Drawing challenges

Posted on September 30, 2019September 30, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Challenges, Design, Drawing, Drawing diary, Fun, inktober, Life, One inch challenge, Pen and ink, Pencil2 Comments

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In October there are a few challenges to get you drawing. The first is Inktober. You can find various challenges based on this theme on the Internet. Each one is based on doing a drawing a day for the month of October. People use a hash tag, #Inktober2019 is this years I think. There are suggestion on what to draw, for instance halloween themes or autumn. These can also be found on line.

The second challenge is the one I may be doing. This is the one inch drawing challenge. You draw thirty one, one inch squares and do a tiny drawing a day. My only problem? I don’t know if I’ve got a ruler to draw the boxes!

Craft fair

Posted on September 29, 2019September 29, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #market_@_48, Art, Craft fair, Eleanora street, Fun, Potbank Hotel, Spode, Staffordshire, Violin, Weather2 Comments

Well, it rained. As you can see from the photos. Even so it was good to do the craft fair at spode today. I met some lovely people who were very helpful despite the fact I was having a bad morning. I’d arrived after very little sleep and getting up later than I intended.

It was lovely to hear classical music being played by a violinist, he was really good. Sadly I didn’t get his name.

I didn’t do that well. I don’t know if I was too close to the door, or if my art was not trendy enough. I sold a few things and some people took cards with my details on. I am shattered but happy. I may not have made a fortune, but made some good friends.

Cat and Cucumber

Posted on September 28, 2019September 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cat, Cat doorstop, Courgette, Cucumber, Fun, Kitchen, Life, Microwave, PlantsLeave a comment

My cat on top of the microwave, despite putting stuff on it to try and keep him off, and a cucumber it courgette growing in the kitchen window ledge. It’s like a greenhouse in there. Grown from a random seed planted a couple of months ago. I saw the flower yesterday and it was open this morning! The cat behind it is a metal doorstop, I put it there agas ago and liked it so left it there.

I think I must be content with chaos.

Flat back pottery

Posted on September 27, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, British ceramic biennial, China Halls, Clay, Design, Fun, Life, Pottery, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

The British Ceramic Biennial has some hands on workshops that are free and open to the public. Last week I made a flat back pot using a mold of a boat with Donald Trumps head in profile and a pair of boots walking in the other direction. There is also a lion with a union jack, a monkey, and other figures and plants. There are other pots shown above. Each of them has been designed by an artist, so they are possibly controversial, maybe a bit tongue in cheek.

Today I painted glaze on my pot that had been fired. I didn’t remember to take a photo of it, but I have taken photos of some of the larger pieces now they have finally been fired.

I’m glad I had a go, it’s definitely worth a visit.

When I start I can’t stop….

Posted on September 25, 2019September 25, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Blogging, Car, Design, Fun, Humour, Painting4 Comments

Another start, luckily I don’t need a starter handle to get going. Something switches on in my head and I suddenly can’t stop. It’s weird, my mind must be wired up in a strange way.

Today I have started painting a lion, a car, ivy, a planet, a latch for a gate. All very random, but a challenge to myself. I have a little cartoon at my studio which says I will paint anything, and I think that’s true. I might not be able to get things exactly right but I do try.

I’m thinking about what to write or paint here. I will try and do a few more spooky stories when I’ve finished this lot of art work.

Toot toot, off I go!

Finished, Jupiter with moon.

Posted on September 25, 2019September 25, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic, Acrylic on canvas, Clouds, Colour, Fun, Jupiter, Moon, Planet, Space. Art2 Comments

Decided this is finished, not going to overwork it. I added a moon and its shadow. I wanted to keep the colours fresh and interesting. I liked the idea of tipping it at an angle. We tend to have images of planets on a horizontal plane because that is the way the solar system rotates ‘on the plane of the ecliptic’, but if you were on an asteroid skimming past you wouldn’t necessarily be travelling in the same plane as the planets.

Catopuss

Posted on September 21, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Cat, Catopuss, Duplicate, Fun, Funny, Humour, PhotoLeave a comment

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What has eight eyes and whiskers? A Catopuss. When you play with photos you can get some very strange effects. _20190921_203918

This is the original photo, a bit over exposed but cute. He’s got those big eyes that just melt your heart. So OK I just wanted to ost something funny and weird!

Today

Posted on September 21, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Butter Cross, Entertainment, Fun, Guildhall, Humour, Life, Mayor, Mock mayor, Newcastle-under-Lyme, PerformanceLeave a comment

Belly dancers at the Heritage weekend at Newcastle-under-Lyme today. This was after the Mock mayor ceremony which went really well considering I was wearing a large white wig and it has the effect of turning me into some sort of old English sheepdog! I delivered my speech on the steps of Newcastle-under-Lymes’ Butter Cross, which is outside the Guildhall. After we had done the performance we walked around the Lancaster building on the other side of the cross. We had to process and I started saying Good Afternoon in a posh voice to everyone to keep up the character of the Mayor. Returning to the Butter Cross we had photos taken with the real mayor. They might follow if they are not too embarrassing.

Casey cat

Posted on September 20, 2019September 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Animal, Art, Cat portrait, Fun, Funny, Kite, Pattern, Playing, Poem, PoetryLeave a comment

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He was a mad cat,

Jumped on kites,

sat in the middle of the road.

Climbed shelves,

ran round the local shop.

Climbed the curtains,

chased dogs

Mad yowling,

Running round at high speed.

Pouncing and preening.

Playing…

Learning to draw…

Posted on September 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Drawing, Fun, Learning, Paints, Paper, Pencils2 Comments

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Someone was asking for ti’s on how to start drawing today so I gave this response.

Choose good quality things to draw with. If you use pencils try softer ‘b’ numbers not hard ‘h’ ones. It’s nice to see the marks you make. Also choosing a combination of thin and thick nibbed black pens means you can have different sizes of marks. Choose a sketchbook that has at least a hard back if you can. Not too big. That way it’s easier to hold and it doesn’t slump mid drawing. Finally you could practice making marks with them. I started drawing copies of things when I was a child. I chose something I liked. It helps your hand eye coordination. You don’t have to do that though. Everyone will do things differently.

I suppose I could have talked more about what to draw, but I think basic equipment is important. If you draw something but it looks weedy and thin it it can put you off. Like when you use cheap paints. You don’t get a good effect, you can’t really see the result and you might have to scrub at the paper to get the marks to show up.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Fun