Soon it will be autumn

Posted on August 23, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Autumn, Blogging, Christmas, Colours, Fun, Leaves, seasons, Veins4 Comments

The leaves will turn soon, green turning to golds and oranges, the wind blowing through the branches, stripping them until they are bare. Cold and frosty mornings crisping the leaf litter. So that eventually the skeletons of their veins are exposed. Children making prints from the leaves, painting them and pressing them down onto paper. Making them into patterns. Making them into wreaths and table decorations. Using gold and bronze spray paint to cover them. Adding a bit of Holly or Ivy and a red candle for Christmas cheer.

After autumn, Winter chills, usually wet now instead of snow. The branches bare until Spring arrives. Then buds, expanding into leaves again. Back to Summer, heat, flowers, scents, shimmering haze. Life.

Open and Closed

Posted on August 23, 2020August 23, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Colours, Drawing, Fish bottle, Flower, Gardening, Gladiolus, Houseplants, Life, Plant, Snapped by wind2 Comments

Poor Galdiolus stalk got snapped off in the wind. So I rescued it and put it in an empty fish shaped bottle in some water. Today’s challenge was open and closed so I think the open and closed flowers fit with the prompt. I’ve added the fence and flowers in the background. Using pencil for the sky and trellis. A few hanging baskets and houseplants finish the drawing.

Tableau

Posted on August 15, 2020August 15, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Colours, Found objects, Fun, Humour, Ornaments, Photo, Reminds me of zombies, TableauLeave a comment

For some reason this little tableau of ornaments reminds me of a zombie movie, or an old episode of Buffy the Vampire slayer. Just random shocked people, a little devil, an owl a Thai figure and a bowl made of buttons. It’s strange what can attract your eye. It’s the colours in it that make it interesting too.

Old cat paintings

Posted on August 3, 2020August 3, 2020 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Acrylics on canvas, Art, Cat portraits, Cats, Colours, Old friends, Old paintings, PatternLeave a comment

Two of my old cats. From these you can see I’ve been interested in patterns and cats for a long time.

I did have a box kite someone made me for Christmas although I never actually flew it. The cat jumped into it and I drew a quick sketch. This was the result. I wish I had taken a photo. The other painting was my old cat lying on a colourful throw. She was very old when she passed away. In her twenties!

I’ve done many portraits of animals from photos but these are more personal and painterly. I also enjoyed playing with colours.

All new urban sketchers challenge

Posted on July 26, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Art, Black ink, Challenge, Colours, Drawing, Media coverage, Mobile phone, Parrot, Permanent marker pens, Usk challenge Stoke-on-TrentLeave a comment

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Today’s challenge was media coverage. I didn’t have a paper and we haven’t seen the news so I decided to draw my phone with the news on it. But I couldn’t hold the phone and the sketch book so I balanced it on my arm. Then I drew the chair in the background. As I had the page of my sketchbook in my image I decided to duplicate the view again and then again. The parrot was on my tee shirt. You don’t realise how much you are moving around when you draw something like this, so my hand was in a differentvosition the second time I drew it, (and the third). I know it’s sketchy but I enjoyed the freedom and looseness of it

Colours

Posted on July 21, 2020July 21, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Carrier bags, Cleaning cloth, Colours, Design, Layers, Layout ap, Pattern, Photos, Playing, Rainbow colours, Random, Tee shirt, ThrowLeave a comment

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Remind me not to play with colours! I have stacks of samples of colours on my phone. Sometimes, like this, I put them together in a simple pattern. Different layers and shapes, folds and twists. I chose rainbow colours, but I think the red is actually a deep orange.

Interesting how colour perception differs from person to person.

I like the way there is a definite hard line seperating each line of hot colours from the blues, greens and purples. Interesting what you can do with photos of carrier bags, tee shirt material, yellow paper, a cleaning cloth and a patterned throw.

Mirrored

Posted on July 15, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Air, Calm, Colours, Flowers, Gardening, Poem, Poetry, Rest, Scent, YardLeave a comment

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Floral display

Back yard play

Never forget

Flowers are the best

To give me rest

To lift my mood

When the day is done.

To smell sweet scents

And heady airs.

Glorious colours

Melding together

Brightening my day.

Giving me calm.

On the table….

Posted on July 12, 2020July 12, 2020 Posted in Cat, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #uskstoke, Blogging, Books, Cat, Colours, Cotman paints, Fun, Paint, Sketching, Sphere, Stoke-on-Trent urban sketchers challenge, Table, WatercoloursLeave a comment

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Today’s Stoke-on-Trent urban sketchers challenge was what was on your table..

Luckily the cat got on the table as I approached it. Otherwise it’s just books and a box and a carved wooden sphere. The n gauge railway layout my hubby has is out of view. Too difficult to paint! Sketching with a Cotman watercolour set I treated myself to for my birthday last month.

I haven’t painted with watercolours for months. I liked the free flowing colours. Less restrictive than acrylics. Although I did let paint bleed into some parts I dabbed it off with a bit of tissue. I found drawing out with the brush instead of a pencil much easier. I hate having drawn lines in pictures. The other thing was leaving areas white. It’s good to leave negative space and not completely cover the paper. This is turning into an interesting sketchbook. The prompts really make me think.

Pattern play.

Posted on July 11, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Artrage oils, Blogging, Colours, Design, Fun, Layout ap, Pattern, Sketcher free, Sketching, SpiralsLeave a comment

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I don’t know when I did this, probably three or four years ago. It’s a combination of three apps, ArtRage oils, sketcher free and layout. I drew the metallic looking pattern first, then added the spirals and finally divided and mirrored the images.

I probably used a photo editor too. I’m not sure.

The feeling I get from making these gives me great pleasure. I can’t explain, but it takes me out of myself.

Patterns

Posted on July 10, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Colours, Design, Digital apps, Digital drawing, Drawing, Fun, Hue, Inspiration, Pattern4 Comments

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Patterned background, created digitally, with a figure of a seated woman added. I like playing with pattern, seeing what I can find hidden in the depths..

I added dark lines then shading and lightened areas to give the figure a bit of definition. I guess it’s a little more abstract than I normally draw. I changed the hue in it a couple of times to. Making it more green and then more red. I enjoy experimenting with art.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Colours