked up nose and ears. I decided to doodle a face. Why is it when I draw profiles they normally face left? Previous discussions with other artists raised the idea you can see where to draw easier if you draw the outline first then move back towards the eyes and mouth and ears. This is a finger drawing in ArtRage oils. I need to experiment more with it. I also need to find my stylus.
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was flash. I doodled these last night but I think they fit in with the prompt ‘flash’. These are quite flashy. Drawings of vase designs. Felt pen drawing and fine ink liner pen. Not well today so doing this yesterday made life easier.
Tuesdays #bandofsketchers prompt was Sugar. I could have drawn granulated sugar, but I chose to draw liquorice allsorts. They were my favourite sweets. I would peel them apart, eat the sweet stuff first then finish it with the liquorice afterwards. Felt pen drawing and black fine ink liner pen.
I have to go and collect my owl painting from the Brampton open exhibition tomorrow. It was for sale and I would have liked to have sold it. I have an open studio day at Spode on November 12th so perhaps I could sell it there. I am pessimistic though. There is less money available and I think things will get a lot worse before it gets better. Being an artist doesn’t make you rich! But I can’t stop painting.
Only one lot of trick or treaters called round tonight. One of them had a pumpkin on his head that was lit up with LEDs. There were three boys and they were soaked to the skin because it was raining so heavily. We gave them fifty pence each because I don’t usually get sweets or candies for Halloween night. I have to say they seemed a friendly bunch so I didn’t mind it, but it’s not my most favourite festival. I actually prefer Carol singers, and I encourage them to sing a couple of verses because often they come round and sing one line of we wish you a merry Christmas and expect to get money for it. I guess I’m a bit like Scrooge! Oh dear!
I carved this pumpkin cat last year for Halloween at Etruria Industrial Museum. It is meant to be a black cat if it was lit at night. I think they used battery tea lights for safety. I think I carved three or four with different designs. Memories of a more cheerful time. I should say be careful carving out pumpkins. I thing I cut a finger slightly while I was doing this x
The gallery I have my poppy paintings in has used my poppy meditation to create a jigsaw puzzle. I need to see it in reality to check the colours and clarity of it but was a lovely surprise. Lots of thoughts about other ideas too. Cushion covers, tee shirts? A whole new world of opportunity.
This morning it was dark at seven am. Tomorrow night our clocks go back an hour in the UK. On Sunday morning it will be getting light an hour earlier and we will get an extra hour in bed. Fine, but then we lose that hour in the evening, so it will be going dark at five pm.
I Hate that. I find my spark going out in the winter. I feel like a wraith wandering through the gloom. I don’t think I have SAD, but I am Sad. I wait till the sun starts to go down later every day, as the winter Solstice passes, and the returning Sun starts to cheer me up again.
A favourite painting done seven years ago. It was called Autumn Woman and was snapped up by an old friend. I like slightly surreal images, thinking about traditional art and giving it a slight twist. I may do a painting that includes leaves and fungi using this as an inspiration. I’m so happy with the colour combinations, I forgot that you can include blue as an autumnal colour.